Cavic Physics

A world of teaching Physics and Astronomy

Tag: physics

Teaching Physics Online – One Year Retrospective

November 29, 2021 /

There’s been a bit of a lack of content here. Cavic has moved to the teaching Physics online world and it’s been a ride. I started teaching remote, like the rest of the world, during COVID. I loved it so much that I decided to move my career in that direction.

So here we are, a year later. Moving to full-time online teaching is definitely a transition, especially with a course like Physics. Here are five things I’ve learned teaching virtual Physics.

1. Know your course

I know it’s impossible to do everything yourself. Don’t reinvent the wheel and all that. However, it’s important to know the course and content you are teaching. As obvious as that may seem, a lot of schools and districts buy premade programs that teachers had no input in. If this is the case, learn the content and the way it is presented to your students. Write review guides and/or make videos for students to clarify information that needs it and teach things “your way.”

Whether you have the luxury of going through the entire course before teaching it or you simply go through the next unit the week before you start it, make sure you go through all information students receive and experience your course as a student. I have always used resources with this principle: Never assign something to students that you have not completed yourself.

Never assign something to students that you have not completed yourself.

Cavicchia teacher creed

2. Quality resources are essential

In the classroom, you, the teacher, are always there to answer questions and see when students need help. In online spaces, you lose that sense of when students need you. Enter quality, teacher-made resources. Start with identifying areas in your course that students typically have trouble with or have common misconceptions about. Create a help site for students with videos, lab template documents, guided notes, etc. to help them when you aren’t available.

Image of a Google Site students can access to located help resources. Having a place students can go 24/7 for help is a great tool when teaching Physics online.
You can make a simple, easy to create and use help site using Google Sites

If you need help finding quality resources to supplement your course, here are some of my favorite resources for Physics and Astronomy.

Of course, you don’t have to do all of this upfront, but it’s an excellent goal to build towards as you make your way through your first year of online teaching. Try to consistently add to your library of resources as you have time.

3. You can and should still do labs when teaching Physics online!

Hands-on, inquiry-based learning is SO important in Physics. Physics really is a course of doing. Labs are arguably even more important in a virtual setting – students have trouble connecting and engaging with just words and problems.

There are a ton of resources and simulations out there to help foster that hands-on experience in a virtual setting. Focus on adding and/or creating labs that have students actually manipulate variables, mimicking a real lab setting. PhET has amazing simulations for almost every topic in Physics. I also love oPhysics – they aren’t as flashy, but they have a ton of simulations to work with.

Image of an oPhysics simulation on Uniform Acceleration in One Dimension - one of the many simulations they offer.
Here’s an example of a great GeoGebra-based simulation from oPhysics.

4. Make yourself approachable and available

I know every school and district has different policies in place about how you are allowed to communicate with students. Work within your restraints and make yourself available to your students in as many ways as possible.

Google Voice has truly been game-changing – I love being able to text students from a work-only number. Students tend to see and respond to texts faster than any other method of communication. They also are more open to reaching out to me than through video channels – the camera-shyness is real!

Image of a sample daily teacher schedule created in Google Calendar. Having set times you are available to students will help create expectations and boundaries.
Be open and available, but within reason. Make a schedule for yourself and students to set expectations and boundaries. Here is an example day schedule for how I break up my day.

You can also offer live lessons, Zoom office hours, and hours in which you will quickly respond to emails. Make yourself a schedule to not overwork yourself, but have times when students know they can get a quick response from you.

5. Be understanding and flexible

Virtual learning can be a challenge. Some students thrive in a self-paced environment. Some students need structure and due dates. Be prepared to accommodate different levels of structure for your students.

The same goes for due dates and timelines. Depending on your online Physics situation, you may have students juggling a lot of classes in-person and online. Set realistic expectations and be flexible if things change! Communication really is key for successfully teaching Physics online.

There are my top five things I’ve learned the last year teaching Physics online. If you’ve made the transition to online or blended learning, I hope these tips have been useful in structuring your course and resources for your students. Happy teaching!

EdTech Tools for Physics: Top 5 Free Tools

July 1, 2019 /

Educational technology, or EdTech, is changing the way classrooms are structured. Classes are becoming more student-centered and collaborative through the use of technology, but many tools are too costly to implement. Here are five free EdTech tools for Physics that I have used with success. These tools are not necessarily just for Physics, but have worked well for my Physics classroom!

1. Nearpod

I like to think about how technology can enrich an experience, rather than how it can replace something. It’s easy to add tech – it takes practice and reflection to make it enrich the curriculum. Nearpod is one of those tools that can truly enrich an otherwise lackluster lesson.

Nearpod is nearly limitless in its classroom possibilities. I discussed it a bit already in my 5 Ways to Make Instruction More Student Driven. It truly is the most powerful tool I use in the classroom. It can transform a lesson from static an uninspiring to whole class participation and collaboration.

Sample Draw It featuring student-drawn motion graphs in Nearpod
Here is a real sample of some student drawings using the Draw It feature. The teacher receives all the drawings and can share them out to the class. We spent several minutes in this class going through each drawing and discussing what type of motion it showed.

Some of my favorite features within Nearpod are:

  • Collaboration boards
  • Importing existing PowerPoints and adding activities easily
  • Integration with PhET
  • 3D models and virtual field trips
  • Adding a slideshow for structured browsing time
Sample Collaborate Tool in Nearpod - one of my favorite edtech tools for physics!
Possibly my favorite feature of Nearpod in action! These collaboration boards are a great way to have students ask questions, share thoughts, and gauge prior knowledge. I love giving students the opportunity to put things into their own words for each other.

2. PhET

I would bet that if you are reading this website about Physics, you are already familiar with PhET Interactive Simulations. It is one of the most popular and widely used EdTech tools for Physics. Thousands of science teachers use these simulations for virtual lab experiences.

Using the PhET spring simulation as a virtual lab
One of the guided inquiry labs I do using PhET is finding out the mystery mass for this oscillating spring.

One of the reasons I love PhET is the flexibility in the style of investigations you can do. Even if you currently use PhET, I challenge you to kick your activities to the next level by including guided inquiry opportunities. These simulations are perfect for inquiry you can’t physically do in the classroom.

If you are a teacher, PhET does have some teacher created lessons you can access and use. I find that many teachers don’t know about this feature! You sign up for an account using your school email address, and the tools are located under each simulation.

Resources available to teachers for every PhET simulation
Example of some of the teacher resources available. These were all created by other teachers. If you like PhET, maybe submit some of your own resources to share with others!

PhET is also slowly making its simulations HTML5. If you don’t use it because of compatibility issues, check if your favorites sims are updated!

3. Quizizz

I am a newer user of Quizizz, but this school year I began incorporating it frequently in my classroom.

I like Kahoot. Students love Kahoot. Kahoot just doesn’t work for me. I find that students like it TOO much, which can lead to chaos and students not really reading the questions carefully. I also find that it just doesn’t have the flexibility and customization tools I want.

Enter Quizizz. You can utilize Quizizz in many different ways. I tend to use it as a class warm up, or “bell work,” activity. I like the ability to turn off the question timer, add the memes for a good laugh, and assign it as in class or at home. You have the flexibility to make Quizizz as fast-paced or relaxed as you want. There are dozens of Quizizz made by other teachers, and it is super easy to add your own questions.

Quizizz also has really in depth item analysis tools, which I review with my students after each game.

Sample student data from Quizizz
One of the item analysis tools is this student performance matrix (I cut off the students’ names on the left). I like being able to see a snapshot of each question’s score, plus each student’s performance. My students struggled with these questions a lot, so we did some reinforcement after this!

4. Tes Teach

Tes Teach with Blendspace is a platform to make choice boards online. You can make the tiles a wide variety of activities, which makes giving students choices super user-friendly.

Example tic-tac-toe board using Tes Teach - another one of the best edtech tools for physics
Here is a board I made for AP Physics 1. Students had to make tic-tac-toe that went through the middle, ensuring each student completed the exit ticket.

These boards don’t always look super pretty, but they are an effective way to give student’s choices in their learning. It is important to strategically place activities so that all students are working at the same level of rigor. I wouldn’t want one student watching three videos while other does three higher level free response questions.

Setting up your tic-tac-toe board to maximize student learning
I found this super helpful graphic from @wterral on Twitter, using tips from @ShakeUpLearning

5. GoSoapBox

GoSoapBox is a new tool I am testing out. It is a diverse and promising tool. I really think this might be one of the most beneficial EdTech tools for Physics out there right now.

GoSoapBox has a plethora of features. The most intriguing one is a clicker-type interface that can act as a “back channel” for your class. While clickers aren’t anything new, they are expensive and not realistic for many schools. GoSoapBox works on practically any device and does so much more than the clickers I used in college.

Here is the teacher dashboard for a sample lesson I created. GoSoapBox calls their lessons “events.”

On the teacher dashboard, you can create quizzes, polls, and discussions for students to respond to using their device. The Social Q&A feature is my favorite, however. Students can write in questions during a lecture discussion, and other students can see those questions. Students can also “like” other questions to indicate they were thinking the same thing.

Some edtech tools for physics are available within GoSoapBox, such as this live confusion barometer to use during lecture style classes
This is what the students see on their device. There are currently no active quizzes or polls, but students can still ask questions and use the barometer.

The confusion barometer is another feature that could really benefit Physics classes. Sometimes I feel like I completely lose my class mid-discussion, and the confusion barometer can help me be aware of that. At any time, students can toggle the barometer to “I am confused” and the teacher will see how many students are lost.

There are hundreds of EdTech tools out there, and I discussed just five of them today. Do you know of any other EdTech tools for Physics classes? What are you doing to disrupt education in your classroom?

Dina Cavicchia, creator of Cavic Physics, is a Physics teacher from Orlando, Florida. She has taught Physics for ten years. Her teaching experience includes AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, Honors and Standard level Physics, and Honors Astronomy. Her passions include all things space, science advocacy, and teaching science through collaborative learning. Connect with Dina on Twitter. Check out Dina’s Physics and Astronomy resources available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

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