Welcome to the fourth InThinking Physics 'Silent Podcast', written back and forth by Emma and Tim in a shared document. We welcome your suggestions for future topics: put your questions (whether timely or timeless) in the Comments.

if you didn't catch it, Episode 3 focused on skills in the study of physics, with Tim providing timely reminder for teachers to step beyond the Subject Guide understandings in their planning. Here, Emma takes the idea of planning to another level: how can teachers accommodate a diverse cohort of students?

Tim

Classes contain students with a range of prior knowledge and physics aspirations. How do you plan lessons in which all students are learning?

Emma

This is a timely question because I've never taught DP Physics classes as diverse as I do at UWC Red Cross Nordic. The students are united in being aspirational and driven by values of peace and sustainability, but some have never studied physics (or even science in a formal school setting) before whereas others have completed the physics curriculum in their country. The range of languages in the room is also incredible (I've learned that “speed” and “velocity” aren't always separate terms!).

I'd say planning comes down to two things:

• Knowing the students well (and inviting them to keep me informed about how they are finding things)
• Knowing the students' current physics and mathematics well (through informal checks)

If I know what each student is capable of, I know what next step to provide so that they can understand a new concept or develop a new skill - which means learning is happening.

I also make significant use of group work and provide options to the groups. For example, in content-rich lessons I might label certain concepts as matching IB Learner Profile attributes ("Who is feeling reflective today?" or “Who is up for a risk?”). The students do a wonderful job of mixing things up and ensuring that everyone can contribute.

Tim

What is the profile of your student body - does it change year on year or can you plan for continuity from age 13 to age 16 as preparation for the DP?

Emma

When I taught in the UK, I saw ages 13 to 16 as a rich opportunity. Of course, it was important to prepare students for the GCSE assessments in the final few months. But, on the whole, I would just aim to teach great ‘physics’. I was lucky to work in departments that believed in the explicit teaching of skills, so we would put emphasis on research and inquiry and provide students with success criteria in advance. We also included quirky ‘Thinking Physics’ or ‘Olympiad’ questions when appropriate and made time to share stories from the history and philosophy of science. This enjoyment of both theoretical and practical physics made DP Physics a joy!

Now I work in a DP-only environment - we have just two years with our students. I'll confess I'm finding this tricky. Although it's possible to make changes that become “the way things have always been” within a single cohort (which is a privilege), I have no control over who will join the Physics classes or the subjects that the students choose alongside. With about 40 physicists per year (out of 100 students), there's a lot of scope for random changes!

Tim

Is prior knowledge a good or a bad thing?

Emma

Almost always good! Of course, it can take a little bit of work to retrain students in how they phrase Newton's third law or think of heat (to give two common examples!), but I'd rather students feel carefree in using physics terms than arrive with none at all. I've recently been teaching my DP1 Standard Level students about the greenhouse effect and it's a pleasure to be able to connect to their existing ideas.

Perhaps the one perk of having many students with limited prior knowledge is that they aren't bored by stretching springs!

Tim

Is education about learning new things or unlearning previous mistakes?  

Emma

Wow! This went big! Do these need to be in opposition?

During my PGCE (teacher training) we were school in the idea that a great science teacher starts by finding out what the common misconceptions are for a topic and then designs sequences of ideas, activities and assessments for learning to prevent (and sometimes even call attention to) these misconceptions. I guess in a sense this means using the mistakes of previous generations to the advantage of the new.

However, at its heart, education is about the new. I value precision and accuracy and see it as my responsibility to lead by example (it's rare that the word “gravity” will be heard in my lab without my eyebrows prompting its adjustment to “gravitational field strength” or “gravitational force”), but I think taking care only serves to increase wonder and a thirst for lifelong learning.

Tim

So an interesting question is how easy is it to accept new understandings and give up on “everyday” knowledge.  A question that I used to use whenever I was interviewing candidates for a physics post was to start talking about Newton's third law. The first task was to check whether the candidates were really happy about the forces always being on different objects (sadly not always the case). Then I would follow this with something like “What would you say to a student who has some understanding of Newton 3 (push on plank of wood therefore push back on hand: equal but opposite) but wasn't sure if it applies when you push so hard that the plank breaks?”  Lots of interesting answers often implied that Newton 3 didn't apply if the plank broke!

Emma

This is a great anecdote. I'm convinced that experienced physics teachers are among the best science communicators in the world. We become so sharp - whether with centripetal forces, current electricity terms, the greenhouse effect or Newton's laws - that I reckon we could take on the best TV presenters!

Tim

Maybe our conceptual understanding and linking concepts articles could serve early-career teachers just as much as they can extend learning beyond IBDP Physics for students.

Emma

I wholeheartedly agree. And thanks for the opportunity to reflect on almost 15 years spent trying to support hundreds (thousands?) of unique learners! Next time, I challenge you to condense years of workshop and whole-school leadership on assessment into a single podcast.