The Physics Interactives

Have you tried a Physics Interactive lately? The Physics Interactives section of our website is comprised of a collection of HTML5 interactive pages that allow a user to explore a physics concept. Some Interactives are simulations that allow a user to manipulate an environment and observe the effect of changes in variables upon the simulation. Other Interactives are skill building exercises in which a user practices a skill that is crucial to learning some aspect of physics. And still other Interactives provide game-like environments that require the user to use a physics concept to meet a challenge. The Interactives are intended to be used by the individual student or learner who is attempting to further understand the concept or by a teacher-led classroom as part of a lesson or homework assignment. Most of the Interactives are accompanied by an activity sheet that suggests ways to use the Interactive. We have Interactives on a broad array of topics. There’s likely one waiting for you today. Why not check them out at …

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives

How to Stay Organized: Start the New Year with this Equation

We came across this article this past August on motivation and productivity. It was written by former-science teacher-turned-ADHD-specialist Gary Abud. We are familiar with Gary’s work and character from his previous devotion to high school science teaching so the article piqued our interest. As noted in the graph, the motivations of both student and teacher follows a natural roller coaster curve. And at the moment, we are sitting at a precariously low location. The article does an outstanding job attributing rising and falling motivation levels to a lack of learned skills for organizing and planning. As Gary notes in the article, the lagging motivation of students is not so much a lack of will power (as we often credit it to) but rather a lack of skill power. Gary describes it this way: “Whether it is assignment completion, classroom behavior, or giving students timely and useful feedback on their learning, issues of productivity in school come down to a set of skills for thinking, focusing, and taking action. Children are not born with these skills, they're developed. But when we see the results of a lack of these skills in schoolkids, it often gets the student labeled as lazy or unmotivated.” We will leave the rest of the article for you to enjoy. You will find it at … 

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_leader_voices/2018/08/how_to_stay_organized_start_th.html

2019 Educational Research Highlights 

Every year brings new insights—and cautionary tales—about what works in education. 2019 is no different, as we learned that doodling may do more harm than good when it comes to remembering information. Attendance awards don’t work and can actually increase absences. And while we’ve known that school discipline tends to disproportionately harm students of color, a new study reveals a key reason why: Compared with their peers, black students tend to receive fewer warnings for misbehavior before being punished.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/2019-education-research-highlights