Transcript Physics First - School of Arts & Sciences

Physics First
Kenneth O’Rourke
Overview
 What
is the Physics First curriculum?
 What is the logic behind Physics First?
 How is it implemented?
 Where can you find out more
information?
What is Physics First?
One of the key components of the framework is a
reversal of the sequence in which the three
primary disciplines in high school education—
Biology, chemistry and physics—have been
taught since the late nineteenth century.
physics becomes the focus of the first year of high
school science study, chemistry remains the
second, and biology becomes the third
What is Physics First?
Most of the science requirement today is fulfilled
by courses constructed as if they are discrete,
disconnected disciplines. These courses are
collections of facts and principles to be
memorized. This science curriculum is
structurally flawed. The Physics First
curriculum presents the disciplines as integral
parts that are self supporting to build broad
coherent knowledge steeped in the scientific
method.
Reasoning behind Physics First
Too many schools/districts are stuck in
disconnected, fact-loaded, assembly-line
modeled curricula and pedagogy that bear no
resemblance to the excitement of true scientific
inquiry and discovery. In order for our students
to grasp the big ideas and the total picture of
the universe we as educators need to realize that
the current system is not preparing the next
generation in these 5 areas:
Reasoning behind Physics First
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Science and mathematics literacy for all students
Citizens able to understand issues based in
science and technology
Citizens able to discriminate between scientific
understanding and personal belief
A capable work force for a modern
technological society
People with a joy and pleasure in understanding
a complex universe and the individual’s role in it.
Reasoning behind Physics First
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The sequence of high school study in science—
biology, chemistry and physics—was set out in
1894 on the basis of a prestigious national
commission (The Committee of Ten). Today’s
high school science courses, largely textbookdriven, are treated as independent and unrelated.
The sequence is inappropriate and does not
respect developments in the disciplines over the
past century.
Reasoning behind Physics First
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How do you explain heat or energy effectively?
How can DNA or any cellular activity be really
understood without a firm basis in chemistry?
Gas laws are just memorized formulas, unless
the physics of the kinetic energy and pressure
are understood.
The movement of energy through the food
chain is abstract and almost magical until the law
of conservation of energy is understood.
Implementation
Physics in Year One
The curriculum approaches physics as a foundation of
building blocks that both serve to facilitate the three
years of science study and honor the subject as a
standalone discipline. It begins with visible and familiar
physical objects, then progresses to abstract levels. A
fundamental goal is to elicit student fascination and a
desire to discover why something happens and what a
given experience means.
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Implementation
Physics year 1 (alphabetical order)
• Atomic Theory, Structure of Atoms, Molecule Formation, Atomic and
Molecular Models
• Conservation of Energy
• Conservation of Mass
• Electricity/Charge
• Energy as a Universal Currency
• Gases
• Gravity
• Kinetic Theory of Gases
• Light and Photosynthesis
• Light as a Wave and Particle
• Matter, Properties of Matter
• Momentum
• Pressure
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ARISE: AMERICAN RENAISSANCE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION 27
Implementation
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Chemistry year 2
Much of Year Two is punctuated by extended laboratory
experiences and project based units that build upon Year One
experiences. Again, the curriculum should allow considerable
time to elicit student fascination and discovery, combined with
insights for relating their chemistry experiences to their physics
knowledge.
During this chemistry-based year, the curriculum is a building
block for the following year’s focus on biology. Atoms and
molecules particularly important to biology, such as phosphorus
and water, are in the forefront in examining chemical reactivity
and the affinity of different substances. Students should also
explore chemistry’s relationships to such new topics as materials
science, and to immunology and cloning in biology.
Implementation
CHEMISTRY TOPICS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
• Acids and Bases
• Atoms
• Bond Geometry, Bond Tension
ARISE: AMERICAN RENAISSANCE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION 28
• Chemical Reactivity and Relationship to Structure
• Equilibrium
• Fundamental Reactions
• Kinetics
• Model Building Models: Visual, Mathematical, Computer
• Organic Chemistry
• Oxidation-Reduction
• Periodicity
• Radioactivity, Atomic Stability
• Simple Chemical Bonding
• Solubility
• Structure and Function, Property Level and Geometric Level
• Thermodynamics
• Three-Dimensional Visualization, Molecular Geometry
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Implementation
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Biology in Year Three
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In the spirit of the previous years, the biology curriculum should
emphasize content-based experiences in field, classroom and
laboratory. Students should be capable of processing their
experiences with considerable efficiency during this year, given
the skills and conceptual frameworks mastered during Years One
and Two.
A simple but meaningful departure occurs this third year where,
in a general reversal of Years One and Two, studies begin at the
microscopic level—cell structure and function—and move
toward larger, more systems-based topics. A fundamental goal
for this year should be an appreciation for the unity and diversity
of life, and the varying quests of science to understand,
manipulate or control it. The curriculum should also expand to
embrace global, temporal, and societal topics, ethical questions,
lifestyles and the future of science.
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Implementation
BIOLOGY TOPICS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
• Atoms (Phosphorus, Carbon, etc.)
• Behavior of Organisms
• Biological Diversity: Genetic, Species and Ecosystem
• Cell Structure and Function, Malfunction
• Energy, Flow of Matter and Energy in Living Systems
• Evolution
• Heredity, The Molecular Basis of Heredity
• Interdependence between Living and Non-Living Entities
• Interdependence among Organisms
• Levels of Biological Organization: Cells, Tissue, Organs, Organisms
• Levels of Ecological Organization: Species, Populations, Communities,
Ecosystems
• Molecules of Importance (Water, DNA, Carbon-Based Molecules, Proteins, etc.)
• Photosynthesis
• Rate, Scale and Magnitude of Change
• Relationships between Human Population Growth, Industrialization and
Regional/Global Ecology
• Reproduction
• Structure and Function
• Surface-to-Volume Ratios of Life forms
• Trends and Cycles
• Water: Chemistry of Water, Density, Concentrations
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Resources
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ARISE (American Renaissance in American Education) See the
"Bibliography," "Why Change?", and the suggested "Course Sequence." Click
on "Workshop Whitepaper" to access L.M. Lederman's 72-page pdf
document on ARISE. See also the Lederman Science Center
AAPT Physical Science Resource Center. under "Curriculum"/"High School
Physical Science"/"Comprehensive Curricula."
Goldberg, F. , Heller, P. and Bendall, S. Constructing Physics
Understanding, San Diego State.
Hickman, Paul. (1990). Freshman Physics? The Science Teacher, March, 4547.
Lewin, Tamar. A Push to Reorder Sciences Puts Physics First. New York
Times. January 24, 1999.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/012499educ-physics.1.jpg.html
NSTA: Scope, Sequence & Coordination Project