Physics

Reading Joann’s post about fractions this week made me laugh. Her struggles with fractions were all too familiar to me! In all seriousness, though, it’s really too bad when difficulty with a particular topic turns a student off to that topic. Repeating drills and worksheets to encourage skills is not always successful, and it can frustrate students who don’t understand the material in the first place. Teachers have the tough task of presenting these topics in a variety of ways to keep students interested. When one method doesn’t work, a dedicated teacher tries something new. Sometimes, finding new and different approaches can be a challenge.

Summer is almost halfway over and kids who haven’t had much enrichment are starting to get bored. Some students have been keeping busy with camps, travel, and activities like watching television and playing video games, but many are looking to be more engaged. Many parents and teachers are looking for easily implemented activities to keep kids’ minds fresh for the remainder of the summer. It has been neat to see students trying out activities from our Summer Slide Buster Series here on the Gateway. If you haven’t tried any, we would love to have you try some this week! For even more ideas, look back through our archives.

Our discussion of Leonardo da Vinci last week started a great dialog about how to create well-rounded students who are willing and motivated to learn in all different subject areas. I think Kelly Tenkely stated it perfectly in her blog, Dreams of Education, “True learners are multidimensional, they are passionately curious about the world around them.” As we shift gears this week to discuss physics resources, we want to be sure the resources we present are in line with this goal of creating passionate, curious learners throughout the grades.

Every once in a while, the topic of American dependence on oil rears its head, is hotly discussed and debated by politicians and the media, and then recedes into the background. The current civil unrest in Egypt has once again prompted discussion as to the grave economic, political, and environmental challenges caused by the U.S.’s reliance on oil and other fossil fuels. Despite the warning bells that have been sounding for decades, the U.S. has been slow to rigorously explore and fund alternative sources of energy. Perhaps the recent increased attention to global warming and the high costs of petroleum-based energies will further spur development of other types of fuel sources.