The idea of
"physics first" has been around for about thirty years. Finally, the idea seems to be taking off in
various pockets of the country. Currently Weston,
• Physics
is the foundation of all science and is the easiest to observe through
experiments with light, sound, motion, electricity and magnetism.
• Physics
deals with phenomena that relate directly to the student's world, making it a
course in which students can make predictions, practice data collection and
graphing techniques, and start to make scientific sense of their observations
(Hickman, 1994). It maximizes the use of
studentss’ personal experience in the everyday world and in their everyday
language. (Hewitt, 2002)
• Physics
gives students the opportunity to apply their mathematical skills to real
situations.
• Physics
is the basis for understanding the more abstract concepts introduced in
chemistry and biology. Today chemistry students learn about the electrostatic
and nuclear forces in atoms, energy transformations that occur in chemical
reactions, and gas laws while biology students delve into the biochemical
processes in cells. Providing a strong conceptual framework in physics will
only help students understand these complex processes (Hickman, 1994).
• The
performance of 9th and 10th grade students taking a conceptual physics course
on the NY Regents exam compared favorably to that of 12th grade students
mathematical-based course (Hewitt, 1990).
• The
sequence of biology-chemistry-physics for high school science was created in
1894 by a national commission, the Committee of Ten. This was when biology was
a descriptive science focused on classification. Those rules no longer apply
(Lederman, 1998).
• More
girls and minorities are succeeding in science and pursuing more advanced
science courses in schools which start physics in the 9th grade (Cohen, 1999)
• Doing
"physics first", 100% of our graduates will have completed a physics
course.
• The
science framework and related MCAS will be changing to include subject area
courses and exams, one of which is a grade 9/10 conceptual physics course.
• All
students will have had a physics course providing relevance and real world connections
to their lives. All students will see physics for what it really is, not a
course which is too difficult to take. With this in mind, more students may go
on to pursue higher level physics.
REFERENCES:
Cohen, Muriel. "Scientist and Educators Favor Physics Classes in the Ninth
Grade."
Hewitt, Paul G.
"Conceptually Speaking." The Science Teacher.
January, 2000.
Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual
Physics Teacher’s Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2002
Hickman,
Paul and Jennifer Hickman.
"Excerpts From High School Physics." The New Standards Project. 1994.
Lederman, Leon M.
"ARISE: American Renaissance in Science Education." Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. September, 1998.
Lewin, Tamar. "Push
to Reorder Sciences Puts Physics First." New York Times.