[Catalist] Physics Education at the 23rd AIP Congress
Leon Harris
leon at quoll.com
Sun Jun 3 13:42:13 AEST 2018
It is gratifying to hear your experience Igor.
However, you may be looking at inputs, whereas I am speaking of outputs.
It is not uncommon in times of downturn (and the business, engineering
and mineral sectors are in the throes of a large downturn) for students
to choose the harder and longer term subjects - it is a way of turning
an unemployable time into some kind of (long-term) benefit. How large
was last years intake? Can you attribute a reason (a mechanism) for the
50% increase?
My comment still stands about longevity in science careers. This needs
careful attention.
I note that a number of top students in science that I know of have
avoided it for career reasons. They are also mostly second generation
science families, so they bring a degree of cultural capital and
understanding of the lifestyle choices to it.
We are not out of the woods yet as far as securing a sustainable
succession of our knowledge and skill base into the next generation.
Cheers,
Leon
On 2/06/2018 4:13 PM, Igor Bray wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> May I offer a slightly different perspective coming from the
> University sector. This year at Curtin we had a 50% increase in
> students choosing a Physics Major, and my UWA colleagues tell me that
> their numbers have increased also. Furthermore, the Physics students
> are now particularly academically strong with our median ATAR being
> 95. More important than a high ATAR is that students have taken Math
> Specialist in year 12, and more than half have. We have made Math
> Specialist a prerequisite for the Advanced Physics degree, and with
> luck I’ll get this through for the Physics-Electrical Engineering
> double degree (I call it the SKA degree) in the next couple of months.
> So things are looking rather rosy from our perspective.
>
> It is important to appreciate that at University we do not teach
> Physics to just make professional scientists. On the contrary, I make
> it very clear to all first year students that our degree is a
> multi-cultural degree that combines world-class mathematics, computer
> science and physics. The graduates will get access to jobs across a
> wide range of the knowledge-based economy. There is nothing wrong with
> the fact that just a few of our top graduates become professional
> scientists. Most of our students will get jobs across finance,
> resources, medical research, computer programming and technology, and
> this is a wonderful thing for our society. We get the brightest
> students, and we train them to be successful on the world stage.
>
> Many physics and mathematics teachers have lamented at the damage done
> by universities when they removed the prerequisites, dropped their
> standards, and have created an ATAR maximisation game instead. I am
> very sorry that this happened, but some of us are now acting to undo
> the damage of the past. I also have very strong support from the
> Australian Academy of Science in this regard. I am confident that as
> physics flourishes in WA universities, as it has to with the
> extraordinary investment in the SKA and the related STEM areas, this
> will feedback into the school student choices.
>
> With best wishes to all,
>
> Igor
>
> P.S. I just came from the
> https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/itamp-event/developing-flexible-and-robust-software-computational-atomic-and-molecular-physics-0
> meeting, where we turned our attention to education of physics
> students. Our multi-cultural education mix was deemed best available
> practice.
>
> --
> Igor Bray, John Curtin Distinguished Professor
> PhD, FAPS, FInstP, FAIP, FAA
> Head | Physics and Astronomy
> Director | Theoretical Physics
>
> Curtin University, GPO Box U1987 Perth, Western Australia 6845
> Tel |+61 8 9266 7747
> Fax |+61 8 9266 2377
> Mobile |+61 4 0489 2862
>
> Email |_I.Bray at curtin.edu.au
> <applewebdata://88FA8217-EDE9-40F2-B470-C2962A11AFD8/I.Bray@curtin.edu.au>_
> Web Curtin |_http://curtin.edu.au <http://curtin.edu.au/>
> _Web Physics |http://physics.curtin.edu.au
> <http://physics.curtin.edu.au/>_
> _Web TP |_http://itp.curtin.edu.au <http://itp.curtin.edu.au/>__
> _
>
> Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University
> CRICOS Provider Code 00301J
>
> From: Catalist <catalist-bounces at lists.stawa.net
> <mailto:catalist-bounces at lists.stawa.net>> on behalf of Leon Harris
> <leon at quoll.com <mailto:leon at quoll.com>>
> Reply-To: "leon at quoll.com <mailto:leon at quoll.com>" <leon at quoll.com
> <mailto:leon at quoll.com>>, Catalist <catalist at lists.stawa.net
> <mailto:catalist at lists.stawa.net>>
> Date: Saturday, 2 June 2018 at 13:46
> To: Catalist <catalist at lists.stawa.net <mailto:catalist at lists.stawa.net>>
> Subject: Re: [Catalist] Physics Education at the 23rd AIP Congress
>
> Thanks Roy, you are very kind.
>
> For teachers, we need to modify the Copenhagen interpretation of
> quantum physics here to something like: "Shut up and keep marking !".
> Alas, I fear the kind of change is too hard for our kind of society
> under these conditions.
>
> These things act against us:
> 1) 3 year election cycle - can't do long-term planning.
>
> 2) Collapse of the public service as a "check and balance" that could
> provide the long-term view that is missing in 1)
>
> 3) Rise of the client-server model in the educational context.
> Customer(student/parent) happiness does not necessarily map onto
> system success. This is particularly clear when the goal of parent and
> system don't align (ie one wants the maximum grade(benefit) for their
> child and the other wants the fairest and most accurate measurement of
> the child's ability that will give a suitable benefit to that child).
> Don't blame the parents - hey I seek to rort the system to my child's
> benefit too! Just be mindful of the conflict and don't pander to the
> parent.
>
> 4) Shift to exam focus rather than mastery focus. Continually refining
> the teaching strategy to fit the instrument that assesses its success
> means pruning away of "deep mastery". We don't teach reasoning, logic,
> or problem solving, we teach NAPLAN and ATAR. As generations of
> teachers come through this system, their knowledge and skill base
> becomes whittled away, and we will continue to sink ever lower (Unless
> we are able to sell our folly to our competitors as best practice! ).
>
> So yeah,
> shut up and keep marking.
>
> Above all, enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful weather, it is still
> affordable on a scientists salary!
> Cheers,
> Leon
>
> On 2/06/2018 12:07 PM, Roy Skinner wrote:
>>
>> Wise words Leon – as always!
>>
>> You could apply your reasoning to becoming a teacher of physics. I
>> think in 20 odd years here I have only had 2 of my students go into
>> teaching physics.
>>
>> Much better to become a footy player!
>>
>> Roy
>>
>> *From:*Catalist [mailto:catalist-bounces at lists.stawa.net] *On Behalf
>> Of *Leon Harris
>> *Sent:* Saturday, 2 June 2018 11:56 AM
>> *To:* Catalist <catalist at lists.stawa.net>
>> *Subject:* Re: [Catalist] Physics Education at the 23rd AIP Congress
>>
>> Hi Roy,
>> I'd be suspicious that your students answer may just be an excuse.
>> Plenty in religious sector do physics, around where I live more than
>> in the state sector (data from 5 years ago).
>> There are plenty of bright kids in state schools who dodge physics
>> due to lack of need and stress-avoidance. Why would you do it if
>> there is no reward for it?
>>
>> My experience in the religious sector was that kids tended not to do
>> much out of hours. To most of my scienc-ey kids, a 51% grade in RE
>> was a 1% waste of effort, and only necessary to avoid the 49% waste
>> of effort that a 49% grade was! Quite an instructive little lesson
>> there in measurement uncertainties (aka, try harder, unless your
>> measurement scale is very fine!).
>>
>> The big, unspoken, yet-to-be-courageously-acknowledged elephant in
>> the room is that there are few rewards for high performance in STEM.
>> Real estate and finance are far more lucrative. Bankers get bucks,
>> scientists get soft contracts until they are 35, and then they get
>> desperate and get into teaching or real estate. This needs to be
>> fixed, as that kind of human capital takes decades to create, and the
>> "burn it up and throw it away" approach to the profession that
>> Australia has is very poor at utilising our talent base. Anyone
>> recently taught a postdoc molecular biologist doing a dip Ed? I seem
>> to recall that the retention rate "in their chosen field" for most
>> scientists is somewhere south of 10%, a decade out of graduating with
>> a higher degree.
>>
>> Second big idea: We need to move away from a "game-able" education
>> system. We need to shift the culture: the exam isn't the goal, it is
>> an instrument by which we measure knowledge gain. Until we do, with
>> the apparent stakes so high for a 17 year old, they will play it.
>> Wouldn't you, if your future depends on it? It is up to us (the
>> educational professionals) to engineer the system - we should modify
>> to set culture, not just take the culture imposed by the lowest
>> common denominator of society. That will take years of work,
>> persuasion, media and politics. I may not see it in my time.
>>
>> Look at subject choice and career from the perspective of the person
>> entering it:
>>
>> 1) Do I need this subject for this career?
>> 2) Can I have a decent life, with time for love, recreation,
>> experiences if I choose this career?
>> 3) Will I be secure, be able to have a house?
>> 4) Will I be happy and fulfilled?
>> 5) Will there be time for other things in my life?
>>
>> Summary: If you want to increase the number of people doing
>> something, you need to examine their motivation system and then align
>> your offerings to that. Motivation drives choices and decisions!
>> Cheers,
>> Leon
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2/06/2018 10:14 AM, Roy Skinner wrote:
>>
>> Maybe I am opening another can of annelids here but on the
>> subject of fewer students taking physics I would like to offer an
>> anecdote.
>>
>> One of the girls I teach after school who is studying chemistry
>> and is very bright was asked why she wasn’t doing physics.
>>
>> She replied that she went to a Catholic school and had to study
>> RE as a compulsory extra subject on top of the others. The extra
>> subject would put a strain on her she said.
>>
>> Is this unfair pressure on students in Catholic schools?
>>
>> What do the teachers in Catholic schools think?
>>
>> Roy
>>
>> *From:*Catalist [mailto:catalist-bounces at lists.stawa.net] *On
>> Behalf Of *John Clarke
>> *Sent:* Friday, 1 June 2018 12:19 PM
>> *To:* catalist at lists.stawa.net <mailto:catalist at lists.stawa.net>
>> *Subject:* [Catalist] Physics Education at the 23rd AIP Congress
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> The AIP Conference is in Perth at the end of the year at UWA.
>> There will be a couple of days for Physics teachers / educators.
>> The Call for Papers is open for another few days. Details below.
>>
>> John
>>
>> *Physics Education at the 23rd AIP Congress *
>>
>> A shout out to passionate Physics Teachers and Educators, we
>> would love to hear from you at the Congress!
>>
>> The 23rd AIP Congress
>> <https://aip.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6d4d211b98df0adf8a3692fe2&id=bd03c08549&e=ed9a1b6c19>**will
>> take place in beautiful Perth on the leafy campus of the
>> University of Western Australia, from 9-13 December, 2018. Call
>> for Abstracts
>> <https://aip.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6d4d211b98df0adf8a3692fe2&id=3542fb4b60&e=ed9a1b6c19> are
>> open now *until 15 June 2018.*
>>
>> Join us for a High Tea event at the Congress with the Keynote
>> speaker Prof Chandralekha Singh (University of Pittsburgh, USA),
>> for a PEG keynote entitled “ How to strengthen physics by making
>> it inclusive” The High Tea will be held at the University Club,
>> UWA
>> <https://aip.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6d4d211b98df0adf8a3692fe2&id=1f849d7d63&e=ed9a1b6c19> (date:
>> TBD, but will be held during the PEG streams of the congress).
>> Image removed by sender.
>> https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6d4d211b98df0adf8a3692fe2/images/56b1154b-06c7-45c8-91ea-947384f61edd.jpg
>>
>> We have kick-started planning for plenty of activities at the
>> congress. Help us spread the word amongst Physics educators of
>> all levels that this congress is for them! We are also planning
>> to run professional development sessions for school science
>> teachers. And of course, make sure to submit your own abstract
>> for a presentation! Abstract submission is open *until 15 June 2018.*
>>
>> If you have any new ideas/suggestions please feel free to contact
>> your PEG team. If you have a suggestion for a invited speaker,
>> please let us know.
>>
>> **
>>
>>
>> *Contact us*
>>
>> Do you have any ideas or news you would like to share in our
>> newsletter? Contact us!
>>
>> Chair: Maria Parappilly
>> <mailto:maria.parappilly at flinders.edu.au?subject=for%20PEG%20Newsletter> (Flinders)
>>
>> Deputy Chair: Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway
>> <mailto:jasmina.lg at monash.edu?subject=for%20PEG%20Newsletter> (Monash)
>> Officer for Special Projects: John Daicopoulos
>> <mailto:john.daicopoulos at jcu.edu.au?subject=for%20PEG%20Newsletter> (JCU)
>>
>> Information about your state representatives can be found here
>> <https://aip.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6d4d211b98df0adf8a3692fe2&id=06244b4656&e=ed9a1b6c19>.
>>
>>
>> *John Clarke*
>>
>> *CEO*
>>
>> *STA**WA*
>>
>> Unit 6/1270-1274 Albany Highway
>>
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>> *PO Box *7310 Karawara WA 6152
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>>
>>
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