------- Information on upcoming SLAPT Workshop Events for 2016-2017 School Year Posted Below ----- And past events are on the archive page linked above and HERE--------
------- Scroll down to read the incoming SLAPT President's message -- or click HERE. -------
August 22, 2015: Free Videos in Physics-Flipping Classroom
Date:August 22, 2015
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Parkway Central High School
Hosts: Jen Meyer, David Schuster, and Ryan King
Jen Meyer, and David Schuster will be running a workshop on August 22nd at Parkway Central High. Focus will be on videos and their uses in physics classrooms. Break out sessions will be conducted on the following:
1. Making instructional videos for your students - Are there things you instruct your kids to do over and over and over? Make a video! The students can reference the video at any time and you won't have to repeat yourself a million times.
2. Using videos from Youtube in your classroom - You can use videos others have made to give students real-world examples. Youtube videos are often entertaining and the students relate to them easily.
3. Using direct measurement videos - These videos are really great and they have tons of uses! Click HERE to check them out.
4. Classroom flipping - There is a lot of buzz about flipping classrooms. Much of the research I have found on flipped classroom involves college physics students. We will talk about the challenges and advantages of weaving a flipped model into your routine.
5. Vernier video analysis - Learn how to take a video and analyze it using LoggerPro video analysis. You will select something to video and analyze in this workshop.
6. Explore EDpuzzle and Educanon. Bring your own laptop and headphones. You can easily modify the videos of other people with those sites.
If you use videos in your classroom bring examples to share, and if you are planning on coming please sign up here.
Parkway Central is located at 369 N. Woods Mill Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63017. Park in the main parking lot in the front of the school and enter using the front door. Signs will guide you to room 803. You will walk straight into the building and through the upper commons. Keep walking West until the hallway comes to a dead end. Turn right and room 803 will be on your left. We will start at 8:30am. Feel free to come early and visit with other teachers. We should be finished by 11 or 11:30am.
We hope to see you on the 22nd. Feel free to email Jen if you have any questions at jenmeyer82@gmail.com.
September 19, 2015: Adventures in Video Assessment!
Date: September 19, 2015
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Location: Kirkwood High School
Hosts: Jim Cibulka, Justin Flack
Standards based grading is really catching on at a lot of local schools, but it sure seems tough to implement! How do you teach a subject that, by necessity, integrates so many facets into a coherent whole? Justin Flack and Jim Cibulka from Kirkwood High School will show how they use open ended videos to assess student understanding.
In this workshop, we will share how we have broken down our units into discrete learning goals, which we assess via standards based grading; and how we then integrate those skills into a whole unit open ended assessment.
Justin and Jim will share the why, what, and how of their assessment plan (which resembles coaching more than anything!)
As time permits, we will share the use of Scribbler 2 robots using new software from Matt Greenwolfe.
The meeting will be held at Kirkwood High School, Science building room 101, off of the Dougherty Ferry lot.
Since the Greentree Parade and Festival is that day, please use the Dougherty Ferry entrance and parking lot. Essex Avenue will be closed, so please avoid it.
Contact Jim for questions: jacibulka@gmail.com
October 3, 2015 Six Flags for Teachers
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2015
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Regular park hours Oct 3 are noon to midnight)
Where: Six Flags St. Louis, Eureka, MO
Host: Rex Rice, Jen Meyer, Gabe DelaPaz and Six Flags Personnel
Six Flags has been a long time supporter of SLAPT’s development of a comprehensive educational component for Physics Day. Students have a great opportunity to experience one of the best and larger than life physics labs around. To learn more about how to include amusement park physics into your classroom and to better prepare teachers for the April 2016 Physics Day, join us (and bring a guest) for a free workshop at Six Flags on October 3 at 8am. We'll begin with a behind-the-scenes tour of the engineering that makes the rides work. Next, we'll provide an overview of the resources available to use with students in preparation for Physics Day and to use at Physics Day. Finally, we'll strap on our wireless data collection devices and ride, ride, ride!
RSVP to Leanne Creek, lcreek@sftp.com with "Physics Workshop" in the subject line and you and your guest's name in the body of the note. Additional Six Flags Physics Day curriculum materials and information can be obtained at: http://www.slapt.org/resources/sixflags/index.html
November 14, 2015 - Rotational Mechanics
Date: November 14, 2015
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Location: Clayton High School
Hosts: Rex Rice and Mike Johns
Following the AP Physics B redesign to 1 and 2, there is a renewed interest in all things rotational. Many of last year’s workshop demonstrations of rotational mechanics will now be more detailed with multiple stations set up for workshop participants to perform the labs and activities. Based on interest there may be potential for follow up make-n-take sessions.
The meeting will take place in room 203 at Clayton High School. You should park in the faculty parking lot on the east side of the school (near the globe) and enter through the main entrance across from the globe. Clayton High School is located on 1 Mark Twain Circle just south of Maryland Avenue/Ladue Road near the Brown Shoe Company headquarters in Clayton.
A map can be found by clicking HERE.
December 2015 January 30, 2016 Electricity and Magnetism -- Focus on Electrostatics
Date: Postponed to January 30, 2016
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Clayton High School
Host: Rex Rice, David Schuster, and Jen Meyer
This workshop is tentatively focusing on electrostatics as a reprise from a very informative workshop several years ago. Participants will conduct hands-on activities and labs in electrostatics and other E&M activities. Further details will be provided in the coming months
Contact email: Rex Rice rexrice@claytonschools.net
Thursday, January 21, 2016: Engineering Applications, 3-D Printers and the NGSS
Date: January 21, 2016 (note this is a Thursday)
Time: Evening Workshop - 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Location: Villa Duchesne
This workshop focuses on incorporating engineering design activities into your Physics course(s). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) calls for the incorporation of engineering design activities throughout the K-12 science curriculum. How will this affect your courses? Come to the workshop to experience some specific ideas of how to adapt your curriculum. Although we will include ideas involving 3-D printers, we will also focus on low-cost and low-tech solutions.
Please note that this workshop is being held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening. It will be held at Villa Duchesne (for a campus map, visit http://www.vdoh.org/page.cfm?p=368 ), which is a convenient central location within St. Louis county. Occasionally we hear a teacher cite our normal timeslot (Saturday morning) as a reason for their non-attendance. So this workshop also represents an opportunity to attend quality, peer-led professional development at an alternate time.
The presenters are Kryss Erickson (who is teaching a new engineering course at Villa Duchesne) and Bob Brazzle (who teaches the Physics and Engineering courses at Jefferson College).
Contact email: Bob Brazzle bobbrazzle@yahoo.com
February 2016 - Joint American Chemical Society/SLAPT Meeting and Workshop
What: Joint Meeting of SLAPT and ACS
Where: To be Announced
When: To be Announced
The February meeting will be a sharing session in the areas we all hold in common. Full details will be posted here later in the school year.
March 5, 2016 - LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Physics Pursuit and Others
Date: Saturday, March 5, 2016
Time: 8:00 a.m. - Noon
Location: Eureka High School
Host: Gail Haynes and Bob Brazzle
Great workshop on the design and use of several student motivating physics review and assesment games. email contact: Gail Haynes haynesgail@rsdmo.org.
We will first welcome Rebecca Vieyra of AAPT. She will talk about two games from an organization named TERC
Bob will share the full range of his “HexCellEnt” game, including the 3-D printed version prototype. This game board is also a simulation of diffusion, and it sets the stage for Gail’s “Physics Pursuit” because the same game board can be used for her game.
Gail will then share and we can play a little “Physics Pursuit.” Up to 15 attendees will get to take their own copy home and all attendees will have access to print their own (or print more copies). This game has questions suitable for all levels from physical science to AP Physics.
Weather permitting we will do a little rocket science—the kind of fun that puts your class on Instagram. We also hear that there will be a little flashback singing courtesy of Michael Johns.
Directions: Take 44 southwest to Hwy 109 exit. (Exit 264). Turn north on 109. Travel just 0.7 mi and Eureka High School is on your left. Go to the left (south) side of the building to park. Enter the building on that side into the science wing. (Signs will be up.)
April 22, 2016 - Six Flags Physics Day
Date: Friday, April 22, 2016
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Six Flags St. Louis
Again this year, Physics Day is exclusive to high school physics -- Math and Science day is one week later -- giving your students even better access to the rides. SLAPT highly recommends the picnic combo package that includes buffet lunch in the catering grove - it's much better than waiting in lines at the food vendor stations. If you choose to buy park admission tickets without the lunch, you can save several dollars per ticket if you order in advance. You also get one free chaperone ticket for every 15 paid tickets. Bus and car parking is $15 per vehicle. Processing fee is $10 and is indicated on the order form. Click HERE for the 2016 order form -- or call Six Flags at 636-938-4800 ext 6288 for further information. Also again, this year, there will be data collection opportunities at Mr. Freeze with Vernier accelerometers. Students can wear a vest with the equipment attached and then download data following the ride. Teacher volunteers are needed throughout the day to staff the data collection equipment. If you are available, email Jen Meyer at jenmeyer82@gmail.com or sign up on the online form HERE to volunteer for as little as a couple of hours or as much as the whole day. Further information and curriculum materials can be downloaded HERE on this web site.
April 23, 2016 - 31st Annual Physics Contest and Teachers Workshop
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2016 ----- With ENTRY Deadline April 18, 2016.
Times: Tests 9:00 am - 11:00 a.m. (arrive by 8:40); Lunch (provided by Wash U) and demos/discussions 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 pm.; awards ceremony 12:45 pm - 1:15 pm
Location: Washington University Crowe Hall (Maps at: http://wustl.edu/community/visitors/maps/)
Entry Deadline: April 18, 2016 via online form at: www.bit.ly/1QsTWeq
Complete details with links, prize information and locations for the April 2016 contest are posted here: CLICK HERE In addition to the great opportunity for your students to show their Physics prowess in the contest -- which is a great way to practice for the AP and other exams -- there are great opportunities to interact with Wash U. and other area physics teachers. There will also be a scientific talk geared to teachers and parents occurring during the exam. To register your students, please fill out this brief form: www.bit.ly/1QsTWeq. You'll need your contact information, the enrollment count of your school, and a list of student names with Mechanics or Senior test designation. Kindly register by Monday, April 18, 2016.
Local deadline March 2016 ---- Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest -- formerly the West Point Bridge Design Contest
The St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will hold a local contest in conjunction with the national Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest. (Which was previously named the West Point Bridge Design contest.) It uses the same West Point Bridge Design software. Click HERE for the Information on the 2016 National AND St. Louis local contest. Here is the link to the main contest website: https://bridgecontest.org/
April 16, 2016 - SLAPT Planning Meeting for 2016-2017 School Year
Date: April 16, 2016
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Parkway Central High School
Please attend the planning meeting. The more input we get from our members, the better our workshops will meet your needs. There are many ways to help make next year successful and rewarding for our community. You could volunteer to present (or co-present) a workshop, or volunteer to host a workshop at your school. If you have a topic you’d like to present, but feel it is not enough material for a full workshop, we’d still love to hear about it, because we typically have a workshop composed of several short presentations by multiple teachers. If you have a connection to a regional business or governmental agency which does work related to physics or engineering, you could suggest a field trip to the site.
We have an online survey that will stay active throughout this school year through which you can tell us the topics of greatest interest to you for next year. We would like everyone’s input on this, so please take 5-10 minutes to make your voice heard. The survey can be accessed by clicking HERE. You can also e-mail Bob Brazzle at bobbrazzle@yahoo.com if you have ideas or any other input. Additionally, we would like to hear your suggestions about how the SLAPT website and other communications tools we have used the last several years can be updated and improved.
Thank you in advance for your participation and for helping make a successful workshop series for the 2016-17 school year.
---------- TO HELP US PLAN FOR FUTURE WORKSHOPS, PLEASE FILL OUT OUR OPINION SURVEY HERE
2015-2016 SLAPT President's Welcome
Bob Brazzle, President – Saint Louis Area Physics Teachers
Presidential Greeting For 2015-2016
Welcome to the 2015-16 school year! Welcome back from what I hope was a relaxing and rewarding summer break. I hope your 2015-16 school year will be a good one. During our May planning meeting, we reviewed your responses to our survey and discussed the likely program-level changes brought on by the new AP Physics courses and the NGSS. From these discussions, we put together a diverse portfolio of professional development offerings to address these issues.
We begin in August with a workshop by David Schuster and Jen Meyer. They’ll be sharing free videos and how they use them in their classes. They’ll also show how they’ve flipped their classrooms. The September workshop will be presented by Jim Cibulka and Justin Flack, who will share how Kirkwood uses video-based assessments for standards-based grading. Later workshops include Rex Rice and others presenting on Electricity and Magnetism (the two most-requested topics from the survey) and Rotational Mechanics. Our new webmaster Kryss Erickson and I will be presenting a workshop exploring engineering applications and how they relate to the NGSS standards. Gail Haynes and I will be co-facilitating a make-n-take workshop about physics games for reviewing content while having fun. We hope to collect review questions from the entire membership so that this becomes a SLAPT effort which can benefit all of us.
Naturally, there are the recurring annual workshops and events as well. We anticipate that the joint SLAPT/ACS workshop will be held at Ladue in February and focus on adapting the modeling approach for both disciplines. In October we’ll have the Six Flags preparation workshop, and in April the Six Flags physics day, followed by the SLAPT Physics contest at Washington University. So, it’s an exciting set of workshops and events we’ve got planned. I hope to see you there!
Bob Brazzle, bobbrazzle@yahoo.com, President, SLAPT
Summer 2016 Workshops - Here is the start of a list of 2016 Summer Workshops hosted and sponsored by other organizations.
American Modeling Teachers Association: Modeling™ Instruction, under development since 1990 under the leadership of David Hestenes (Emeritus Professor of Physics, Arizona State University), corrects many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world. Unlike the traditional approach, in which students wade through an endless stream of seemingly unrelated topics, Modeling ™Instruction organizes the course around a small number of scientific models, thus making the course coherent. It applies structured inquiry techniques to the teaching of basic skills and practices in mathematical modeling, proportional reasoning, quantitative estimation and technology-enabled data collection and analysis. Each summer, Modeling™ workshops are held all over the country. In 2014, almost 1200 teachers took one of the 75+ workshops in 20 states. The content areas of the workshops (depending on location) are mechanics (physics I), E&M, CASTLE, waves, light (physics II), chemistry I and II, biology, physical science, and we are proud to now offer workshops especially geared to middle school science teachers! On the website of the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) we have a list of workshops that will be offered this coming summer, --- the information is subject to change so check the site every so often to see if now your state offers a Modeling™ workshop:
2016 Summer Modeling Workshops: http://modelinginstruction.org/workshops-2016
Workshop descriptions, dates, details: http://www.phystec.org/pd/?set=Modeling
June 6 - 10, 2016 - Nuclear Science & Engineering for Secondary Science Teachers A Three Credit Hour Faculty Development Course on the University of Missouri- Columbia Campus
Date: June 6 - 10, 2016
Time: Daily 8a.m. - various
Location: Various on campus sites at University of Missouri, Columbia - including visits to area energy sites.
This will be the 34th year Mizzou has offered this course and related energy events. Several SLAPT members have attended in the past and have many a postive comment about it. Seats are limited, so inquire soon. Please visit the website linked here for details, application, and points of contact. http://www.murr.missouri.edu/et_secondaryst.php
Join the American Association of Physics Teachers
Why should you become a member? It's easy, and there are nice tangible benefits: you will receive both Physics Today and either the Physics Teacher or the American Journal of Physics (your choice) in addition to online access to the magazines. AAPT sponsors contests, awards, pre-college and college teacher training programs, programs for physics students, two national meetings each year, facilitates collaborations between all sorts of physics teachers, and provides grants to sections.
Perhaps more importantly, though less tangibly, is that AAPT is our professional organization, and that membership is a professional responsibility. AAPT supports what we do, recruits and trains new teachers, voices our concerns to legislators, and boosts the prestige of our profession.
Additionally, our new AAPT section status gives SLAPT greater visibility and recognition in the national physics teacher community. Our involvement in AAPT through membership and participation in national meetings will further boost the strength and quality of service SLAPT provides to our members.
Click HERE to go to AAPT's online registration site.
Other Workshops and meetings planned for the remainder of the 2016-2017 school year --- Many dates are TENTATIVE -- this website will be updated as they become firm.
Check back here for other possible events during the school year
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