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TITLE
The Physics Classroom
LEARNING OBJECT
Physics concepts
WEBSITE OF THE PRODUCT
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Tom Henderson
NAME OF PRODUCER
The Physics Classroom, LLC
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Web Site/Portal, Mobile Apps, Downloadable material, Online Game
SUBJECT TAUGHT
Physics
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
Medium
TARGET GROUP AGE
17+ years old
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
No
DESCRIPTION
The Physics Classroom is an online, free to use physics website developed primarily for beginning physics students and their teachers. The website features a variety of sections intended to support both teachers and students in the tasks of learning and teaching physics.
The website is organized in several sections clearly listed in the website menu.
These sections provide a complete approach to the different topics, since they range from written tutorials to HTML5 interactive pages, from video tutorials to interactive questioning modules that target student understanding of discrete topics till to a review section and much more.
In particular, the section Concept Builders tracks a student's progress on each of the activities using a system of Stars and Trophies. In the last year, in order to offer a tool that meets the needs of distance learning while also guaranteeing the privacy of students, the functionality of saving and retrieving student progress using a task tracker system has been added (to access to this functionality a subscription is required).
The website is organized in several sections clearly listed in the website menu.
These sections provide a complete approach to the different topics, since they range from written tutorials to HTML5 interactive pages, from video tutorials to interactive questioning modules that target student understanding of discrete topics till to a review section and much more.
In particular, the section Concept Builders tracks a student's progress on each of the activities using a system of Stars and Trophies. In the last year, in order to offer a tool that meets the needs of distance learning while also guaranteeing the privacy of students, the functionality of saving and retrieving student progress using a task tracker system has been added (to access to this functionality a subscription is required).
COMMENTS
This site has been conceived to help students to understand and deepen physics concepts.
Combining the different sections of the site, students have the opportunity not only to learn but also to test and monitor their physics understanding. The most useful section is the Physics tutorial, where each unit is divided into lessons and sub-lessons. Lessons are accompanied by animations while the “Check Your Understanding” sections inside the sub-lessons represents an opportunity to assess user’s understanding of the lesson material.
Minds On Physics Internet Modules, The Calculator Pad and The Review Session are three of the most precious resources available in the site.
The first consist in an intense interactive session of answering questions that target common conceptual misunderstandings, providing instant feedback and question-specific help to assist student in correcting misunderstandings.
The second, The Calculator Pad, provides students an exercise in solving physics word problems. Each problem is accompanied by an answer and an audio file that provides detailed direction on how to solve the problem. This section is ideally suited to serve those students who need guided practice with solving physics problems, e.g. special needs students.
The third is a test review tool for students who are preparing for an upcoming physics test: questions and answers are given on different sheets and links to the tutorials to make a revision of the topics are provided.
From teacher’s point of view, the Physicsclassroom is a mine of ideas for physics lectures. The Tutorial and the Teacher toolkit are ideal for planning standards-based, multimedia engaging lessons, the Minds on Physics can be used for online assessments, the Laboratory offers more than 150 lab ideas that are centered around a testable question.
To resume in a not too long paragraph all the features and peculiarities of the Physics classroom website is almost impossible. Some other sections deserve at least to be mentioned. These are the Curriculum Corner, i.e. a collection of downloadable PDF files designed to complement the resources at The Physics Classroom and that are a classroom-ready handouts to be used by teachers with their classes and the Science Reasoning Center with its set of tools for promoting data interpretation, science reasoning, and experimental design skills. Last but not least, The Physics Interactives sections, that are a set of simulations that allow to manipulate an environment and observe the effect of changes in variables upon the simulation or that are skill building exercises in which a user practices a skill that is crucial to learning some aspect of physics, still others provide game-like environments that require the user to use a physics concept to meet a challenge.
Even just for this last resort the website deserves to be considered among the sites for the teaching of physics.
Combining the different sections of the site, students have the opportunity not only to learn but also to test and monitor their physics understanding. The most useful section is the Physics tutorial, where each unit is divided into lessons and sub-lessons. Lessons are accompanied by animations while the “Check Your Understanding” sections inside the sub-lessons represents an opportunity to assess user’s understanding of the lesson material.
Minds On Physics Internet Modules, The Calculator Pad and The Review Session are three of the most precious resources available in the site.
The first consist in an intense interactive session of answering questions that target common conceptual misunderstandings, providing instant feedback and question-specific help to assist student in correcting misunderstandings.
The second, The Calculator Pad, provides students an exercise in solving physics word problems. Each problem is accompanied by an answer and an audio file that provides detailed direction on how to solve the problem. This section is ideally suited to serve those students who need guided practice with solving physics problems, e.g. special needs students.
The third is a test review tool for students who are preparing for an upcoming physics test: questions and answers are given on different sheets and links to the tutorials to make a revision of the topics are provided.
From teacher’s point of view, the Physicsclassroom is a mine of ideas for physics lectures. The Tutorial and the Teacher toolkit are ideal for planning standards-based, multimedia engaging lessons, the Minds on Physics can be used for online assessments, the Laboratory offers more than 150 lab ideas that are centered around a testable question.
To resume in a not too long paragraph all the features and peculiarities of the Physics classroom website is almost impossible. Some other sections deserve at least to be mentioned. These are the Curriculum Corner, i.e. a collection of downloadable PDF files designed to complement the resources at The Physics Classroom and that are a classroom-ready handouts to be used by teachers with their classes and the Science Reasoning Center with its set of tools for promoting data interpretation, science reasoning, and experimental design skills. Last but not least, The Physics Interactives sections, that are a set of simulations that allow to manipulate an environment and observe the effect of changes in variables upon the simulation or that are skill building exercises in which a user practices a skill that is crucial to learning some aspect of physics, still others provide game-like environments that require the user to use a physics concept to meet a challenge.
Even just for this last resort the website deserves to be considered among the sites for the teaching of physics.