We talk with Jackie Flaherty about how the Ogden SKPT programme approaches Atomic Physics. Ths course is broken down as follows and we use this as a structure for the podcast: Challenges as an intro Models of the atom – diagnostics and liaising with colleagues from Chemistry, size and scale Half life – models and limitations, how to develop underst…

Thomas is fresh off the chunnel from Belgium and can’t wait to share exciting news that is nothing at all to do with Physics Teaching (sorry) – he’s been cycling and staying with a World Champion cyclist, Johan Museeuw. As you will see from the picture below M. Museeuw was less excited to meet his number one fans… until of course he found out that …

Space physics is a crowd-pleaser and a ‘way in’ for many physicists. There are few things in physics more memorable than seeing Jupiter for the first time through a telescope. We chat with William H who teaches GCSE Astronomy to three schools at the same time via Teams. He makes a great case for teaching astronomy, not just growing the excitement o…

When it comes to emotive topics in physics teaching, radioactivity is up there. We have experienced colleagues who would refuse to work with school radioactive sources, even though there you generally encounter more risk while boiling a kettle. But you need to register, store and handle them properly or you could land your school with a fine. Thoma…

Thomas and Robin were bowled over to hear from the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow 2023-24. Thomas caught up with Michael Stewart to talk about the amazing opportunity he has had to be involved with Education policy at the highest levels in the USA. Michael reminded Thomas about an episode in 2021 (GCSE Long Answers and MyMarkingMachi…

Everyone has been talking about it for a year or more so high time your finger-on-the-pulse physics teaching nuggets got to grips with ChatGPT (other AIs are available). To start though, we cantered through another week of physics teaching. Robin was finishing electricity with his year 10 groups, and wondering what others do with those odd bits of …

We talk to Doug Simon, who takes issue with the assertion that CPD is not C, P or D for Physics teachers. Having heard from Mark Whalley last episode about some of the gotchas that schools can fall victim to when trying to hang on to their (physics) teachers, we hear this week from Doug who reports some of the positive things they do to support the…

We thought that Mark Whalley had a lot of interesting things to say on retention and couldn’t fit them in to the main podcast. Here is the full interview as promised. We mention the previous episodes on force and weight, here are a few: 6. What happens when your jelly won’t hold your weight? Is it time to lose some mass? TAG, Mass and Weight Force …

After a break that was longer than we had planned due to bike accidents and ridiculous workloads, we are back and raring to go. Although physics teachers raring to go is the problem we discuss this week* with Friend of the Podcast, Senior Lecturer and physics teacher retention guru, Mark Whalley. Thomas drops the bombshell that he is taking an exte…

In the last episode, Robin and Thomas were delighted to welcome Charles Tracy to talk about teaching energy at KS3. Charles generously agreed to come back for the next episode: energy at KS4 Charles lays out the rationale for talking energy using the correct terms: using adverbial forms really helps to enshrine the principal that energy is not a ta…

There’s no two ways about it, the story we used to have on energy was bad. Inconsistency, incoherence, subjectivity: words to send a shiver down the spines of any scientist. Something had to change. The response from IOP was the ‘stores’ and ‘pathways’ model. This was championed by our podcast guest this evening. Thomas and Robin are honoured to we…

It’s that time of year: as we prepare to bid farewell to our exam groups, how do we teach students to prepare effectively for GCSEs or A-levels? Thomas and Robin talk through how they help students revise for exams. Both agreed that past papers form the core of their revision strategies and there are various sources for these, not least the relevan…

We need physicists and so A-level teachers know how important it is to give the next generation of aspiring physicists and engineers the best chance of getting into uni. Thomas and Robin are thrilled to welcome Will Pope (@PopeDoes) to talk about all things UCAS. What is our role as teachers, what is the right way to write the reference and how doe…

So fundamental… such a minefield. Newton’s laws are central to school physics and so can be daunting for those heroes who teach physics but would not describe physics as their specialism. Even as specialist physics teachers, Thomas and Robin have struggled with “reaction”, free body diagrams and force arrows so it was great to welcome physics coach…

We all get in to teaching for the gratitude. Oh yes. Happy students bounding to your door thanking you for your teaching; parents clogging the school switchboard begging to speak to you so they can effuse about the long evenings spent marking an planning; politicians, officials and regulators all falling over themselves to… oh, you get the idea: pe…

Ruth Cheesman returns to talk about her first few weeks of A-Level teaching. Below you can find Thomas’ PowerPoint that explains how to do the mass of a 1m ruler. Mass-of-a-1m-ruler.pptxDownload Join in! Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions – on our Facebook Page: https://fb.me/physicstp . You can also message us via our website co…

Thomas and Robin return after an extended break, inspired by a Tweet from Ruth Cheesman, who joins us to ask for tips to get started with her A-level class this week (good luck Ruth!). We also welcome Sarah Dowd to help answer Ruth’s query, Sarah teaches at UNIS in New York and joins to share her practice in the first of two upcoming appearances (s…

Space is a challenging subject to teach, so a good subject for the first “Ways to Teach…” of this academic year. Thomas and Robin start with a look at some physics in the news. The proton is smaller than we thought! About 5% smaller which will make it even harder to find one if you lose it, but let’s not be negative… In other news, a new wonder-pol…

Thomas and Robin return after an extended break to talk A-level expectations, girls in physics and strategies for inclusion. Thomas and Robin start with a chat about how to identify early on whether students are likely to succeed in A-level physics. We identify a number of strategies and challenges here… Whilst many students might choose physics as…

Thomas and Robin return for season 4, inexplicably without any awards for podcasting gold, but there are bigger mysteries in the world. Not least, how does Thomas survive his DIY attempts? We start talking about BIG classes at A-level, and ways to get around a lack of equipment, but also address the other end of the size scale thanks to a question …

Well, we made it. What. A. Year. Robin and Thomas hook up with Patrick Kaplo to hear about how he has been getting on in the North Eastern USA and, as usual, get somewhat distracted. Thomas nobly tries to steer the whimsical chat towards physics teaching with limited success. Patrick had to cancel his extraordinary trebuchet competition because of …

Thomas has received a shiny new Travelling Microscope with a 0.01 mm precision vernier scale. There is only one thing he wants to talk about. First Thomas talks briefly avbout his 205 mile (329km) ride for Education Support (the only UK charity dedicated to the mental health and wellbeing of education staff in schools, colleges and universities). H…

100 not out! Thomas and Robin salute the balcony with a good old-fashioned ramble about what excites them about physics teaching, making the subject live if you’re not a specialist and the challenges of teaching science in a ‘post-truth’ world. Thomas — Robin We go round ALL the houses, and talk about where our love from physics comes from, but we’…

We talk through bad movies to support good Physics Teaching. the aim is to talk through ones people suggest that are actually usable in lessons. As usual we get excited and make a few mistakes. Thomas is pretty sure that aeroplanes are made of aluminium, not steel and there were a few mentioned (Ant Man, Hulk) that we forgot to cover. Links are bel…

We meet Paul Cook stellar technician, Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics and tireless promoter of professional recognition for technicians. Paul is the senior lead technician at Ark Burlington Danes Academy and lead technician for the Ark Academy network. He has worked as a senior/head technician for many years in various schools in Essex …

A short chat about the joy of teaching classic ideas with simple props like light boxes, mirrors and lenses. Light boxes Now we’d better get back to that CAG marking. Links Colour and Colour Filters (YouTube – Physics Online) Feynman and a mirror (YouTube) Sorry, at the time of publishing we can’t find a link for the official jelly lens stuff, but …

The teacher assessed grade plan has thrown a curveball at the profession, leaving teachers scratching their head on what exactly is needed as ‘evidence’ to support the grade that they award. Of course, we are particularly worried about those teachers who wouldn’t call themselves physics specialists but are assessing grades anyway. Thomas and Robin …

Thomas was interested in how the brain makes its own beat, and put together this little two minute sound test. You’ll need headphones to appreciate it properly, but it is interesting to listen to on speakers as well. Join in! Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions – on our Facebook Page: https://fb.me/physicstp . You can also message…

The marvellous David Cotton (@Newmanphysics) joins us to enthuse about teaching sound. We sailed down the river of KS3 Sound, but couldn’t help exploring up the sides of the valley to see what we could extract from David’s vast experience of teaching. Thank you so much wonderful physics teaching community for all the tips tricks and techniques that…

We first met tonight’s podcast guest in a different world. A time of handshakes, going to places like offices and restaurants (places to work and eat in case you’ve forgotten). Back then, he was just setting out on his journey investigating how AI can help with student assessment. We were excited, and so we are delighted to be joined by Mark Robins…

We are delighted to be joined by the inspirational David Cotton to talk about supporting trainees who have missed out so much during the pandemic. Those who know David will know what a tireless champion of physics teaching he is. A genuine enthusiast, David is one of the ‘must follow’ list for physics teachers. We have focused a lot on the effect o…

Thomas and Robin are joined by podcast stalwart and all-round hero of physics teaching, Patrick Kaplo from Wyndham, New Hampshire to follow up on a question he asked way back at the beginning of the Covid crisis, almost 1 year ago now, namely “How will this change our practice?” We discuss some ways in which we’ll never “go back” to pre-pandemic te…

We are delighted to be joined once more by Friend of the Podcast and Physics Teacher Support Polymath Carole Kenrick (@HelpfulScience) to talk about writing in Physics. Carole has put a lot of thought in to writing and breaks down in to three different reasons for writing: writing for learning, writing for remembering and writing for communication …

We are so privileged this week to be joined by Christina Astin (@ChristinaAstin). She wears so many hats she would keep a division of milliners employed, but she kindly talks us through some of her most recent and most important work. She makes a passionate case for school partnerships, not just in physics but across all aspects of school life, but…

Thomas and Robin are joined by the marvellous Will White not only a great guest but also an NQT physics teacher who teachers at the school where Thomas and Robin both used to teach, and indeed where they met (there is no blue plaque – shouldn’t we write a letter or something?) Will also has the pleasure of teaching Thomas’s daughter and works with …

Thomas and Robin chew the fat over how they are progressing in the new lockdown. We’ve been thinking about how to backfill gaps in the curriculum, in particular practical work. We have been making use of YouTube to draw on the generosity of colleagues who have filmed and uploaded videos, for example MissLowePhysics who we’ve linked to below. A huge…

A physicist would tell you that it would be illogical to expect a non-sentient life form to change its behaviour based simply on passing a particular point on an arbitrary time scale… which is why they’re not often invited to parties. And so it is that 2021 carries on in much the way that 2020 ended, but that is no reason for the podcast not to cel…

Ah, the end of term beckons! Mince pies, tubs of choccy selection and of course “Sir/Miss, can’t we watch a video?”. Thomas and Robin are both wary of 45 minutes of Shrek as a Christmas treat – Thomas tells the story of his daughter coming home and asking to see “the rest of Ratatouille” having seen the first 50 minutes 8 times! And so we present a…

Excitement and a jam-packed episode this week as we tackle Ways to Teach… magnetism! We start with some feedback from last episode about extended writing in physics. Thanks to William Pope for getting in touch. See the links section below for couple of free lesson resources to help your students become better written communicators in physics… I cou…

Robin and Thomas go for another ramble … and for a walk in the country as well. Albert Einstein was in charge They start by chatting about using self made simulations to enhance your teaching (especially now that students are limited in their access to practical work). Thomas had put together a cracking simulation to find resistivity on a wire in E…

How great to reach out across the pond and catch up again with Patrick Kaplo (an early hero of the podcast who teaches in Windham, NH). He has been hunkering down and adapting to new paradigms, and it is refreshing to hear that the problems we are all dealing with are pretty similar, no matter where you are in the world. Patrick has been adapting t…

Thomas and Robin meet outside, at an appropriate social distance, to remember Tim Hardingham and introduce an interview with the PhET Head of Development Ariel Paul (@DrArielPaul). Surely all physics teachers have heard of this outstanding free source of simulations and demos provided by the University of Colorado Boulder. Support PhET! PhET was th…

Robin and Thomas are joined by Rajani Nair (@NairPhysics) who answered a Twitter call about A-level required practicals and was whisked in front of a microphone to talk to us. If you fancy coming on to talk about an aspect of physics teaching, just drop us a line in the contact form below. Rajani had some really interesting variations on the standa…

Thomas and Robin mull over the recent Nobel Prize for Physics, then chat to Carole Kenrick about IoP Domains and zines. The Nobel Prize is still the ultimate accolade and viewed with envy by the fields that don’t have a Nobel Prize (in your face, maths!). This week we start by congratulating the three winners of the 2020 physics prize: Roger Penros…

(aka Elysia and her Magic Box of Physics) Robin and Thomas meet Elysia (@PhysicsMumma) who helps them talk through the dear listener’s ideas for teaching under the current social distancing guidelines. She then talks them through her box of physics and introduces Frank the Flamingo. My 'box of physics' everyone laughs at me but that's part of the f…

WARNING: the following content contains numerous cheap references to Paddington Bear – see links. Matt Bowman Way back at the beginning of series one we were thrilled to hear from an international school teacher named Matt who had just landed in Lima (presumably bearing a label saying “Please look after this physics teacher”). Fast forward two year…

Season 3 continues to deliver physics royalty as James de Winter joins us. James is the physics tutor on the Cambridge PGCE course and has seen generations of physics teachers through their training. Having met a fair sample I can say that all of them hold James in the sort of reverence that Luke reserved for Obi Wan. A talk with James is always an…

Robin and Thomas reflect on a first week back under the new Covid guidelines and find time to talk through a simple required practical – timing a trolley rolling down a ramp. It’s a strange world at the moment as we eye winter warily and a second wave threatens. It is interesting to reflect that school openings have been one of the rare success sto…

Thomas and Robin look forward to a new – albeit different – school year with some reflections on “the new normal” and an interview with physics-teaching Royalty. Season 3 is here! And Thomas and Robin start by thanking you for all your feedback after last year. We got some good ideas for this year and we’re looking forward to more Ways to Teach, mo…

Thomas doesn’t know which week it is; thinking there is one more week of term he drags Robin to his garage to test some vacuum cannon upgrades. Thomas and Robin also look back through the podcast’s second season, and forward to a possible season 3. A Tight Collar Thomas has been experimenting with the collars that are used to join vacuum cannon spe…