by Raymond Burns | Jan 1, 2024 | General Tips for Teaching Physics
In my first year of teaching, I implemented a rule in my school district: if students finished their physics lab early, they could leave and go to lunch. A few months later, my supervisor disagreed with this approach, and I had to break the news to my students....
by Raymond Burns | Dec 19, 2023 | General Tips for Teaching Physics
It was Christmas Eve of 2019, and although the holiday break was going great, my mind kept circling back to work—specifically, the looming task of using the copy machine on January 2nd. Past experiences taught me that many teachers would be scrambling to make copies...
by Raymond Burns | Nov 12, 2023 | Demos and Videos for Physics Lessons
“Why is there water on the floor?” A student asks as he walks into class. I reply, “the last class did not know how to harness the powers of physics.” This scenario unfolded after we conducted a demonstration where we swung a cup of water in a vertical circle, as...
by Raymond Burns | Oct 31, 2023 | General Tips for Teaching Physics
It’s my first year of college physics, and I’m performing about as well as the average student in the class, which means I’m not doing very well—I’m failing. This class is undeniably challenging, and I’m struggling to figure out how to improve my situation. After...
by Raymond Burns | Oct 30, 2023 | General Tips for Teaching Physics
On the very first day of my teaching career, I shared with my students that “it is an honor to be your teacher,” and I revealed that it had been my dream since I was 14 years old to become an educator. This is how I commence every school year. But in my inaugural...
