In 1966 Richard Feynman gave an interview about teaching physics. He described a problem with physics teaching: often students did…
Better than Wrong
Science exams are typically examples of the difficulty model of assessment where answers are right or wrong (see Christodoulou, Making…
Japanese Physics Textbook – Model Answers
In my last post, I translated (using Google Translate) the first page of a Japanese high school physics textbook (here).…
Textbooks from High Performing Jurisdictions: Japan
Japanese students do well on the Pisa tests, and they use textbooks. So I bought a Japanese high school…
Using Physics Questions to Build Problem Solving, Literacy and Knowledge.
A few weeks ago I observed an English teacher pull a sentence apart. A line from Romeo and Juliette was…
If you want it here, don’t put it there.
Wall displays, formula sheets and placemats… If you want students to commit knowledge to long-term memory, you shouldn’t put it…
When knowledge is wrong…
Babies are born knowing physics. They express surprise when an object appears to be suspended in mid-air or pass through…
What are the Cognitive Loads of reading and how can we reduce them?
Reading is a physics problem that doesn’t receive much attention in class. I think it should. Science professionals read a…
Ratio, Load and Difficulty – 3 Lesson Sliders
In my mental lesson control booth, I have three sliders I try to get right. Ratio The first slider is…
Shakespeare and Physics: Cogntive Psychology and Writing
Yesterday I watched English specialists teaching Shakespeare. It was brilliant. The students were able to complete chalenging writing tasks, because their…
Reading for Learning 