There are words in the English language that science teachers wish the English department would teach – words like…
Cooperative Reading
I started thinking about cooperative learning in 2010 and have made slow punctuated progress since. I know enough to write…
How Practical Work in Physics Supports Knowledge
Back in 1994, I began by PGCE at Oxford University. I was lucky to have a brilliant tutor, Brian Woolnough.…
The Role of Stories in Physics
Stories play a huge role in learning. Our brains suck them up. We should use stories in physics lessons. In…
How to Teach Problems…
Physics is all about the problems. In my last post, I picked apart the knowledge I needed to solve this…
The Role of Problems in Physics
Recently, I have written about the importance of frequent problem solving for physics students. Thomas Kuhn, the philosopher of science, wrote…
Teaching Energy
The more abstract a concept is, the less useful learners find definitions or explanations. There is no lightbulb moment. Rather, our…
How We Learn Concepts in Science
In my last flurry of blogs (here, here and here), I wrote about the limits of definitions for learning .…
Current – An Argument for Many Models
Current is a nice simple word; it means the rate of flow of charge. So you need to explain rate…
Electricity’s Colourful Past
Yesterday I wrote about electric charge and its confusing meanings (here). I had intended to write about voltage and current…
Reading for Learning 