Chris Meyer, Past President, OAPT
c.meyer@bell.net

We want our students to become confident, fluent users of physics. We want them to develop good, reliable habits that will carry them through our physics classes and beyond. But very often, students become stuck on the habit hump! What is this mysterious hump? It is an analogy I use for our experience of the learning process and how we react and respond to it. If students better understand the learning process, my hope is they will make better decisions be more likely to stick to their learning. So, what is the habit hump and how do we get over it? Read More...

Tags: Optics, Pedagogy

Rachel Richardson, Education & Outreach Coordinator
outreach@snolab.ca

Everybody loves a mystery, and dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in our universe today. SNOLAB is Canada’s deep underground science laboratory that hosts large, international experiments; some of these experiments are designed to help unravel the mystery of dark matter. To celebrate Dark Matter Day, a public outreach initiative celebrated during Halloween, SNOLAB is hosting a creative poster design contest. Students and members of the community are invited to design original, two-dimensional visual artworks, in any medium, exploring the theme of dark matter.

Participants can be as creative as they like, letting their design shine as bright as the stars! Imagine an individual dark matter particle, or how it holds the universe together! They could draw an existing detector, dream up their own cosmic blueprint for an experiment, or travel deep into space following their imaginations into the oldest parts of the universe. Read More...

Tags: Contest, Modern Physics

John Donohue, IQC Senior Manager, Scientific Outreach
jdonohue@uwaterloo.ca

Date: November 18-21, 2024
Location: Online!
Hosted by: Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, Ontario

With 2025 announced as the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology, there’s never been a better time to bring quantum science to our students. To help prepare educators no matter where they’re located, we’re excited to host a series of virtual sessions on how to connect quantum technology to the curriculum, hosted by the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo.



These sessions will take content from our long-running Quantum for Educators (QEd) workshop to explore fundamental quantum principles like superposition and entanglement, connect them to curriculum-relevant topics like waves, polarization, vectors, and probability, and show how they are applied in modern and emerging technologies like quantum computing and communication. We’ll also overview affordable hands-on activities that can be done with your classroom. Read More...

Tags: Modern Physics, Nobel Prize, Professional Development, Quantum

Michelle Lee, Lisgar C. I.
michelle.lee@ocdsb.ca
Iain Braithwaite. John F. Ross C.V.I.
iainbraithwaite@ugdsb.on.ca
Milica Rakic, Essex DHS
mica@opusteno.com
Roberta Tevlin, Retired
roberta@tevlin.ca

Climate change may be the biggest problem that humanity has ever faced. The sooner that we deal with it, the more chance we have of succeeding. Physics teachers can play an important role in helping students understand the problem and its existing solutions, and help students feel empowered to take action. This article shows how you can teach about climate change, while reinforcing fundamental skills and concepts in the grade 11 physics curriculum. As usual, these OAPT resources are free. Read More...

Tags: Climate, Electricity, Energy, Forces, Kinematics

Roberta Tevlin
roberta@tevlin.ca

Join us Thursday September 26th from 7:00 to 8:00 PM to learn about the many solutions to climate change, while engaged with other teachers in a role-playing game! By the end of the hour, you will see how climate change is very serious and very complicated — but — it is also something that can be solved. You will leave energized and ready to try out this lesson with your classes the next day. This game would be good for SNC1W, SNC2D, SPH3U, SES4U, many geography courses, or anywhere else you want to discuss climate solutions.

This virtual Physics Hour is run by Roberta Tevlin, Milica Rakic, Iain Braithwaite, Michelle Lee, Tim Langford, Tom Eagan, and Felipe Almeida. Sign up for the event here. Please share this opportunity with others who you think may be interested in joining. The Zoom meeting link will be sent out 48 hours prior to the event. Read More...

Tags: Climate, Destreamed, Energy, Professional Development