MISCONCEPTIONS PEOPLE HAVE
ABOUT THE DIFFULTIES OF PHYSICS IN NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Mr.
Erisnor, rerisnor@schools.nyc.gov
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
ACADEMY I
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever thought that Physics is a very hard
subject to understand? This misconception is a view or opinion that is
incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. A great
number of people in US have misconceptions about the difficulties of Physics.
When people hear the word “Physics” they think of equations, motion, energy,
math, Albert Einstein and so on. The
dictionary definition of physics is
“the study of matter, energy, and the interaction between them”.
TASK:
Students will work in groups of 3 to investigate
misconceptions that administrators, faculties and students at Frederick
Douglass Academy (FDA) have about the difficulties of physics and report their
findings back to the class. Your job is to interview as many people as possible
to find their misconceptions about the difficulties of physics. You are asked
to use the Public
Policy Analyst (PPA) model below to:
1) Identify
misconception people have about the difficulties of Physics
2) Use
the books provided, as well as the links below to examine the problems
associated with people’s misconceptions about the difficulties of physics.
3) Survey teachers, administrators, and students
at Frederick Douglass Academy to identify their misconceptions about the
difficulties of physics.
4) You are to analyze the sources of the problem
(why people has misconception about the difficulties of physics?)
5) Propose
a number of policies (based on your research and critical analyzation of the
problem) that you believe will help to lessen the amount of problems associated
with
6) Each
group’s Manager is required to present their policy recommendation to their
class in the form of PowerPoint representation.
PROCESS/RESOURCES
Follow the six (6) step process below to analyze the
problem of “People Misconception about Physics in US”.
Public
Policy Analyst (PPA) Process:
Step 1: What
is the problem? (Defining the Social Problem.)
Step 2: Gathering Evidence of the Problem.
Conduct a survey of teachers, students and
administrators involving misconception about physics.
Step 3: Identifying
Causes of the Problem
Step 4: Identify and
Evaluate Existing Pubic Policy
Step 5: Develop
Public Policy Solutions
Step 6: Selecting the
Best Policy
General Search Engines
·
Google
·
Bing
EVALUATION
|
Category |
6 Pts. |
5 Pts. |
4 Pts. |
3 Pts. |
Pts |
|
Effectiveness |
Project includes
all material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the topic. |
Project includes
most material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the material but
is lacking one or two key elements. |
Project is
missing more than two key elements. |
Project is
lacking several key elements and has inaccuracies. |
|
|
|
4 Pts. |
3 Pts. |
2 Pts. |
1 Pt. |
|
|
Sequencing of Information |
Information is
organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to anticipate the type of material
that might be on the next slide. |
Most information
is organized in a clear, logical way. One slide or item of information seems
out of place. |
Some information
is logically sequenced. An occasional slide or item of information seems out
of place. |
There is no clear
plan for the organization of information. |
|
|
|
8 Pts. |
7 Pts. |
5 Pts. |
3 Pts. |
|
|
Originality |
Presentation
shows considerable originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented
in a unique and interesting way. |
Presentation
shows some originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented
in an interesting way. |
Presentation
shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness on 1-2 slides. |
Presentation is a
rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows very little attempt
at original thought. |
|
|
|
5 Pts. |
3 Pts. |
2 Pts. |
1 Pts. |
|
|
Spelling and Grammar |
Presentation has
no misspellings or grammatical errors. |
Presentation has
1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors. |
Presentation has
1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings. |
Presentation has
more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors. |
|
|
|
5 Pts. |
3 Pts. |
2 Pts. |
1 Pt. |
|
|
Use of Graphics |
All graphics are
attractive (size and colors) and support the theme/content of the
presentation. |
A few graphics
are not attractive but all support the theme/content of the presentation. |
All graphics are
attractive but a few do not seem to support the theme/content of the
presentation. |
Several graphics
are unattractive AND detract from the content of the presentation. |
|
|
|
6 Pts. |
4 Pts. |
3 Pts. |
2 Pts. |
|
|
Organization |
PowerPoint contains
a minimum of 10 slides. All parts of the task are completed fully and support
the theme/content of the presentation. |
PowerPoint
contains a minimum of 10 slides. All parts of the task are completed
partially and support the theme/content of the presentation. |
PowerPoint
contains fewer than 10 slides, or some slides designed do not support the
theme/content of the presentation. |
PowerPoint
contains fewer than 10 slides and is missing several parts of the task.
Slides designed do not support the theme/content of the presentation. |
|
|
|
6 Pts. |
5 Pts. |
4 Pts. |
2 Pts. |
|
|
Sources |
All sources
(information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format. |
All sources (information
and graphics) are accurately documented, but one is not in the desired
format. |
All sources
(information and graphics) are accurately documented, but two or more are not
in the desired format. |
Some sources are
not accurately documented. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/40 |
CONCLUSION
At the end
of this project you will have a deeper understanding about the nature of
physics. You will also understand what causes so many misconceptions people
have about the difficulties of Physics.
The New York State science standards
for high school students are listed on the State Education Site below: