Teacher Network Central Workshops
The core of our support for all teachers and pupils in England is provided by our regional Physics Network Co-ordinators, who organise local events and activities for pupils, and innovative and inspirational workshops for teachers. These free CPD sessions can help put a little extra sparkle into your teaching.
- What Happens Next? - A showcase of short demonstrations with unexpected outcomes to get your pupils thinking and debating physics.
- Lights, Cameras, Images - Explore spectra, colour, 3-D images and cameras of all kinds.
- Virtual Physics Laboratory - Take a guided tour of the Virtual Physics Laboratory with its 200-plus physics simulations and free software.
- Rockets – Make and Take - Use plumbing parts to make your own compressed-air rocket launcher which fires paper rockets.
- Dragsters – Make and Take - Come along to make your own high-pressure-air-powered paper racing cars.
- Datamouse - Making affordable timing gates.
- Games Laboratory - Learning physics by using games.
- Shocked and Stunned - Gain confidence in using the Van de Graaff generator. Get ideas and information about resources to bring the generator to life for your students.
- Software for Skint Schools - Discover 19 bits of free software to use in school to enliven your teaching while saving your budget.
- Cloud Chambers - Make and Take - Build your own cloud chamber using a fish-tank and a baking tray.
Each workshop has an associated group on TalkPhysics.org where teachers can access resources and share ideas. To access the Talkphysics groups you will need to complete the free registration process. Schools can request a workshop at a time and place to suit them and sessions can be tailored to meet the individual needs of the teachers and pupils in each school. To find out more, visit the Teacher Support page on the IOP website.
| Workshop Descriptions |
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| What Happens Next? Discover a series of experiments with unexpected outcomes to challenge students’ presumptions and so encourage them to explore and debate physics principles. The simple demonstrations each present a puzzle with a range of possible outcomes, they can be used as starters or prompts for revision. Discuss this workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
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Lights, Camera, Images Discover a variety of activities for use in the classroom when teaching light, colour and spectra. Find out how to make 3-D images and how a digital microscope can turn a small demo into a whole class activity. As well as collecting plenty of ideas for the use of images in general, you will receive a CD with all the information needed to use the workshop ideas in the classroom. Discuss this workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
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Virtual Physics Laboratory Explore Virtual Physics Laboratory (vplab.co.uk) with its 200-plus physics simulations and free software that can be used in the classroom. The revision applications prove popular as do the simulations which enable students to play with some of the rarer or more dangerous apparatus, such as High-Tension power supplies and Teltron tubes. Discuss the workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
| Rockets – Make and Take Build your own “rocket” launcher. You can then use the compressed air launcher in the classroom to engage students with the design of the rockets. Through modifications such as adding fins or altering the shape of the nose cone, students can theorise and then try out how a rocket’s flight path can be affected. Discuss the workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
| Dragsters – Make and Take Have you taken part in the exciting Rockets workshop yet? If so, now you can convert your rocket launcher into a propulsion system for your own dragster racer car or if you are new to compressed-air launching let us know when you book your place. The dragsters are easy and cheap to make and from this workshop you will have a completed launcher and a class set of kits to take back to your school for racing fun. Suitable for science teachers from lower, middle and upper schools. If you want to find out more and get involved in an online discussion about using your dragsters in class join the ‘Dragster Racers!’ group on TalkPhysics. |
| Datamouse The Datamouse project was started by the paper Stopwatch provides low-cost training by Alessio Ganci and Salvatore Ganci, which was published in Physics Education in March 2009. This was such a brilliant and simple idea that the Institute of Physics Teacher Network decided to put together a workshop showing other teachers how to make inexpensive computer mice into timing gates. If you've never soldered before here's a chance to learn. |
| Games Laboratory Playing games can be another way to get children to learn often without them even noticing it's happening. There are a wide variety of games available from board games to card games to computer games. This workshop will present a variety of games and participants will be able to access all the necessary files to play these games with their classes. You will have the opportunity to judge for yourself whether the games are suitable for your students and hopefully get an overview of some of the variety of games available. Discuss the workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
| Shocked and Stunned This workshop aims to improve your knowledge of how the Van de Graaff generator works and build your confidence with effective ways of using the generator in class. These shrunk down particle accelerators can really help visualise physics and make for a memorable lesson so come along to play with the portable generators and accessories supplied and get some ideas about how to employ them in your teaching. Discuss the workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
| Software for Skint Schools Discover 19 bits of free software to use in school to enliven your teaching while saving your budget. The software is offered free on the web but you may not have discovered it yet so come along to see what these packages offer. Discuss the workshop on the TalkPhysics Group. |
| Cloud Chambers - Make and Take Making something abstract concrete is a useful tool for those teaching physics. Cloud chambers allow students to see the paths that ionising radiation has travelled. In this workshop you get to make a take away a cloud chamber big enough for a group of people to see into. You'll also get ideas for getting the most out of your dry ice. |