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Guidance on effective practice in A level physics
The following advice draws on experience from the first years of Curriculum 2000 (C2K) to provide some general guidance about managing and implementing effective teaching and learning. These are illustrated by some case studies of good practice on this website.
Planning and managing teaching and learning
Forward planning and careful management are essential to the development of good practice in the teaching and learning of physics. In particular the physics department should:
- share a vision about the purpose of teaching physics and its contribution to the aims of the school/college as a whole, ensuring that this vision is shared throughout the school/college and made apparent through actions (for example, open evenings, displays, parental involvement – see case study: The Grange School)
- select a specification which suits the vision and ethos of the department and has the potential to provide challenges and motivation for students (see case study: Tadcaster Grammar School)
- take ownership and turn the specification into a curriculum, using the specification aims, informed by the departmental aims, as the starting point for designing a long-term (two-year) course plan, medium-term plans/schemes of work for units or topics and short-term lesson plans
- ensure that the physics curriculum makes best use of the capabilities and interests of staff, the location and facilities of the school/college and the opportunities for community links (see case studies: Tadcaster Grammar School and Workington Sixth Form Centre)
- share and discuss the aims and objectives of the curriculum with students, making amendments to the detail each year to ensure course suitability and student motivation
- support students in the transition from GCSE to AS and from AS to A2. In some schools and colleges, for example, induction units are made available to all students to introduce new skills and approaches
- offer information and guidance to students about the nature of the course, assessment deadlines, and specific help or resources. Many schools and colleges provide ‘study guides’ or ‘diaries’ and some provide intranet sites (see case study: Northallerton College)
- provide a supportive learning environment for students to address their diverse needs and different learning styles. Formative assessment and regular progress reviews can play an important part
- provide focused enrichment opportunities that extend or develop particular aspects of the course content or skills, or build on students’ personal experiences and enjoyment of physics (for example, visiting speakers, involvement in local projects, links with local university physics departments – see case study: The Grange School)
- ensure that information and guidance are available about employment opportunities, career prospects and progression to higher education
- provide opportunities for the professional development of staff – including updating and refreshment in the subject, exchanges with other schools and colleges, and training or development in management and pedagogical matters.
Implementing teaching and learning
Effective teaching and learning is most likely to take place when the physics staff are confident about the purpose and character of physics teaching in the department, and each teacher feels committed and competent to work as a professional within a well-managed team. Each teacher will have a certain amount of professional freedom and flexibility but some common principles are that teachers should:
- share a common view about the methodologies and styles of teaching and learning. The AS/A2 level specifications are all underpinned by a commitment to enquiry-based teaching and learning, though the precise interpretation of enquiry varies from specification to specification. Each physics department needs to identify this and to clarify its own approach (see case study: Tadcaster Grammar School)
- ensure that students are provided with a range of opportunities across the learning continuum from teacher-directed to more open-ended student-directed work. In particular there should be encouragement for students to learn independently (see case study: Workington Sixth Form Centre)
- provide opportunities for students to extend and develop their ICT skills and to make appropriate use of the extensive range of resources on the internet (see case studies: Northallerton College and Tadcaster Grammar School)
- promote teaching and learning activities which develop skills and intellect
- plan practical work or off site activities as an essential and integral component of the physics curriculum. Such activities enrich students’ learning and add insights from real-world experience (see case study: The Grange School)
- ensure that students appreciate the importance of investigative practical work, its analysis and evaluation. Physics is as much concerned with investigative practical work as it is with theory, and students need to develop their own skills in this area (see case study: The Grange School)
- allow space and time for ‘the unexpected’, so that topical events or local issues, significant news items or students’ personal activities can be used to motivate students and/or reinforce aspects of scientific learning.
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Page updated: 12 June 2008