Physics Textbooks
Online Physics Books/References:
Why doesn't our class have its own traditional (paper) physics textbook?
This course is based on the principles developed through a curriculum of modeling physics, originally developed at Arizona State University. It stresses in-class modeling, discussion, and collection of data (labs) as the main type of instruction.
Below is an excerpt from http://modelinginstruction.org/ explaining the benefits of this type of instruction:
Modeling Instruction, under development since 1990 under the leadership of David Hestenes (Emeritus Professor of Physics, Arizona State University), corrects many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world. Unlike the traditional approach, in which students wade through an endless stream of seemingly unrelated topics, Modeling Instruction organizes the course around a small number of scientific models, thus making the course coherent. It applies structured inquiry techniques to the teaching of basic skills and practices in mathematical modeling, proportional reasoning, quantitative estimation and technology-enabled data collection and analysis.
The Modeling Method: a Synopsis The Modeling Method has been developed to correct many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including the fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and the persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world.
Coherent Instructional Objectives
- Physicsclassroom.com
- Khan Academy for Physics videos
- Splung.com
- The Physics Hypertextbook
- Physics Wiki Book for High School Students
- Physics Videos - Mechanical Universe (Annenberg)
Why doesn't our class have its own traditional (paper) physics textbook?
This course is based on the principles developed through a curriculum of modeling physics, originally developed at Arizona State University. It stresses in-class modeling, discussion, and collection of data (labs) as the main type of instruction.
Below is an excerpt from http://modelinginstruction.org/ explaining the benefits of this type of instruction:
Modeling Instruction, under development since 1990 under the leadership of David Hestenes (Emeritus Professor of Physics, Arizona State University), corrects many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world. Unlike the traditional approach, in which students wade through an endless stream of seemingly unrelated topics, Modeling Instruction organizes the course around a small number of scientific models, thus making the course coherent. It applies structured inquiry techniques to the teaching of basic skills and practices in mathematical modeling, proportional reasoning, quantitative estimation and technology-enabled data collection and analysis.
The Modeling Method: a Synopsis The Modeling Method has been developed to correct many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including the fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and the persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world.
Coherent Instructional Objectives
- To engage students in understanding the physical world by constructing and using scientific models to describe, to explain, to predict and to control physical phenomena.
- To provide students with basic conceptual tools for modeling physical objects and processes, especially mathematical, graphical and diagrammatic representations.
- To familiarize students with a small set of basic models as the content core of physics.
- To develop insight into the structure of scientific knowledge by examining how models fit into theories.
- To show how scientific knowledge is validated by engaging students in evaluating scientific models through comparison with empirical data.
- To develop skill in all aspects of modeling as the procedural core of scientific knowledge.
- Instruction is organized into modeling cycles which move students through all phases of model development, evaluation and application in concrete situations — thus promoting an integrated understanding of modeling processes and acquisition of coordinated modeling skills.
- The teacher sets the stage for student activities, typically with a demonstration and class discussion to establish common understanding of a question to be asked of nature. Then, in small groups, students collaborate in planning and conducting experiments to answer or clarify the question.
- Students are required to present and justify their conclusions in oral and/or written form, including a formulation of models for the phenomena in question and evaluation of the models by comparison with data.
- Technical terms and concepts are introduced by the teacher only as they are needed to sharpen models, facilitate modeling activities and improve the quality of discourse.