Represent! Multiple Representations as the Key to Deep Understanding

Visual representations of physics concepts provide a powerful tool for building deep understanding. Representations can serve as a vital intermediary between the abstract concepts and the mathematical equations that help students to clearly reason before calculating. Tim and Chris will guide you through the world of interaction diagrams, energy flow diagrams, work-energy bar charts, impulse-momentum bar charts and many more representational tools. In this workshop you will deepen your own understanding of motion, forces, energy and momentum and leave with well-researched and tested lessons to train your students.

Biographies

Chris Meyer completed a Specialist Degree in Physics at the University of Toronto, but didn’t really get this physics stuff until he began teaching. From his experiences “teaching” physics at A. Y. Jackson (North York), the Ontario Science Centre, Rosedale Heights (Toronto) and now York Mills C. I. (North York) he came to realize that the teaching techniques he was raised with were not adequate. After attending a lecture by Edward Redish at the University of Toronto, and becoming acquainted for the first time with Physics Education Research, things began to change. Now Chris gives presentations across southern Ontario encouraging teachers to stop teaching.

Tim Langford has taught physics, science,technology and math for twenty years in Ottawa and Toronto. He has been running a reformed 'workshop physics' program at Newtonbrook SS for four years. Tim has been editor of the OAPT Newsletter since 2009.