This year I intend to do a bit more with the displays in my classroom. I share it, so haven’t got a lot of space. I trialled an interactive display last year where I would ask the students a question and they could write on their responses. Some of them worked quite well. Most responses from year 7 and sixth formers!
I’ll do something similar this year, but make it smaller and change it more frequently.
I’m very keen to have a display about real people with quotes about what studying physics has done for them. What breadth of jobs it opens up. How it has helped them in life.
I’m going to start collecting information for this now so I get it all set up before September. Watch out friends! I’m after quotes!
Why will I do this? I want to help address the idea that studying physics leads to being a physicist and that’s all. Teenagers don’t often know about other careers it can lead to, or even the different types of physicist jobs that exist. Helping them understand what skills an A level in physics gives them could also be useful.
Here’s a link to an IOP document highlighting that linking a subject to careers can be helpful to all students, but especially good to engage girls.
If you are interested in other ideas to engage girls particularly, all the IOP girls in physics documents can be found here. The links are on the left of that page. These ideas are intended to help engage girls, but not to the detriment of the boys. They should help them too :).
What else should I include in the display? I’ll see if I have any IOP posters on physics careers or get some? I’ll hunt out some useful, up to date statistics. Find a list of skills you get from studying physics. If anyone can help with any of these it would be very much appreciated!
I will get student feedback about the display and see if it has any effect or if it generates any comments.
I’ll return to this topic when I’ve created the display!
a physics classroom 