America has a physics problem.
Research shows that access to physics education varies by race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Physics courses are often offered as standard in suburban high schools, but not in urban and rural schools.
Even where physics is taught, the lessons rarely emphasize how physics can be applied to students’ daily lives.
This approach can inhibit students’ desire to learn. In my work as a physics education researcher, I have encountered courses that focus on memorizing formulas. This method fails to encourage critical thinking and limits students’ ability to solve problems creatively.
Teachers sometimes believe that if a student can’t grasp a physics concept, it’s the student’s problem. Teachers often don’t try to present the material in a way that might help students engage more deeply in their lessons. This adds to the challenges that poorer students of color already face, such as being held to lower standards and having fewer classroom resources.
Instead, imagine if students could see how physics impacts their daily lives—in sports, extreme weather, or cooking and baking. How could these real-world connections spark curiosity and foster a deeper understanding of physics?
Making physics relevant
There are consequences for not teaching physics adequately.
As the economy becomes more technology-centric, understanding physics is critical, yet fewer Americans have a solid grasp of physics.
If there is a shortage of candidates for jobs that require basic physics knowledge, it could hurt the U.S.’s ability to compete in the global economy or force companies to outsource certain jobs to countries with better-educated workforces.
Many students have a vague idea that they want to pursue STEM careers; they realize that these jobs often pay well and can be interesting and fulfilling. But they don’t realize that studying physics can better prepare you for a number of roles, such as aeronautical engineer, software developer, or environmental scientist.
Just understanding this relationship can increase their desire to learn the material.
But there’s another way to boost motivation that I’ve been working on and developing for years, which I call “culturally relevant physics education.”
Physics is often taught in ways that do not connect with diverse student populations, leading to lower performance and participation, especially among poor and nonwhite students. This can lead to these groups seeing little value in learning physics.
A traditional high school physics course teaches abstract equations and focuses on topics such as projectile motion and electrical circuits. The teacher may explain Newton’s laws of motion using examples from European history alone, such as the firing of cannonballs.
I don’t blame students in Raymond, Mississippi, for wondering why they’re learning about the trajectory of 18th-century guns, for example.
Physics in racing, messaging and farming
By shifting to teaching physics education in culturally responsive ways, I believe it is possible to reverse this trend and develop a new generation of physics enthusiasts and professionals. There are many ways to do this.
I worked with teachers in California to investigate how the physics of wave motion affects earthquake dynamics and how buildings are constructed. Other lessons include understanding how text messages are transmitted via wave motion and how the physics of firearms can be taught using the concepts of conservation of momentum and impulse.
In these ways, teachers can tap into students’ cultures and interests to make physics more relatable and engaging. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach: The physics of earthquakes may resonate better in one school district, while the physics of hurricanes may work better in another.
More opportunities to learn physics are needed, especially in the rural South.
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that students in these areas have less access to advanced science courses, including physics, than their urban and suburban counterparts. And a 2021 report from the American Institute of Physics notes that fewer high schools in the rural South offer Advanced Placement physics courses, which may be due in part to a significant shortage of qualified physics teachers in these communities.
Targeted interventions can help meet this need.
I have collaborated with teachers in the Southeast to develop activities for students to learn about engine types, acceleration, and thermal energy using NASCAR, a very popular sport in the area. I am also one of the principal investigators of a collaboration between Michigan State University and two HBCUs, Alabama A&M University and Winston-Salem State University, to implement culturally responsive physics education in the rural South.
Given the region’s rich agricultural history, the science of growing plants and crops can be another avenue for physics education. Teachers can explain in detail how light energy is converted into chemical energy; explain that fruits and vegetables have unique colors because of the way they absorb and reflect wavelengths of light; and relate how physics concepts, such as fluid dynamics, can be used to improve irrigation techniques.
Students in agricultural fields can be empowered to contribute to their communities by learning these real-world applications.
This project is not just about filling a gap in physics education; it’s also about unlocking the potential of students in the rural South, and hopefully eventually becoming confident enough about their physics background to one day pursue careers in STEM.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization that delivers facts and analysis to help you understand our complex world.
Written by Clausell Mathis, Michigan State University.
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Clausell Mathis receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education as a Co-PI in the Education Innovation and Research Grant Program.