We seek a graduate student with a degree in Physics (esp. Nuclear Physics) to help teach a private, experimental kids' summer program that accelerates learning by integrating several topics around a significant historical event.
The topics are Political Science, Physics, and Biology.
This posting is for the Physics teacher.
The event is the development and dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945.
We chose this event because it is rich with dramatic stories and has deep connections to STEM topics.
Problems to Solve
Our kids aren’t getting enough STEM at school. They need more STEM basics, but STEM subjects are notoriously difficult to teach dry. We want to try a different way of structuring teaching to address the following common learning problems:
1. The student believes the given topic is uninteresting or pointless, having no importance or applicability.
2. The student cannot connect new knowledge to existing knowledge and accelerate memory and recall.
3. The student cannot use the new knowledge to solve problems.
This three-week program addresses those problems by establishing the event's importance from a geopolitical and social standpoint and teaching fundamental concepts of Physics and Biology as they relate to the development and dropping of the atomic bomb.
Measuring Success
To measure the program’s success, teachers will create a short assessment focused on their topic to assess the student’s level of knowledge of the topic before and after the program. Students will take the same assessment before and after so we can measure how much their knowledge changed.
The program is successful if a student’s knowledge of each topic doubles by the end of the program. Nothing spurs innovation like ambition.
Planning and Preparation
Teachers will research the development and dropping of the atomic bomb and prepare course material as it applies to the specific aspects they’ll teach (see below).
The three teachers will then participate in two in-person planning meetings on June 8th and 11th prior to starting to teach on June 18th.
Research and material preparation are not paid because we can’t track that time and we have a fixed amount of money to run this experiment.
Planning meetings, assessment creation, and teaching are paid.
Syllabus
The Physics teacher helps students understand physics through its role in the development and deployment of the atomic bomb. They will cover:
1. The general state of physics prior to WWII.
2. The differences between chemistry and nuclear physics and between chemical and nuclear bombs.
3. The physics that underpins the atomic bomb.
4. The scientific breakthroughs the Americans reached before the Germans, what prevented the Germans from making them, and who was responsible/credited with those breakthroughs.
5. What thermodynamics is and how it describes the bomb’s behavior.
6. What radiation is, the role it played in the bomb’s development and deployment, and its effects on the bomb’s victims and the environment.
7. How the scientific world reacted to the bomb’s development, its deployment, and the nuclear proliferation that followed.
8. The development of the thermonuclear/hydrogen bomb, the difference between fission and fusion, and how the Sun generates power.
9. How nuclear physics is used today: energy, medicine, space exploration, radiocarbon dating, particle physics.
The teacher should use numerous visual aids and discussions to increase engagement and retention.
Specifics
1. Student grade level: 9th - 10th
2. Number of students: 2 - 5
3. Location: Private home in central Austin with a dedicated learning space.
4. Dates: June 8 - July 3
June 8, 11: Course planning with teaching team.
June 18 - July 3: Course delivery.
5. $25/hr for planning meetings, creating assessments, and teaching.
6. As a team, we'll determine how many hours of teaching to schedule.
Requirements
1. An undergraduate degree in with graduate-level coursework.
2. Fluency with drawing visuals to teach concepts.
3. Experience creating and grading tests/assessments.
4. A passion for trying new teaching methods to improve education.
5. An interest in integrated learning.
If this program succeeds, you’ll have shaped a new way to accelerate education and helped kids fall in love with learning.
If you’re interested in that, tell us why you're interested in this program, give a brief description of how you match the requirements, and provide your resume.