What are your thoughts on the STEM teacher shortage?
This is a
very interesting question to me because I wouldn't want to teach anything other than STEM subjects. Teaching English and marking English styled exams seems awful to me. However, we still struggle to have teachers in STEM. I think this is a huge problem and was actually discussed in my EDST classes, there is a massive decline in academic ability and interest in STEM subject, especially in rural Australia, promoting the gap of inequality. I hear that the minister of education has announced plans to help fix this, so let's hope it works
. I'm curious though because it wasn't really something I'd thought of until a few months ago, what are your thoughts?
Thanks for your question!!
Can you be my physics teacher
Considering how you enjoy physics, do you have a favourite branch in physics? (Optics? Quantum physics? Thermodynamics etc.)
Ahaha! I don't think I'd be good at all in my current state, I still need to work on things such as more clear speaking, and well class engagement and effectiveness, I do have some really amazing (in my opinion at least) ideas to help this such as online videos and weekend live streams(?) and personally made exam papers, reviews we'll see how I go, I really do want to be that dream teacher
As for my favourite branch, I really did enjoy thermodynamics in the last semesters course, and quantum is just mind-boggling. However, I don't think I've delved too much into all of physics to have a definite favourite,
it's all just soo goooood In HSC though, my order of favourite (or just wtf this is amazing would be) Motors and generators, Ideas to implementation, Medical, space. But again, this doesn't mean I didn't like the space topic because I did!!
Tips on surviving HSC physics? (and dealing with a dodgy physics teacher that deducted two marks from my model... will forever be salty over that)
Are there any similarities and differences between HSC physics and uni physics?
The big priority is concepts, without understanding the concepts, physics will be extremely difficult. Not many of my class really understood how time dilation worked, so when asked about this in an exam, they couldn't apply their knowledge to the question. The next big thing has been the good old saying "To learn physics, you must DO physics" and this means questions, just keep doing questions. My personal motto for physics was always "assume every question a trick question" Although not true, it makes you think, should it be this easy? Always go through the question twice. Just that sort of thing
As with teachers, just be polite and keep asking them questions, they are your biggest resource, and if they are dodgy, you have a head of the science teacher
(by the way, got any pictures of your design? love to see it!)
Similarities:
- Just amazing
- Concepts are just as important
- You get to do practicals
- Awesome demonstrations
Differences:
- uni is about 95% math based questions; you can get the 5 mark questions about the impact on society and throw it in the trash!
- uni is heaps more intense; I found HSC physics relativity easy to keep up with, in uni, falling behind is your worst enemy.
- uni makes you more independent on the experiments, you more have to work it out yourself.
Thanks for your questions!