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Course

Practicing Professionalism Workshop for Physics Educators

The Practicing Professionalism Framework (PPF) provides a classroom structure that helps students build content knowledge and physics-specific skills, while infusing one or more topics that the broader physics community cares about in an authentic way.

About the course

The Practicing Professionalism Framework (PPF) provides a classroom structure that helps students build content knowledge and physics-specific skills, while infusing one or more topics that the broader physics community cares about in an authentic way. These topics, chosen based on the instructor's interest, can include but are not limited to history of physics, social justice and equity in a physics context, outreach, and public policy. The framework is designed to develop students who are the type of scientific thinkers we want them to be, and the human beings they aspire to be – regardless of their major. Additionally, PPF helps change students’ perceptions of the physics community so that they have a more expanded and professional-like view of what someone in physics does and cares about, potentially leading to a greater sense of inclusion and belonging. This workshop will introduce physics educators to the three components of the framework and how to use these three components to reframe their courses in a way that broadens students' understanding of what it means to be a physicist and do physics. Since PPF does not tell instructors how to teach, it can be used as a framing device in many classroom contexts and can often be implemented with minimal changes to course content and structure. Attendees are encouraged to bring the syllabus from one or more physics courses to work on. These courses can be for majors and/or non-majors and can include a lab. This workshop is designed to help physics educators implement PPF to transform their next physics course!

This workshop is graciously funded by the APS-sponsoring units GPER, FEd, and FDI.

Fees

APS Members: $25

Non-APS Member: $50

Speakers

  • TBD

Organizer

  • Kathryne Woodle, APS