Course Title: Physics Method B

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Physics Method B

Credit Points: 12


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

CUED1208

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2013,
Sem 2 2014

Course Coordinator: Dr Kathy Jordan

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7813

Course Coordinator Email:kathy.jordan@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Have completed a degree which consists of the equivalent of a sub-major in Physics. It is assumed students have successfully completed Physics Method A.


Course Description

This is a methods course that focuses on preparing students to teach Physics in secondary schools. Both the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching/learning Physics will be addressed. Students will be introduced to a variety of ideas, techniques and skills that will enable them to evaluate the effectiveness of different teaching/learning strategies. This course will focus on pedagogy, assessment and reporting practices.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course is designed to assist students to:
• Know how to plan and implement Physics based curriculum.
• Effectively communicate physics concepts to learners in an engaging and meaningful way.
• Develop an awareness of teaching resources available to assist their teaching practice.
• Develop a wide variety of teaching skills to facilitate effective student engagement and learning in Physics.
• Critically reflect on their practice as a teacher of Physics.
• Effectively assess and report on students’ learning in Physics.


Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
• Design meaningful classroom Physics based units appropriate for senior secondary science.
• Effectively communicate Physics concepts.
• Use a range of teaching strategies, assessment and reporting practices.
• Assess the effectiveness of their teaching.


ICT Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course, students will have demonstrated and/or acquired the following ICT capabilities:
• Understandings of the role of ICT in learning and implications for the classroom.
• Awareness of a range of contemporary ICT resources suitable for the classroom.
• Skills in using ICT for communication, presentation, work preparation and implementation.


VIT Standards
This course is aligned with the following standards:
• Teachers know how students learn and how to teach them effectively.
• Teachers know the content they teach.
• Teachers plan and assess for effective learning.
• Teachers create and maintain safe and challenging learning environments.
• Teachers use a range of teaching strategies and resources to engage students in effective learning.
• Teachers reflect on, evaluate and improve their professional knowledge and practice.
• Teachers are active members of their profession.


Overview of Learning Activities

Students’ learning in this course will involve a range of activities including lectures, tutorials, workshops, on-line discussions, curriculum design and readings in order to support the development of the learning outcomes of this course.


Overview of Learning Resources

Students will require a hard copy of the Physics study design which is available online (www.vcaa.vic.edu/vce/studies/index.html ). Students will need to access samples of senior secondary physics texts. Other resources such as examiners reports, assessment guides etc will be required as they become available. Details will be given in lectures.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment tasks are directly linked to the stated objectives and outcomes. Assessment in the course will be both theoretical and practical in nature. A range of formative and summative assessment types will be incorporated into the course (for example, written, oral or performance based assessment).

Students should refer to Part B of the course guide for further information on assessment.