Teachers' Sharing

As a physics teacher, my primary goal is to cultivate students' critical and creative thinking abilities. Critical thinking and problem-solving are among the most valuable skills that physics offers, regardless of a student's major. Achieving this requires effective teaching, which means instilling a love for learning and demonstrating that the true value of education lies not in grade point averages, but in the knowledge and thinking processes that students carry with them after graduation. It is essential that I ensure students leave the classroom equipped with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed to face future challenges, as well as an appreciation for the beauty and wonder of physics and the natural universe. Teaching physics presents unique challenges, and it is crucial to invest effort in engaging students in the learning process.

Learning is a journey where the teacher and students walk through the materials together. This journey becomes easier to follow when clear objectives, goals, and boundaries are established at the beginning of the semester.

Active teaching techniques and classroom interaction are powerful tools when used effectively. As a physics teacher, I employ various teaching methods to meet the diverse learning needs of students, including lectures, solving homework-style problems, peer instruction, and in-class demonstrations. Applying technology is also a key component in enhancing the student learning experience, especially in classes with a large student-to-teacher ratio. Technology fosters greater interaction with the class. For example, I use web-based technologies to ask students questions a day before class, helping them prepare for the lecture while allowing me to anticipate challenges and adjust the content accordingly. Additionally, I propose using online interactive simulations, many of which are readily available on the internet and easy to integrate into the course material. These simulations actively engage students in observing, exploring, and experimenting with various aspects of the course. Finally, the use of “uReply” (a clicker system) provides real-time feedback from a large number of students during class. It helps both the teacher and students monitor progress and gives the teacher a quantitative measure of how well students have grasped specific concepts.

Since physics is about mastering concepts, students need to be challenged with deeper understanding rather than overloaded with information and formulas. To keep students engaged, I rely on my enthusiasm for the subject, exciting demonstrations, and humorous examples. Physics is built on the idea that a few physical laws govern the world around us, and students respond positively when I connect physics to real-life situations. Encouraging students to think about what they observe in everyday life is a powerful way to open their minds. My focus on ideas, concepts, and understanding extends beyond the classroom.

It is important for a teacher to be well-prepared for class with carefully thought-out lesson plans and materials. A successful teacher clearly defines objectives and breaks down concepts into manageable pieces—small enough to digest yet substantial enough to remain interesting. This keeps students engaged and motivated. My role is not to show students what I know, but to teach them what they need to know and, most importantly, to facilitate their learning.

學習物理學的有效教學方法：
培養學生批判性思考與增加參與度

作為一名物理老師，我的首要目標是培養學生的批判性思考和創意思維能力。無論學生主修什麼科目，批判性思考和解決問題的能力都是物理學所能提供的最寶貴的資產之一。要達到以上目標，我需要讓教學變得有效。這代表我需要激發學生對學習的熱情，並灌輸教育的真正價值並不在於成績如何，而在於學生畢業後所帶走的知識和思維方式。我必須確保學生在離開課堂時，具備應對未來挑戰的批判性思考和解決問題的能力，並具有欣賞物理學及自然宇宙之美麗與奧妙的能力。教授物理學並不容易，需要投入大量心血以讓學生能夠樂在其中是非常重要的。

學習是一段旅程，當中老師需要和學生一起走過教程的每一步。當學期開始時，若能設立清晰的目標、目的和界限，這段旅程將會變得更容易。

主動授課和增加課堂裡的互動是非常有效的教學方法，如果運用恰當和有效，學習的效果會更佳。作為一名物理學老師，我一直運用不同的教學方式來滿足學生的多元化學習需求，例如我會講課、解答作業問題、提出同學們在學習過程中遇過的問題，以及在課堂上進行實驗示範。應用科技是提升學生學習體驗的重要元素，尤其在師生比例較大的課堂上，科技能夠幫助師生之間帶來更多的互動機會。例如，我可以在上課前一日透過網絡向學生提問，這有助學生預先為課堂作好準備，並讓我能預視將會在教學方面遇到的挑戰，繼而對內容作出相應的調整。另外，我還建議使用網上互動模擬系統來進行實驗。目前網上有大量可以融入到課程之中的系統資源。這些模擬實驗系統能有效地引導學生觀察、探索並對課程的不同範疇進行實驗。最後，使用「uReply」（「點選器」系統）能讓老師在課堂期間即時收集到大量學生的意見，有助師生掌握學習進度，並為老師提供分析數據，以衡量學生對具體概念的掌握程度。

由於物理學的重點在於掌握概念，因此學生需要的是理解概念，而不是單單背誦信息和公式。為了讓學生保持學習的興趣，我首先要展示出自己對物理學的熱情，進行令人興奮的實驗示範，並提出有趣的範例。雖然物理學是建基於數條物理定律之上，但這些定律主導了我們身邊的世界，當我將物理學與現實生活聯繫起來時，學生通常會回應得比較積極。鼓勵學生思考他們在日常生活中觀察到的現象，是激發他們思維的一個好方法。我擅長將一些物理學概念、定律和理解，延伸到課堂之外。

老師需要為課堂做好充份準備，包括細心設計課程大綱和教材。一位成功的老師會清晰地闡明教學目標，並將概念細分為既易消化又具吸引力的小知識，這樣可以讓學生參與其中同時保持學習的動力。我的角色不單止是展示我所知道的，更是去教會學生他們需要知道的知識，最重要的是幫助他們學習。