Event for teachers
Staff and volunteers from the University of Oxford and British Physics Olympiad Trust will provide guidance and resources on helping you to support your students to develop problem solving skills in physics. The day will cover extending able students and interview type questions, to providing extension classes to help them explore their interest in physics.
Past British Physics Olympiad questions will be explored along with simple demonstrations that are designed to challenge your students into ways of thinking and observation. Teachers with experience in stretching students in physics will be present to offer advice, suggestions, ideas and answer questions. The session will also include insight into what top universities are looking for when selecting a candidate, and how to develop those skills that are required for further study.
Time will also be built in for networking and discussion, allowing teachers to exchange approaches and classroom experiences.
Who is the event for?
This event is designed for two audiences:
- Teachers who are less familiar with using more advanced questions in the classroom, such as those at the level of the British Physics Olympiad. It will be particularly valuable for teachers from schools where there is less tradition of students progressing to top universities; teachers from these schools will be given priority.
- NEW: Teachers who have attended a previous event. New this year, we will offer dedicated problem-solving sessions featuring new problems, with examples organised by problem type. These sessions will give returning teachers the space to try unfamiliar problems, reflect on different solution strategies, and share ideas with other experienced attendees.
Refreshments
Lunch and refreshments will be provided thanks to the generosity of BPhO sponsors.
The British Physics Olympiad
The British Physics Olympiad was founded in 1982 with the aim of selecting and coaching a team to attend an International Physics Olympiad. Last year there were some 40,000 school students in the UK engaged in the competitions from Year 10 upwards, with the dual aim of building student’s confidence in physics through their participation in national physics competitions, whilst challenging the problem solvers through the challenge competitions. For more information on these, past papers and resources visit: www.bpho.org.uk(link is external).
Contributors
- Mr Robin Hughes; Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.
- Dr Anson Cheung, Quantitative Methods Lead, LIS & Affiliated lecturer, University of Cambridge
- Dr Jenny Barnes; Department of Physics, University of Oxford and Queens College, Oxford.
- Dr Sian Tedaldi; Department of Physics, University of Oxford
Mr Robin Hughes
Robin Hughes was Head of Physics at King’s College School in London, is currently Chairman of the BPhO and is a member of the team of teachers preparing the UK team for the IPhO. Robin is engaged in the Isaac Physics project, based in Cambridge, and teaches at Corpus Christi College
Dr Anson Cheung
Dr Anson Cheung was on the UK team before studies at Trinity College, Cambridge, a Fellowship, several years experience in school teaching, training the UK IPhO team and is currently an associate professor at the London Interdisciplinary School as well as continuing to lecture in Cambridge.
Dr Jenny Barnes
Jenny Barnes is Teaching Laboratory Manager in the Physics Department at Oxford, helping to organise the students and demonstrators for the many practical sessions which students take each term. Jenny also tutors Physics and Materials students at The Queen's College. Jenny also wrote the Maths and Mechanics content for the MPLS bridging course.
Dr Sian Tedaldi
Dr Siân Tedaldi is the Outreach Programmes Manager at Oxford Physics. Sian has 20 years of experience in engaging students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds through outreach programmes run outside of formal education.