Blackboard image
Credit: JOHNSTOCKER

Problem Solving in Physics - how to extend your able students

01 Feb 2025
Secondary school events
Time
-
Venue
Denys Wilkinson Building, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH
Knowledge of physics?
Yes, knowledge of physics required

A British Physics Olympiad event run in collaboration with Oxford Physics, and sponsored by G-Research

FULLY BOOKED

Event for teachers

Staff and volunteers from the British Physics Olympiad Trust and University of Oxford will provide guidance and resources on helping you to support your students to develop problem solving skills in physics. 

The day will cover ideas for how you can extend your able students in lessons, and within extension classes, to help them explore their interest in physics.

Past British Physics Olympiad questions and interview-type 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. 

Who is the event for?

This event is for teachers who are less familiar with using more advanced questions in the classroom, at the level of those presented in the British Physics Olympiad. The event would also be useful for physics teachers from schools where there is less tradition of students progressing to top universities. Teachers working in these schools will be given priority if we are oversubscribed. 

Refreshments

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Cost 

This is a free event, thanks to the generosity of the BPhO sponsor, G-Research

Location

This event will be at the University of Oxford, Department of Physics. Limited parking on site is available. 

If you would like us to host a BPhO event in your school, please get in touch.

Feedback from previous sessions

"Excellent and very informative

"Very useful. Fantastic for a teacher like me"

"Inspiring"

"10/10 A gold star A* to all of you"

Booking

We are now fully booked and have closed the waiting list

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 students' 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).

BPhO sponsorship

As principal sponsor, G-Research’s support enables the British Physics Olympiad to expand its work, reach more students, and provide more schools with free access to its papers. Read more about the sponsorship here.