Arthur Eisenkraft (former NSTA president) asked an interesting question: Would Faraday have succeeded in today’s urban American schools? In many of today’s schools, Faraday might not have been eligible for a traditional physics class because of his lack of math background. Or this outstanding experimentalist might have been assigned to a class that did not have lab opportunities. Or because his family was poor, there might be different expectations for him.
He noted that “physics first” is often for 9th grade prodigies, not the general student population. He is passionate about physics for all—not just those who have studied higher-level mathematics. “Physics should not be the second math course of the day.”
He illustrated his discussion of how physics classes can be adapted with examples of key strategies: differentiation, scaffolding, and rubrics.