https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghloa5GJ6Vk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAIT8c8neX0
These videos by Paul Hewitt provide food for thought, as well as inspiration, for beginning and seasoned physics teachers alike. The videos succinctly convey the revered teacher and author’s views on making physics accessible, meaningful, and enjoyable.
The first video’s central message is that in an introductory physics course, equations should be used as guides to understanding the natural world, not simply as recipes for solving mathematical problems. Hewitt stresses that equations show connections in nature and guide critical thinking. Turning an introductory physics course into an exercise in number crunching is anathema to Hewitt. He contends that if a learner’s first course in physics is a delightful experience in discovering the rules of nature as expressed in equations, you can then bring on the computational aspects of physics, for the mathematical rigor of a second course will be welcomed.
In the second video, Hewitt discusses strategies he...