About Us

What is PhysTEC

The U.S. faces a critical shortage of qualified physics and physical science teachers. Two-thirds of new physics teachers lack a physics degree, and over 90% of middle school physical science students are taught by teachers without a physical science major or certification. In order to address the crisis in physics and physical science education, the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) lead the PhysTEC project, with support from the American Institute of Physics (AIP).The mission of PhysTEC is to improve and promote the education of future physics and physical science teachers.

Specifically, the project aims to demonstrate successful models for:

• Increasing the number of qualified physics teachers
• Improving the quality of K-8 physical science teacher education
• Spread best-practice ideas throughout the physics teacher preparation community
• Transform physics departments to engage in preparing physics teachers

The BU program is just starting, but other PhysTEC institutions have demonstrated considerable strides towards these goals including significant increases in the number of graduating physics teachers, higher retention rates for PhysTEC graduates who enter into teaching, and higher learning gains in introductory physics for PhysTEC classes utilizing interactive-engagement teaching methods.  We hope to increase the number of graduates with undergraduate physics degrees, build a model program for learner-centered introductory physics, provide future teachers with early teaching experiences that are tightly connected to the findings of physics education research, and establish a professional development and mentoring network for project alumni.

The PhysTEC project is led by the American Physical Society, in partnership with theAmerican Association of Physics Teachers and with continued support from theAmerican Institute of Physics.

Click on the link for a project synopsis from PhysTEC project-synopsis 2012 PhysTEC National

Click on the link for the PhysTEC website http://www.phystec.org/

Why Teach Physics?

Physics is an intriguing and fascinating subject that covers an enormous range of topics. If you have the knowledge and are keen to share this with young people, teaching physics could be the career path for you.

Physics is around us every day. We can look up into the sky at night and be reminded of physics; we can simply turn on a light and physics is there. This is what we need to highlight to young people; that physics is hugely relevant to everybody, everywhere.

 

Links to PhysTEC movies about teaching physics