How will the representation of women and minorities in physics develop over the next ten years?
What kinds of cultural narratives about physics will be prevalent?
What types of learning resources will be used?
How will learners and teachers interact with each other?
What will be the role of teachers?
How will institutions frame physics education?
What will be the content of physics education?
How will learners feel about physics?
Physics Education In 10 Years
Physics Education Researcher
(based in Germany)
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Physics Education In 10 Years
continuation as in the past two decades: fluctuation with only very slow overall increase
The roles invert and physics becomes a female-dominated field, no longer appealing to males
We shift our cultural narratives and introduce new ones that also naturalize non-whites and non-males as physicists
In an upward spiral, more female researchers dedicate their work to gender-issues in physics education, contributing to an even better understanding of the issue
Findings from research don’t always succeed in having an impact on practice…
The connection between education policy, teaching practice and research is reinforced and one informs the other
As a society we advance our understanding of all genders to a point where a learner’s gender – binary or non-binary – makes no difference at all anymore
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Fictional example:
Maya, high school teacher in the US
Physics Education In 10 Years
Expectations for teachers increase but training and working conditions don’t improve
Inclusivity in the physics classroom becomes a standard part of physics teacher training
Lack of skilled and motivated teachers
Textbooks and resources are revised to be more inclusive in their contents and contexts
A sudden need for physicists sparks a new focus on physics in education so that smaller classes, better training and more recognition for teachers become the new reality;
Sort of like the launch of Sputnik in 1957 during the Cold War suddenly pushed Constructivism as a learning theory and put a new spotlight on science education in the US
Through the rapid advancement of technology, …
…an understanding of quantum mechanics becomes a fundamental and mandatory part of education
… physics becomes so complex in its applications in daily life that learners at early stages feel discouraged. The cultural narrative of “only geniuses do physics” is reinforced
Resources are generated or adapted by AI, catered to individual learners and contexts relevant to them
AI generated curricula and contexts reproduce existing stereotypes
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Fictional example:
Eva, PhD candidate and TA
university entry: exam results of standardized tests are no longer required for application
Parity in physics degrees awarded to men and women in our university
Female physicists become more and more natural in public perception of the subject
Another global pandemic hits and puts our ways of learning and teaching upside down again.
Instead of large classes with high infection risks, the new education model is a 1-to-1 matching of a learner with an individual mentor or instructor. Hierarchies are flat. Higher students act as instructors to younger ones while being mentored themselves – a chain of peer learning evolves.
The role of the teacher shifts: co-learner instead of instructor
Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years
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Physics Education In 10 Years