Attracting More Students to Physics

1. Where will the next Generation of Scientists and Engineers come from? Attracting More Students to Physics Dr Mark Butler Dr Mark Butler Gosford High School

2. Australian Statistics 2001-2004 • 4420 less students enrolled in year 12 Mathematics. • National year 12 Physics enrolments hovered at about 12%. • 280 fewer civil engineers enrolled (7% decline). • Science enrolments have increased by 5%, but 23% more Law graduates and 16% more Sales and Marketing graduates. • Proportion of students enrolled in Science degrees as a fraction of total university enrolments has dropped 7%, • For many branches of engineering, Australia now imports more engineers that it produces.

3. What is happening to enrolments in senior high school Physics?

11. Why do we Need More Students to Study Physics? • We are not producing enough scientists and engineers. • Our future economic prosperity will depend on a technologically literate workforce. • Our Citizens need to be technologically literate to take an active part in today’s society. • Scientific and technological progress requires a constant supply of new creative talent to ‘push the envelope’. • Physics is a key part of our culture and history. • And, because the physical universe is so amazing.

12. How do we go about attracting more students to senior physics and to careers in Science, Engineering and Technology?

13. What are we Teaching in Senior High School Physics? Are our syllabuses working?

14. The Curriculum Dilemma • Can one curriculum: • Provide the fundamental Physics knowledge required for students who will not pursue Science after leaving school? • And simultaneously • Engage our brightest students and prepare them for careers in Science

15. Physics Syllabuses in Australia • Queensland: • Updated their 1987 Syllabus in 2005: • 155 hours to cover nine core units • 65 hours of extension material to be designed by each school. • 10% of time on practical work

16. Victoria (VCE) • The new 2005 VCE Physics Syllabus has four (one semester) units of study each with two compulsory areas of study and a third area selected from three option topics. • UNIT 2: 1) Movement 2) Electricity 3) Astrophysics, Aerospace or Alternative Energy Sources

17. ACT • Schools in the ACT design their own individual Physics courses. • South Australia (updated 2006) • Schools design their own courses in stage one (year eleven) from nine topics. • In Stage two the course content is mandated and includes: Motion in Two Dimensions , Electricity and Magnetism, Lightand Matter, and Atoms and Nuclei.

18. Western Australia • Previously had two courses but replaced both with a single course in 2006. • The Physics course of study focuses on student achievement of four outcomes: Investigating, Communicating scientifically, Science in daily life, Acting responsibly, Science in society and Energy and change. • Strongly outcomes based.

19. Curriculum Framework Progress Maps Course Scale of Achievement WA Levels of achievement refer to outcomes.

20. PHYSICS DUMBED DOWN IN WA Australian 26/4/06 …. “In your answer discuss why only modern cars have airbags, describe in detail how the air bag protects the driver from injury and, examine the ethics of making air bags compulsory in all vehicles.” ….Even a ten year old with no training in physics could write an essay and answer this sample question. Prof Roy Gilbert (Education) Edith Cowan University

21. NSW • Does our syllabus reflect ‘best practice’? • How is the NSW Physics Syllabus working? • Does it satisfy the demands of all students? • How does it compare with other States?

22. THE NATIONAL AGENDA • The Australian Certificate of Education. • National Curriculum? • National Consistency and comparability. (The current ACER study)

23. All syllabuses have been reviewed and updated recently. It is unlikely that further syllabus changes will attract significantly more students to the enabling sciences.

24. Talented, well qualified teachers are a key element in engaging and exciting students about science. But will the shortage of specialist teachers put Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry into a ‘Spiral of Decline’?

25. Mean = 46 years

27. Mean = 44 years

28. Who’s Teaching Science?The Deans of Science Survey • 24% of Junior Science teachers have studied first year university Physics. • 16% had not studied any of the four key science disciplines. • 43% of Senior Physics teachers lack a physics major and 25% have not studied Physics beyond first year. • 40% of schools surveyed reported difficulties recruiting Physics teachers.

29. Other Recent Studies • UK 2004: “In the UK over 50% of scientists and engineers surveyed said that they had been influenced in their careers by a visit to a scientist or engineer's place of work and nearly 80% of respondents had been influenced by a teacher.” http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=2785 • Aust. 2005: “Physics graduates in Aust. are in such demand for research that there are few left to take up the challenges of physics in industry and teaching.” www.physics.usyd.edu.au/super/AUTC • Vic 2002: The subject areas with the lowest number of expected graduate teachers per vacancy are: LOTE, Physics, Maths, Technology and Computer science.http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_par/agp7304.html

30. OECD Conference Nov 2005: In some countries, the number of graduates in mathematics, physics and chemistry has declined by 30-50% over the last 8-10 years and there is a shortage of S & T teachers in most countries.http://www.caos.nl/ocw/programme.html • US 2005: “The shortage of physics teachers in Illinois is chronic and growing worse.”http://www.phy.ilstu.edu/pipeline/Executive_Summary_10.doc • UK 2005: “An independent report published today directly links the steep decline in the number of students taking A-level physics to the shortage of expert physics teachers. With over 30% of physics teachers due to retire in the next ten years, the need to recruit more physics teachers is now more important than ever before.”www.physorg.com/news8362.html

31. Macquarie University’s Science Engineering and Technology (SET) Study • 92% of HSC Physics students trust their Physics teacher for information on Science careers. ( c.f. 36% for Careers Advisors). • A good experience in HS Science is the main reason students follow onto SET careers (HS Science teachers and extra-curricular experiences). • HS students have poor understanding of SET careers.

32. National Recommendations: • Provide more science training for primary teachers. • Remove the HECS anomaly for science teachers. • Provide scholarships for Physics graduates to complete teacher training. • Ensure salary scales recognise qualifications (in addition to experience). • Create alternate career paths for talented teachers. • Instigate industry/university placements for teachers. See: DEST Australia’s Teachers: Australia’s Future or AIP Education Policy

33. But what can be done at the ‘Chalkface’? At Gosford High School we went back to basics and asked.....

34. Why Students Choose to Study the Enabling Sciences (& why they don’t) • Personal Reasons • Social Reasons • Extra-curricular reasons

35. Personal Reasons and Responses • Interest (Programs, SEG, extra-curricular) • Ability (Build self confidence) • Enjoyment/fun (Programs, SEG, extra-curricular) • Previous success ( Ensure students reach goals) • Prerequisite (Explicit knowledge required) • Keeping options open (Students need to know) • Knowledge of what subject entails (Yr 10 program) • Knowledge of career prospects (Teacher, visitors) • Gender(Roll models, teachers, guest speakers, past students)

36. Social Reasons and Responses • Socio-economic background • ‘Science friendly’ home (Try to influence this) • Friends (Advice, study buddies) • Family (Involve them) • Other students (Advice day)

37. Extra-curricular Reasons and Responses • TV, books, movies (Encourage) • Science role models (Attend talks, use visiting scientists, talk about careers and scientists) • Excursions/workshops (Facilitate) • Competitions (Science Fair, Olympiad, etc.) • Work Experience (Facilitate) • Research projects (Program and encourage) • Timetable restraints (Remove if possible)

38. How Science has Changed at Gosford High School • From 1998 to 2003 the participation rate in senior Physics and Chemistry increased by 80% and 50% respectively. • The higher enrolments (approx. 100 Phys and 100 Chem in yr11) have been maintained from 2003 to 2006. • Most students now pursue Science and Science related careers.

39. 2006 Yr 11 GHS Survey Results • What influenced your decision to study Physics in year 11? • 92% were influenced by the yr.10 Physics Unit. Most Important Influence? • 43% Yr. 10 Physics Unit. • 37% Possible future career. • 10% To keep options open. • 10% Other (e.g. Friends, ability, etc. )

40. Key Elements • Head Teachers: Must ensure Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry have a high profile in the school. • Teachers: Expert knowledge, enthusiastic, caring, teach in their specialist area, discuss Science careers regularly (use scientists/engineers as guest speakers). • Science courses: Enjoyable, fun, challenging, student centred, differentiate Physics, Chemistry and Biology in yr 10. • Extra-curricular: All students encouraged to engage in a wide range of activities and supported to do so.

41. Rutherford Joule Galileo Einstein Thomson Bohr Meitner Michelson Pauli Friedmann Curie Hertz Schrodinger Braggs Feynmann Oppenheimer Maxwell Hubble Kepler Dirac Boltzmann Becqueral Roentgen Bell Gell-Mann Leavitt Hawking Faraday Fermi Newton Heisenberg de Broglie Planck Chadwick