UT-Arlington researchers aim to help teachers bring quantum physics into the classroom – The Dallas Morning News

High school students dont typically have the chance to learn about quantum physics unless they take advanced courses in college.

Thats a shame, because the concepts from quantum physics underlie most of our emerging technologies, and they are key to advances including more securely encrypting data and engineering sleeker cellphones.

Karen Jo Matsler wants to change that. She is a master teacher in the University of Texas at Arlingtons STEM secondary teacher preparation program called UTeach. Now, she is leading a national initiative to help high school teachers bring quantum physics into their classrooms.

Matsler and others will train teachers with a series of nationwide workshops scheduled to start next month.

She and project co-investigator Ramn Lpez, a UT-Arlington distinguished professor of physics and co-director of UTeach Arlington, received a $998,448 grant from the National Science Foundation in March to support this three-year initiative. They will work with more than 20 experts in physics and education to explain core topics in quantum physics the science of how atoms and subatomic particles interact with each other.

This summers workshops will be held virtually July 20-23. Next years in-person workshops will include gatherings in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, as well as at the University of Pittsburgh and Brigham Young University in Utah, which are partner institutions for the project. More than 80 teachers have already signed up for these sessions, and limited registration is still open for participants who live near the host sites.

The Quantum for All initiative represents almost 10 years of Matslers efforts to help teachers recognize the important practical applications of quantum-based concepts. She and others argue that these concepts are critical to the future of the countrys data security infrastructure.

Just the word quantum seems to be kind of scary to people, Matsler said. We have to find inroads, using what [teachers] already know and developing [lessons] from there, and thats a really challenging task.

Most high school teachers do not have a strong background in physics or familiarity with quantum physics. So the workshops are all about helping teachers work through the gaps in their knowledge. Kelvin Kibler, a Houston-area physics teacher, said students pick up on that discomfort.

As teachers we dont have to necessarily be experts, but we can facilitate, he said.

As part of the Quantum for All workshops, the teachers will learn about quantum physics and provide lessons to high school students at STEM camps. Theyll practice teaching the new material before taking these concepts back to their classrooms.

The teachers will reach out to one another and share feedback about their experiences on what did and did not work well in the classroom. Kibler, who will be one of the instructional leaders for the program, said he hopes this will keep teachers feeling engaged and supported throughout the process.

The instructional leaders will make sure that any of the practical demonstrations could be done regardless of any budget constraints.

For teachers like Kenric Davies, an AP physics and astronomy teacher at Liberty High School in Frisco ISD, the move toward quantum physics will help his students make more connections between physics and their daily lives.

Most high school students learn about classical mechanics how objects move and the forces that influence that motion. But with these changes to the curriculum, students will learn about concepts relevant to current research. This can influence what they might decide to study when they get to college.

Kibler, the Houston physics teacher, also said that being able to incorporate quantum physics into his lessons will help tie together concepts among physics, biology, chemistry and math.

Cody Fults, the lead AP physics instructor at Ennis High School, said he is looking forward to being able to show his students a different way to practically apply math. He emphasizes to his students that math is a language to describe the relationships between objects.

By learning quantum physics, students will be better prepared for the future, even if they dont pursue physics or engineering. Im always looking for better connections for my students, said Davies, who is also a member of the instructional leadership team. I want to see what are some other applications that maybe Im missing? Where are other places that we can reel in the students?

Matsler and Lpez will evaluate the workshops, and theyd like to track how much of the material makes it into classes in years to come.

Theres nothing more satisfying than working with teachers, and then knowing that theyre going to go back and make a difference for their kids, Lpez said.

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UT-Arlington researchers aim to help teachers bring quantum physics into the classroom - The Dallas Morning News