The Physics department colloquia are usually on Friday afternoons at 3 pm in Room 135. Coffee and cookies are served at 2:45 pm in the same room. Anyone is welcome.

Some Thoughts on Teaching and Learning About Energy from Third Grade to College
Dr. Roger Tobin, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Tufts University
Physics – Room 135

Energy is arguably the single most important concept in physics, but the educational system does a stunningly ineffective job of enabling students to understand it or use it meaningfully. I will discuss some of the reasons why energy is particularly challenging subject and some of the ways current practice exacerbates the problem, and put forward some ideas for a consistent perspective that could help across a wide range of ages, from elementary school to introductory college physics.