The Energy Lens: Some Thoughts on Teaching and Learning About Energy from Third Grade to College

Roger Tobin, Professor and Chair, Department 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 a 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.