After several years of decline, the number of physics BA degrees awarded
by colleges and universities has leveled off (see Physics Today, March
2000, page 68), and high-school enrollments are increasing somewhat. However,
we can improve on these Figures. My experience as a physics teacher suggests
that it is the high-school course that generates the college and university
enrollments in physics. In many US high schools, only the upper 20% or
so of the student population takes physics. The rest are often excluded
by either the unnecessary rigor of a course that emphasizes theory and
questioning rather than tools and problem solving, or by poor performance
on standardized tests. This exclusion leads directly to lower physics
enrollments in higher education.
In some school districts--for example, New York City and Chicago--physics
and chemistry are required high-school courses. Student populations in
these urban schools are often considered to be at risk. However, I have
taught in urban schools with mostly African American and Hispanic students,
and my experience is that minority and other at-risk students can do well
in a basic physics course with the standard mathematical components. Students
need drills and practices so that, with individual help from the teacher,
they can use a formula and solve for a variable, use scientific notation,
take and analyze data, and understand how to do simple modeling.
In the past, high-school physics texts were badly written, often emphasizing
"thinking," while lacking problem-solving examples and the drills that
might have helped inexperienced students. Almost any student can solve
even a difficult and advanced physics problem if an example is given or
if the teacher provides individual help. Making students struggle with
a problem without first giving them the basic tools to solve it discourages
many who are capable and interested.
By making the high-school course more user-friendly and more applicable
without sacrificing quality of content, we will generate more students
taking physics at all levels of instruction. Motivated students will then
encourage their friends to take physics. More teaching positions will
result and fewer physicists will be lost to other professions.
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