Are you tired of the same old school-wide science fair in your gymnasium? Are you looking for an exciting alternative to the ever-popular egg drop and mousetrap car competitions in your physics class? Are you a fan of cooperative learning and peer coaching? If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, a PHysics PHest could be right for you.

For the past two years, teams of fifth graders and high school junior and senior Physics students at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School at the University of Florida in Gainesville have worked together to explore physical science principles and create a student-constructed exploratorium as part of a spring "PHysics PHest." This annual celebration has promoted positive attitudes toward science, increased cooperation between grade levels, and introduced elementary students to the world of physics through the team-teaching efforts of high-school students. The program incorporates and synthesizes scientific inquiry, hands-on activities, and creative and critical problem solving approaches in a motivating and fun atmosphere.

During the four week program, over 80 high school physics students are paired with more than 100 fifth graders to teach and demonstrate to each other (and the rest of the elementary school) a variety of exciting and mystifying physics phenomena through student-constructed replicas of hands-on museum exhibits. These experiences culminate in the transformation of the school's auditorium into a mini-exploratorium museum with exhibits arranged by physics concept (such as Magnetism or Light ) and a schoolwide presentation of a "PHysics is PHun!" stage show.

As part of the unit objectives, students: 1. work cooperatively as members of a team to produce an end-product; 2. follow a series of directions to assemble a given amount of materials and produce a functional end-product; 3. present and demonstrate the end-product to an audience in a professional manner (voice, actions, attitude) ; 4. explain (written and orally) the physics concepts their end-product demonstrates; 5. develop an appreciation for the satisfaction derived from successfully building a product; 6. develop an awareness of the difficulties and rewards of teaching; and 7. become more aware of the diverse ways people learn.

The idea for the PHysics PHest originated after reading a book published by the Exploratorium Science Museum in San Francisco called The Exploratorium Science Snackbook (1991). This book is filled with easy-to-follow instructions for students to build inexpensive versions of the Exploratorium's famous interactive hands-on exhibits. With the help of the Snackbook, Tik Liem's book Invitations to Scientific Inquiry (1987), and a few of our own physics demonstrations, we identified 27 simple exhibits that high school and elementary school student teams could build, demonstrate, and explain to others (a list of exhibit titles and their corresponding physics principles is included in Table 1).

First, to open the high school students' minds to the rewards of teaching young children about the wonders of science (and to get them ready for the challenge of working with fifth graders), we arranged a joint field trip with one of our third grade classes to a large hands-on science museum in a nearby city. The physics students were paired with the third graders all day, and together they explored the science museum and its exhibits. To further their comprehension and cooperation, each group was responsible for completing a cooperative learning assignment during their visit.

To begin the project, the fifth grade teachers and the high school physics teacher worked together to ensure optimal cooperative groups. Teams consisted of one or two physics students and two to four fifth graders, each with a balance of ability levels, race, gender, and personality types. We also matched the exhibits to teams depending on their interests and special skills. The physics students had a few days of preparation before their initial team meeting with their fifth grade partners. With their exhibit assignments in hand, the physics students were responsible for the preliminary research of their physics principle and for developing a team work schedule and job assignments for their fifth grade team members. During the first team meetings, the high school students were responsible for teaching the fifth graders their assigned physics principles, as well as ways to demonstrate them. This allowed the high school students to clarify what they had previously studied and gave the fifth graders an opportunity to see the relationship between their classroom experiences, their science lab investigations, and the real-world applications of physics.

During the next three weeks the teams worked together to gather the materials, construct, and perfect their exhibits and oral presentations. Teams were responsible for generating a materials list for their project. Most of the materials needed were simple ones and were found between the two elementary classrooms and the high school science stockroom. Students were also asked to bring materials from home, if possible. Only a few specialty items needed to be purchased from the local building supply warehouse (mirror tiles, copper tubing, plastic pipe). Money for materials was supplied the first year by the school's parent organization ($50) and the second year by a local mini-grant ($250). A sample list of materials needed to construct the student exhibits is included in Table 2.

As student teams worked on their projects, the high school physics classroom, as well as the two fifth grade classrooms, became a combination machine shop, science lab, art studio, and performing stage. During the 55-minute daily work periods, teams could be found sawing and hammering, experimenting with their materials, perfecting their demonstrations, or working with a computer graphics program for their display boards.

In the end, the 27 exhibits covered topics including air pressure, magnetism, light, sound, motion, electricity, and thermodynamics. Each team developed its own microcosm of a good science lesson; it began with inquiry of an interesting physical phenomenon, which led to the problem-solving challenge of how to involve their peers in a hands-on activity to explain this phenomenon to others. Each team began hesitantly at first, gradually getting to know each other and their challenge, then growing excited as they became more confident in themselves and their knowledge.

As teachers, we were busy fulfilling many roles: facilitators, referees, safety inspectors, power tool operators, and job foremen. The high school students assumed their roles reluctantly at first, but became caught up in the enthusiasm of the fifth graders; their egos swelled as they realized that they could actually teach the younger students physics! For the elementary students it was a matter of finding enough constructive tasks to channel their energy into and their confidence mushroomed as they became the "science experts" on their exhibits. As their projects began to take shape, the fifth graders rushed around trying to get their classmates to try out their exhibits so they could show them off and explain the "secret." Both the high school and elementary school students on each team were very proud when they finally finished their exhibit and experienced the satisfaction of making physics understandable to their classmates.

To enhance their exhibits, teams were encouraged to design take-away items for their visitors. For the large "Human Kaleidoscope," it was a miniature version of a kaleidoscope made from film canisters and microscope slides; for the "Singing Heat Pipes" it was specially cut straw "oboes." To complete the exhibits, each group had to include a display board listing the project's title, students involved, physics principle demonstrated, and a short written explanation with diagrams.

The students' hard work culminated in the school-wide "PHysics is PHun PHestival." The festival began with a "PHysics is PHun" show in the school's auditorium. During the show, the high school physics teacher and his students presented dramatic physics demonstrations. For the show's grand finale the teacher lay sandwiched between two beds of four inch nails. To add to the excitement (especially of the physics students) they placed a concrete brick on top of the bed of nails on the teacher's chest. Then one of the students (a most trusted one) broke the concrete brick with a swing of a sledge hammer! After the show, the audience (K-4 students, parents, and community members) moved to the gymnasium to tour the "PHysics PHestival Exploratorium." Here, the teams were stationed at their exhibits to act as docents. The high schoolers often found themselves standing in the background as the fifth graders eagerly took the forefront to explain the exhibits to the other elementary students.

The uniqueness of the unit allowed for multiple forms of assessment. Students were awarded a maximum of 20 points for each the following categories: 1. Preparation of Exhibit - exhibit must function as directions specified and show quality of construction; 2. Manner of Presentation - presentation should be made with a clear, enthusiastic voice accompanied by enthusiastic actions and a positive attitude; 3. Knowledge of Exhibit Concepts - verbal and written explanation scored for content, clarity, and accuracy; 4. Ability to Work with Team Members - working relations with group members were observed and noted by the teacher; and 5. Attitude - students each answered the following questions, either in writing or during an interview:

a) How did you feel after building your exhibit?

b) What do you think are the difficulties and rewards of your teaching experience?

c) How did you meet the diverse learning needs of your exhibit's visitors?

This highly successful program allowed us an opportunity to meet the needs of all students involved. It addressed the multiple needs of students by incorporating a variety of teaching and learning techniques. The activities addressed visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learning styles and allowed both concrete and abstract learners to explore many important physics principles. Putting together a musuem exhibit is a very active and exciting experience in which every student has a job to do. The quality of the exhibit is each member of the team's responsibility. This extra responsibility forces students to be their own "quality controllers." Students are also challenged to solve many open-ended, real-world problems that require them to practice their creative and critical thinking skills. This experience also fosters the development of interactive social skills via the teamwork required to build the hands-on exhibits. Finally, although this is a science unit, the activities involve other subjects, including mathematics, language arts, history, and art. This unit allows students to integrate their knowledge across a variety of disciplines and also provides students with opportunities to practice other skills, including measuring, calculating, and word-processing.

This highly successful program has now grown beyond the boundaries of our school. The "PHysics is PHun" show will be performed for the second year in a row at one of the community's Spring Garden Festivals, which averages a 150 person audience per show. The "PHysics PHest" has been disseminated as a successful teaching practice to over 200 teachers at state and local conferences. Perhaps the best measures of the value and success of this program are the responses of participating students (see Table 3.) After participating in a program like this one, students no longer consider physics boring, abstract, or "uncool," instead, they walk away with the realization that physics really is PHun!

Table 1:

Exhibit Topics:

Exhibit Titles:

Air Pressure           Waves     Light         Color         Sound     Magnetism       Motion           Fluids   Electricity   Thermodynamics

Bernoulli Ball Levitator Plunger Pulling "Suction" Cups A Different Kind of Vacuum See if the Glove (in the Jar) Fits Smoke Ring Shooter   Vibrating String Waves Dancing Laser Light & Sound Show   Light Bending Lenses Looking Into Curved Mirrors Optical Illusions & Holograms Ducking into a Kaleidoscope   Whirling Watcher & Color Spinner Polarized Light Mosaic Liquid Rainbows with Bubbles Sky Blue & Sunset Red   Singing Glasses & Screaming Straws Singing Heat Pipes   Floating Magnets Racing On Eddy Currents Strange Attractors   Balancing Stick and Nails Spinning Wheels & Tops Momentum Machine Marble Roller Coasters Rolling Returning Cans   Racing Tornado Bottles   Fun with Dr. Van de Graaff   The Big Chill with LN2

References/Resources

Doherty, P. and Rathjen, D. (Eds.) 1991. Exploratorium Science Snackbook, San Francisco, Ca.: Lawrence Hall of Science.

Liem, T.L. 1987. Invitations to Science Inquiry 2nd Edition, Chino Hills, Ca.: Inquiry Enterprises.

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