Physics

Course Length: Full academic year (30 weeks)

This Year's Schedule: TBD

Overview of Dreaming Spires Science Courses

All our science courses use a unique approach to scientific study -- instead of boring, dry textbooks, students are drawn into the subject through reading modern, award-winning books like The Hidden Life of Trees for Biology, or Elements of Murder for the forensics unit in Chemistry.

Inspired by Paul G. Hewitt, I want to share conceptual ideas of physics with your students. Like me, Mr. Hewitt wants to engage a student’s personal experiences and show how physics concepts are all around us and can be easy to understand. Physics concepts are accessible when everyday life is used as an example. Dreaming Spires Physics will use concepts and teaching strategies inspired by Mr. Hewitt combined with physics concepts addressed in the UK’s IGCSE exams and US AP Physics exams. Some of the books we will be reading next year include Storm in a Teacup by Helen Czerski and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Aims of the Physics Course

Many students seek three or four solid science courses but may struggle to find the right fit, especially those who think more visually and spatially than those who are good with numbers.

The science tutor at Dreaming Spires, Ms. Jones, understands this, having battled through dyscalculia with several of her children. In researching approaches, physicist and physics instructor Paul Hewitt inspired her. So she began teaching physics in an accessible way with living books and a lot of support for those who aren't particularly math-y.

Students will explore the world of Physics from small to large while reading living books to gain insight and perspective. The living book selection explores both the discoveries of the past and the possibilities of the future from books such as those mentioned above and Physics of the Impossible by Kaku.

Concepts to be explored include:

Motion, Forces, and Energy
Thermal physics
Waves
Electricity and Magnetism
Physics in Space

How It Works

Students will attend the weekly one-hour, live, online webinar, where their comments and contributions are generally made via chatbox and typing. At the same time, the tutor uses the mic to present information that expands, deepens, or broadens what was read during the week for homework. We will occasionally use webcams and microphones, but this is only optional.

For the rest of the week, students will work in their own time, reading, responding, applying what they've learned in class and submitting homework. While the work is never ‘hard,’ it is challenging to engage one's brain in all the ways we stretch our students, unlike most textbook approaches that lack retention techniques.

How It Supports Your Child's Education

For US students, the course can be taken as one honors-level high school credit for a transcript, accredited by WASC.

For UK students, the course is taught in support of the UK IGCSE Physics exam.

Who Teaches Physics?

Kimberly Jones holds a BSN from the University of Texas at Austin and an MEd in Secondary Education from Texas State University. She is currently working on a second master’s degree in Educational Technology with plans to complete her doctorate once her youngest graduates. Kimberly served in the military as a medic and behavioral health specialist before taking posts in pediatric and post-partum nursing. Since 2001, she has been teaching science in homeschool co-ops while homeschooling her own children -- one of whom attended university, another of whom served in the military, and two more of whom are still at home.
See all courses taught by Kim