Course Aims and Outcomes

Here is a little about how I think about A-level physics teaching, and my ideas on putting together the physics course at A-level.

Aims

The main aims of the course are outlined below.

  1. To provide a course of elementary instruction in physics which will develop students existing knowledge, understanding and problem-solving techniques.
  2. To give students a firm foundation for further study in physics (for example, those courses offered at the universities).
  3. To prepare students for A-level examinations.

The course is presented thoughout as though the students are going to go on to become physicists. This is not the case of course, but I think is a good way to think about courses at A-level.

For this reason, the specification from AQA is seen as "mimimal for teaching, maximal for examining". Whilst all of the material on the specification will be covered, there will be no hesitation about teaching any additional material which adds interest and generates understanding.

However, any non-examinable material will only be included in the compulsory parts of the course if it is directly relevant, not for its own sake alone. In this regard, I am mindful of Victor Weisskopf, who said it is better not to cover lots of material, but to uncover a little.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students should:

  1. have a knowledge and understanding of a range of elementary physics topics (these are closely defined by the AQA specification),
  2. be able to solve physical problems based on the course material.

Teaching and learning methods

These include "theory" lessons, practical lessons, homework problems, office hours, and occasional revision examples classes.

Assessment

Assessment for this course is through:

For further details of assessment, see here.

Courses of Preparation