Advice for the First Year
Physics Teacher:
Question Presentation
The central question of this master's project is the following: "What is the most important advice that
expert teachers would offer to a first year physics teacher?" The following sub-questions were to provoke further inquiry into the central question and to encourage application to different aspects of teaching.
1.What is your advice for the professional development of the first year physics teacher?
2.What professional organizations do you recommend?
3. What are the best resources you would recommend to the first year physics teacher?
4. What do recommend to new teachers to prevent burnout?
5. What’s the most important advice you would give to the first year physics teacher who is a woman?
6. What is the basic structure of a lesson that you find to be most effective?
These questions were intended to facilitate the discussion of the main question as an open-ended style of
interview. Many additional unasked questions were answered as the subjects knew additional
information that they valued and wished to impart. This choice was made, recognizing that the
sub-questions may not accurately reflect the feelings of expert teachers regarding the main question and
the important sub-topics of advice.
Please email comments to
Julie Peterson: sciencejulie@hotmail.com