Physics Department Initiatives in Physics Teacher Education

1. Physics Pedagogy and Learning Assistant Program
In fall 2011, we began offering a physics pedagogy course, co-taught by a member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Psychology. Concurrently, we started a Learning Assitant program in which phyics majors, enrolled in the course, served in Tutorial sessions for the introductory, calculus-based sequence. These are significant increases in opportunities for students interested in pursuing education.

2. Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies program and Related Outreach
Members of the physics department have an active role in the instruction of the University's Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies majors, the curriculum at the University designed for students planning to teach grades K-8 as well as special education.  Scott Paulson has worked independently with Andy Jackson to introduce area high school students to an Atomic Force Microscope.  Along with Professor Paulson, Chris Hughes and Brian Utter have also worked with the Governor's School, introducing those students to the research members of the department perform along with equipment used in this pursuit.  Also, Ioana Niculescu has also recently initiated an outreach program that would allow area high school students in general the opportunity to observe the different venues of the department's research programs.

3. Recent Prior Efforts

AAPT Physics Teaching Resource Agents progam
Initially as a pilot program for rural institutions and then with funding provided by the Toyota USA Foundation, JMU provided week-long summer workshops with follow-up sessions in the fall for dozens of high school physics and middle school physical science teachers across the state of Virginia.