Uncovering the Wealth of Physics Examples from Videos on the Internet for Use in Physics Lessons

Abstract

It is well known among educators that carefully planned Physics demonstrations incorporated into lessons can enhance the teaching and learning of Physics. However, there are also everyday life events, such as car crashes and lightning strikes that also aptly demonstrate concepts in Physics but cannot be easily recreated in class. Today, many of these events are captured on video and are easily available on the internet. To facilitate teachers to find what they need, we classify online videos useful for Physics teaching into six broad categories. Some of these videos can be more useful than traditional lecture demonstrations in providing relevant contexts for introducing Physics concepts. We will also discuss some principles for designing class activities to help students make sense of the underlying Physics in the videos.