Supporting Physics New Service Provision for Teachers

The Second Level Support Service (SLSS) extend its gratitude to all of you that supported the work of the service throughout the years since its establishment in 2001. A new cross - sectoral service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers  (PDST) was established in September 2010. The PDST subsumed much of the work of the SLSS.

The PDST is happy to inform you that the resources, materials and functionalities of this website will continue to be available to you in the future. 
The local evening support courses,  will be facilitated by local facilitators, to support local identified needs and be organised in partnership with Education Centres. 
Local Facilitators will be teachers who respond to an open invitation to contribute to CPD in their subject or programme areas or other areas where they have expertise and willingness to contribute. If you wish to become a Local Facilitator in Physics please email timregan@slss.ie 

A consultation service by fax, phone or email is available. Further support is offered through the online magazine ‘Physical Sciences’.

Science Subjects Review May 2011

Syllabuses for Biology, Chemistry and Physics have been reviewed and are available for consultation on the NCCA website at 

www.ncca.ie/en/Consultations/Senior_cycle_science/Senior_cycle_science_consultation.html 

 
Thank you for completing our PDST Physics Support Teacher Survey in April 2011. To access a summary report click here

 PDST Physics Survey 2012 please click here

Induction Course for Physics Teachers

This course is for teachers of physics who are new to the profession or who wish to do a refresher course.  Day 1 will look at the structure and content of the syllabus and teacher guidelines. It will also focus on good classroom teaching and learning practices as well as giving participants a hands-on experience to master the skills required in carrying out experiments. A network will be set up where the participants communicate with each other electronically to support issues that may arise.

 Using Video to enhance Physics Teaching and Learning Spring 2012

To Register; complete this  form and return by email or fax to   sciences@pdst.ie or  fax to 061-585065

Vernier Datalogging click here for flyer

These workshops are follow-up sessions for those who attended the Autumn 2011 course as well as other interested teachers who wish to participate.

Participants will be guided through the Logger Pro software and how it can be used to enhance investigative science at JC level.

Any issues involving the use of LabQuests or TI Calculators will be addressed.

The main feature of the night will be examining the uses of LoggerPro, the Vernier software program.  See   http://www.vernier.com/products/software/lp/ 

·         Creating graphs and charts in LoggerPro

·         Transferring data from loggers to LoggerPro

·         Analysis of  graphs

·         Inserting text, photos, etc. into LoggerPro

·         Adding pages to a LoggerPro report

We invite all participants to bring along their laptop for installation of the most up to date version of the software for use on the night.

Time of all workshops 7.00 – 9.00 pm.

To Register email your name, mobile number and school details to Brid Finn at sciences@pdst.ie  or fax a completed application form to 061 585065

 For details of other courses visit; http://physics.slss.ie

Teachers of Physics Autumn Workshops Dublin

The IOP and PDST Sciences and Applied Maths are collaborating to support teachers of Physics through workshops arranged for Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin 6

What Happens Next?   Wed 28^th September 2011   Venue: Gonzaga College, Time; 7pm

This new workshops presents a series of easily demonstrated experiments, all with slightly unusual outcomes, each one presenting opportunities for discussion. These experiments are sometimes referred to as discrepant events: with some scientifically unexpected results. One approach is to arrange the participants in small groups to compete with each other to predict the correct outcome and give the correct explanation for the situation. Groups are challenged to reach a consensus as to what might happen, having been given a series of happens next’ each week. The strategy could also be used for a revision session

"Make-and-Take" Workshop   Wed 5^th October 2011    Venue: Gonzaga College, Time; 7pm

Come along and join Rory Geoghegan and others, to learn how to make a variety of physics instruments for use in the classroom.

All the necessary materials will be supplied

Science-on-Stage   Wed 12^th October 2011     Venue: Gonzaga College, Time; 7pm

  To Register for any one or all of the workshops email your name, number and school details to Brid Finn at sciences@pdst.ie  or fax a completed application form to 061 585065

 * Rocket Launchers – Make and Take* 
10 am Saturday October 22^nd 2011 Galway Education Centre, Cluain Mhuire, Wellpark, Galway

 Other Local Evening Courses will be organised as the needs emerge and the updates programme for courses will be available on http://pdst.ie

Click here to download an application form
 

To Register email your name, number and school details to Brid Finn at sciences@pdst.ie  or fax completed application form to 061 585065

A teacher's reference handbook Physics

This handbook, produced as part of the Department of Education and Science’s Equality of Opportunity Programme, is available under General resources on the Resources link on the left hand side of this page.  It is hoped that the material contained in this resource will assist teachers in presenting physics in a manner which will give due cognisance to gender differences in relation to interests and attitudes. It is also hoped that the material will help teachers in their continuing quest to develop new approaches to their teaching which will make physics more interesting and exciting for all their students.

Issue 14  September 2010, of the Physical Sciences magazine is now available by clicking on the image

Online Safety Courses

 Safety and Health in the Science Laboratory for Teachers

This free course will help teachers of the Science subjects improve their knowledge and understanding of safety, health and welfare, particularly within the science laboratory.

Get Safe - Work Safe: Workplace Safety and Health for Senior Cycle Students

This short free course will develop your knowledge of workplace safety, health and welfare. We are all responsible for safety and health at some level and the more we understand it the better prepared we are to prevent accidents and ill-health at work.

It is aimed at senior cycle secondary school students who are engaged in work experience or holiday work, and as future members of the workforce. It is provided by the Health and Safety Authority in Ireland.

Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) of Substances and Mixtures

under EU CLP Regulation. For further information, visit The Health and Safety Authority’s website www.hsa.ie or contact the CLP Helpdesk at e-mail clp@hsa.ie or telephone 1890 289 389

New booklet of Formulae and Tables for use in the State Examinations

New updated Mathematics Tables titled Formulae and Tables booklet has been published. The booklet is bilingual and is available from Government Publications sale office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2(Tel. 01 6476834), or through any bookseller, ISBN 9781406422832.
A draft document is available at http://www.lec.ie/Formulae_and_Tables_April08.pdf
It will be used in the 2010 examinations and subsequent years, and the older Mathematics Tables booklet will no longer be provided. This change to the examination papers will be implemented in 2011 and subsequent years. This means that, in 2010 only, candidates will have access to the information concerned in both the new Formulae and Tables booklet and on the examination paper.
In 2011 and subsequent years, any information that is available in the Formulae and Tables booklet will not be reproduced on the examination papers (for example, equations of motion, data available in the periodic table).
For more information visit http://www.examinations.ie/secmain/S_56_09_New_Booklet_of_Formulae_and_Tables_for_use_in_State_Examinations_Commission_2010.pdf

Physics Video Project

Physics teachers Noel Cunningham, The King's Hospital, and Thomas Healy, Cabinteely Community School, have produced about 100 physics classroom video clips of duration 2-7mins which they are willing to share- Thanks.   These clips and some others were  included in a DVD for teachers willing to investigate their impact on the learning of physics.  Interested colleagues were forwarded the DVD and  invited to try a few relevant clips in class over a 4-5 week period.  The feedback will be compiled and uploaded onto this site.

Have you registered?

If you are a physics teacher teaching in the Republic of Ireland, please Register your details so that you may be informed of upcoming courses.