Paul Robinson
Workshop Leader
San Mateo High School (Retired)

Paul taught high school physics from 1974 to 2011. He is a long-time member of and contributor to NCNAAPT and is currently Program Chair, Historian, and Section Representative. He is the author of the Conceptual Physics lab manuals and the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 1987.

Dan Burns
Workshop Leader
Los Gatos High School

Dan has been teaching high school physics since 1992. He has been a member, officer, and contributor with NCNAAPT. He works with the SETI Institute, USGS, AAPT, SJSU, and serves as the Faculty Scholar at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Stephanie Finander
Outreach Coordinator
Woodside High School

Stephanie has taught high school physics since 1990. She is a long-time member of and contributor to NCNAAPT. She is a principal founder and organizer of the PTSOS New Teacher Workshop, and moderates the PTSOS discussion group.

The next AAPT meeting will be in Portland Oregon, July 13-17, 2013

PTSOS is brought to you by The Northern California and Nevada Section of The American Association of Physics Teachers and made possible by a grant from
The Karl L. Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Get the latest announcements and updates on PTSOS! For more information email Stephanie Finander: sfinander@sbcglobal.net.

Photos of Past Workshops
PTSOS Workshop 1/31/09
PTSOS Workshop 1/22/11

Fifty Percent of New Teachers Leave Teaching Within Five Years...

       The call to recruit new teachers is heard across the nation. Efforts to retain new teachers are sporadic or non-existent. It's tough enough being a new teacher. Being a new physics teacher involves a special set of challenges.

• You have very little laboratory apparatus
• Some of what you do have is a complete mystery
• You're confused about content standards and statewide assessments
• Your physics enrollment is low
• Worst of all, there's no one you can ask for physics teaching guidance

That's Where Physics Teacher SOS Comes In!

       Physics Teacher SOS (PTSOS) offers workshops, mentors, and online support for new and newly assigned physics teachers in Northern California. There is no cost to individual teachers or their schools for these services. Any teacher newly assigned to teach physics within the last five years is encouraged to participate.

PTSOS Workshops

       Workshop leaders guide new teachers through a variety of activities and discussion topics, including:

• effective demonstrations (and how to demonstrate them)
• how to deal with paperwork
• minimizing lecture
• lab group management
• funding and how to be prepared for it
• how to increase physics enrollment
• content standards and statewide assessments
• managing apparatus
• integrating technology into curriculum
• effective presentation (PowerPoint) techniques
• topics brought up by the new teachers in attendance

***Attendees are given a variety of support materials at the workshops (lots of free goodies!).***

PTSOS Mentors

       New teachers are paired with experienced, local physics teacher mentors. The mentors are there to provide one-on-one guidance where needed and to answer questions that come up throughout the school year.

PTSOS Online Community

       Physics Teacher SOS maintains an online discussion group. Workshop leaders and mentors monitor the messages and add to the ongoing discussion of topics as they arise. To join the group, go to our PTSOS Yahoo Groups signup page or email our Outreach Coordinator, Stephanie Finander, at sfinander@sbcglobal.net

PTSOS Workshop Signups

       To signup for a workshop or for more information, contact our Outreach Coordinator, Stephanie Finander, at sfinander@sbcglobal.net. Space is limited so signup early to reserve your spot!