Thoughts on Physics

[aaackk]

i believe pi (correctly) endorses NOT taking physics. especially at MHS

[b^3]

Helpful towards atar but not much more. But tbh no vce subject really helps more than just getting into uni.

Wouldn't entirely agree with this, at least for engineering spesh helped a fair bit. Just depends on what you want to do.

On physics, yes in most cases its horribly run (at a lot of schools, not just MHS. I had to learn wrong material for sacs and then the 'proper' material for the exam at one stage... anyway, moving on from that). It's not exactly dry, I know people who fairly enjoyed it, just in a lot of cases the way the content covered isn't the best way it could be done. A few concepts in the motion part of physics helped spesh a little (later on, the kids in our spesh class who didn't do physics were lost when we hit kinematics and dynamics, it just takes a bit of work to catch that back up, not too hard really).

Again, while I don't agree that the subject is run the right way, and at times it felt like parts of the course were a joke, it still wasn't a waste of time for me. It still gave some basics I needed for later on, (heading towards engineering here). Even though the course is that dumbed down compared to what it used to be, it had some positives.....

[Neo]

I hardly believe that your school's VCE Physics teachers (MHS) are as bad as is being suggested. Are the teachers not spoon feeding you as much as you have become accustomed to? I mean spare a thought for the students who have to go out of their way and teach themselves the content of the course because of the total incompetence of their teachers.

 

[pi]

1) We don't get spoonfed, many teachers believe in independent or learning group learning rather than just giving us a whole bunch of notes (which I didn't mind much)
2) Yes they actually are that bad for physics
3) I'm not sure you know what you're talking about

[yuzy]

I hardly believe that your school's VCE Physics teachers (MHS) are as bad as is being suggested. Are the teachers not spoon feeding you as much as you have become accustomed to? I mean spare a thought for the students who have to go out of their way and teach themselves the content of the course because of the total incompetence of their teachers.

I can already see what you're trying to imply but no, stop using our teachers as the reason why we do well, if it actually makes you feel better about yourself then whatever.

Our physics teachers are legitimately bad, there's only one good teacher (initials S.D) out of 5-6 teachers for VCE 3/4 physics.

I've had the misfortune of having one of these teachers for a sub in physics - think an old man with a monotone voice, reciting words out of books (some words which seem like jargon) and about 1/3 of the class falling asleep (not an exaggeration)

[Robert123]

In my opinion, if you are going to do physic make sure you do plenty of research on the teacher you will be having. If the teacher is motivating and actually know what they are talking about then yes it could be a good subject, if not make sure there is no potential weapons lying around otherwise things could turn out nasty.
I'm currently regretting taking physics (doing all 4 units in the same year), our teacher spends 30 seconds explaining the concepts then we spend the rest of the class using trial and error with the textbook questions until they agree with the back of the book. For my 3&4 class, over half the class failed the first SAC and half of those students are doing methods so they aren't complete idiots.

[Neo]

1) We don't get spoonfed, many teachers believe in independent or learning group learning rather than just giving us a whole bunch of notes (which I didn't mind much)
2) Yes they actually are that bad for physics
3) I'm not sure you know what you're talking about

Disregard my unnecessary dig, I wasn't being serious. However, I honestly did think that a school with the academic standard of MHS would ensure that standard is reflected through the teaching, in all departments. Everyone will have differing judgments on the quality of their teachers' performance. Different measures of what is thought to be 'bad' make it hard to compare.

In any case, I had a methods teacher who not only had no knowledge of the course content, but would also write up the title of one our textbook's exercises on the whiteboard, take a seat, and proceed to do zero teaching, occupying himself with his laptop. Not even joking. This is what I considered to be bad. 

If you don't mind me asking, what in particular has lead you to your judgement of your school's physics teachers?

[Professor Polonsky]

I'm not going to take MHS people complaining seriously. Just like I don't take people at my school's bitching seriously.

[pi]

If you don't mind me asking, what in particular has lead you to your judgement of your school's physics teachers?

When they genuinely don't know what they're talking about (I'm speaking for the ones I had only of course) and tell you how to do things wrong and then not even finish the course by the exam.

I'd rather have no teacher than learning things wrong.

[Robert123]

An example of poor teaching from today (not from mhs),
Just started diodes, the first question was what will be the current in a simple circuit of a diode and a resistor in series. Just ask her whether you are meant to take away the switch on voltage of the diode from the voltage supply then do ohms law to find current?  Her response was basically to quickly check my textbook then told me to try both ways and whichever agree with the back of the book, that's right.

[yuzy]

Disregard my unnecessary dig, I wasn't being serious. However, I honestly did think that a school with the academic standard of MHS would ensure that standard is reflected through the teaching, in all departments. Everyone will have differing judgments on the quality of their teachers' performance. Different measures of what is thought to be 'bad' make it hard to compare.

In any case, I had a methods teacher who not only had no knowledge of the course content, but would also write up the title of one our textbook's exercises on the whiteboard, take a seat, and proceed to do zero teaching, occupying himself with his laptop. Not even joking. This is what I considered to be bad. 

If you don't mind me asking, what in particular has lead you to your judgement of your school's physics teachers?

Ask any student at MHS about the physics teachers:
"Huysing" or "Keyte"

[aaackk]

i have personally had the great misfortune of being taught 3/4 physics by a particular teacher from MHS (P.K), and it was an experience that can only be described as excruciating.

When they genuinely don't know what they're talking about (I'm speaking for the ones I had only of course) and tell you how to do things wrong and then not even finish the course by the exam.

I'd rather have no teacher than learning things wrong.

^ this is 100% true.

Also for those that dont believe the MHS physics department is bad, the mean SS for physics at MHS is ~34 or something relatively unimpressive for a selective school. source: MHS Annual Report
The only reason i stuck with physics was that i thought "it cant really be that terrible if its at MHS". i was very wrong.