NEW APPROACHES: A creative approach to physics teaching

Science projects and physics projects have a variety of meanings to students. Many students view this opportunity as an exciting alternative to the 'normal' test or assessment while a few prefer the traditional test. Physics projects take on many modes of presentation so that students may be creative and exhibit their knowledge in formats that will best show their work. This article relates some of the ideas that I have used for motivating students to create an informative and interesting physics project while becoming actively involved in learning the associated physics concepts. The use of projects and an alternative approach allows students to learn about physics in a manner that is meaningful to them. By explaining the project to their peers or other students, some students can gain a deeper understanding of scientific concepts than from the traditional methods. In addition to making physics classes more student-centred, it is hoped that the use of physics projects can interest non-science students in the study of physics.