Sep 14, 2022
Math and Physics are two of science’s fundamental and most exciting branches. For centuries, scientists have used Math and Physics to answer some of the world’s most fascinating questions and help us understand the universe that we live in. But no matter how important it is in our daily lives, most students now shy away from these subjects and is disinterested in them. For this week’s Outer Travel, Inner Journey, we will talk with Ulli and Daria, two teachers of Math and Physics, as we dig deeper into the cause of students’ fear in these subjects and find ways to bring a positive light to it.
For Ulli and Daria, the low interest and fear of taking up Math and Physics stem from how it is taught in today’s educational system. These subjects are taught by teachers and educators that are not experts on the topics, making it hard to translate concepts into simple explanations. Since Physics and Math are complicated and complex, making them as basic as possible is crucial to allow students to grasp the concepts. It does not also help that the system is forcing teachers to take a shortcut in teaching these subjects with the view that not all are good at them; therefore, students won’t need it. This is a struggle that Daria deals with because she believes that students must understand the whole process to connect with the subject and apply it in the real world.
Both agreed that to capture the interest of their students and increase their appreciation of Math and Physics, teachers like them should engage their students based on their interests and relate them in a way that students can easily understand the concepts. For parents, it is also vital to continue being curious and open to learning themselves. This way, they can be students and models themselves for their children too.
Join us to learn more about being better teachers and students in learning about ourselves and the universe in this week’s episode!
Links mention in the podcast
Pocket Quotes
- “Physics and Math are some of the most fundamental sciences that we have to understand the world. It explains the universe or tried to explain the universe, and how it works. But there's a contrast that it has very low interest in school.” - Ulli Helmstetter
- “It's the fear, that they always, or so many of them, fail in Math or Physics. And this failure is maybe the biggest reason why also the joy is gone.” - Ulli Helmstetter
- “The simpler an explanation is required, the more of an expert you need to introduce it.” - Daria
- “Slowing down and always taking a look at the ability to estimate an answer and to take as many steps as are required in order to see the logical progression of the question as opposed to taking a shortcut.” - Daria
- “The fun is in the understanding, and not so much in the use of the stuff.” - Ulli Helmstetter
- “Know who you are, what is your key interest, and come back to what is your key interest in learning. We can inspire ourselves, and we can be inspirational to others. as teachers or as parents who find inspiration for their kids.” - Alexandra Kreis