Finding Community as a Physics Educator

Physics Community Resources

Physics teachers are often few and far between so it can be hard to find a community. As a new teacher, I was fortunate to stumble upon a few local physics teacher communities to join, each connection led to more than materials, resources and lessons for my students. Each community I joined helped me to grow as an educator, building my confidence and offering me more strategies to apply in the classroom. Some opportunities and communities transcend geography while others are more locally focused. I encourage everyone to get connected to a physics teacher community wherever and whenever they can, they will benefit from having you as a member as much as you will benefit from joining!

Exploratorium Teacher Institute

Many museums offer programs for K-12 teachers in their area, either with discounts for admission, field trips for your students, online educator resources or even in-person educator professional development. Going to a science museum as a science teacher is like being a kid in a candy store, I get just as excited hopping from exhibit to exhibit as my students. When I joined the Exploratorium Teacher Institute as an early career teacher, they offered specific strategies for teaching not just science but specifically physics. In my teacher accreditation program of nearly 40 people, I believe there were only 6 future science teachers, and only one other physics focused teacher.

Image credit : Exploratorium

I like to say that I learned more about physics in that Exploratorium summer program than I did in my undergraduate classes (no shame to my alma mater). Following the museum’s spirit of curiosity and learning by doing hands-on science, the Exploratorium’s teacher programs at all levels are transformative. If you can’t get out to the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco, the next best thing is their online Science Snacks website. Filled with DIY experiments of concepts for all science disciplines and levels, the “snacks” are often miniature versions of exhibits you can find on the floor of the museum. Often these can be built and used by students fairly inexpensively, or made using things you have around your home and classroom.

American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)

Image credit : AAPT

Finding like-minded science educators was a great resource, but the first time I attended a conference filled with just physics teachers was on another level. The American Association of Physics Teachers, AAPT, has members from K-12 education, two year colleges, degree granting institutions and graduate programs.

AAPT includes students, teachers, researchers and support staff all focused on improving physics education in the United States. In-person conferences give members the opportunity to share our most effective practices, new research about how students learn physics as well as the most recent advancements in the field. Every meeting I can attend leaves me inspired and re-invigorated. There are opportunities to attend more focused workshops before the conference, as well as opportunities to hear from both practitioners and researchers.

Most states or major metropolitan regions have smaller sections which meet more frequently. Such meetings give local physics teachers the opportunity to compare notes from across the district or even across the state. It was the Northern California/ Nevada section that I joined first, which led me to attending AAPT meetings whenever I could. Section meetings often have keynote speakers, topical discussions and sharing among attendees. You can find an AAPT section near you on the AAPT website.

American Physical Society (APS)

Being part of professional organizations helped me feel like a “real” physics teacher. It also helped me feel like a physicist and improve my own physics identity. Joining the American Physical Society (APS) gave me access to a range of resources to connect with others in the physics community, learn more about cutting edge research and advocacy opportunities. You can find more information about membership in APS on their general membership page. APS hosts the Global Physics Summit, an annual conference to gather physicists from around the world attended by 14,000 physicists annually.

Image credit : APS

Sometimes I have pressing questions about physics teaching, a specific problem or a physics concept I’m brushing up on. In those cases I can’t wait for the next conference but I can ask my questions in a variety of online forums for physics teachers. There are a variety of facebook groups for NGSS level high school physics, modeling based teacher groups for all levels and some focused on AP classes. You have to ask to join and provide enough information for the administrators to confirm that you are a teacher since people occasionally share secure assessments. These groups are helpful for crowd sourcing information on a variety of things, even for identifying unknown equipment you might have inherited! Outside of facebook there are Google groups, like Pretty Good Physics, and hashtags like #ITeachPhysics on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, BlueSky and more to help you find other science teachers generally and physics teachers specifically. 

Once you start looking and connecting with other physics teachers, you will find more. Your community will grow and if you offer help when you can, these communities will support your growth as a teacher. Together we can help nourish physics education for all. 

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss

About the Author

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss has been teaching Physics and AP Physics at Amador Valley High School for over 20 years. She has been involved with the STEP UP program since 2018, helping to increase the number of undergraduate women in physics and supporting inclusivity in high school physics classrooms.

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