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Camp sheds new light on learning
By Heather M. Smith, Staff writer
About 45 Plano Independent School District female students are taking part in a camp meant to increase their confidence and open their eyes to new careers.
The fourth-annual Plano ISD physics camp for women targets those who have completed either Algebra II as sophomores, and are eligible to take pre-Advanced Placement Physics, or who have completed pre-AP Physics as juniors.
“I’ve always been interested in science,” said Setti Testaye, Plano West Senior High junior. “They’ve really explained what physics is during this camp.”
“I think physics is interesting,” said Shreya Goyal, Plano East Senior High junior. “This is good experience for the classes we’ll take next year.”
The camp runs from June 15-26. Each day of camp is split into segments to allow the students to listen, talk and do hands-on work throughout the day. Math and technical segments support the work done in the physics segments and discussion sessions give students a context for their role in the program and in the pursuit of science.
“I was really interested in learning about the effects of gravity—how we stay on the Earth without floating off,” said Traci Mei, Plano Senior High junior. “I think it’s nice that they have this camp only for girls so that we can learn about science.”
The girls are divided into two groups. Group one is made up of students who have completed pre-AP Physics; the second group are those who plan to take physics for the first time in the 2009-2010 academic year. Tech segments are used to help the girls become calculator “experts,” and give female students the opportunity to “play around” to find ways to look at and explore data.
“The teachers use games to make learning fun,” said Tess Michaels, PWSH junior. “One day we made a bridge, and then we had a discussion about the experiment. I like that we take it step by step.”
The second segment of the camp is the science segment. The girls are given background information on particular physics topics such as mechanics, electricity and magnetism. Then they complete open-ended labs to measure and study the relationships between physical variables.
“The environment here is great,” said Tiffany Fong, PSHS junior. “I’m not afraid to ask questions. Also everyone here is really friendly.”
Finally, the girls have a discussion segment, to help them form connections with each other and the presenters. The point of the connections is to make the girls more willing to take intellectual risks during the program. The girls are also exposed to information on the percentages of women in different fields of science.
“They chose the best speakers,” Michaels said.
Linda Antinone, lead instructor for the camp, said they choose women in science-related fields, such as engineering. She said it reveals to the girls exactly what an engineer’s job is.
“Before this camp I only wanted to be a lawyer,” said Rose Pansick, PWSH junior. “Now, the camp has opened my eyes to new opportunities. I’m planning on taking AP Physics next year. I really think the camp gives a new spin on things. I like trying different things. I think it’s cool to learn about all of this.”
The camp has two expected outcomes for the female students: to give them the skills and attitudes necessary to help them succeed in AP and pre-AP physics courses, and to encourage more young women to consider careers in mathematics, physics and engineering.
“It’s fun and exciting to help these girls become more confident,” Antinone said. “Confidence is a big name of the game. We’re trying to tell these girls that they can do this and that it’s okay to make mistakes.”
Antinone is a national award-winning teacher and co-author of five books on mathematics and physics and their connections. She has taught 23 years, mostly teaching AP physics and AP calculus. She is currently an instructor for the TI professional development department.
Cherie Lehman is the second instructor for the camp. She is a College Board consultant, who served on the committee to redesign the AP Physics B course. She has been involved with the American Association of Physics Teachers, serving on several committees and developing curricula for the Physics Teaching Resource Agents. She taught high school physics for 32 years and now teaches physics at Eastern Illinois University.
Antinone said another outcome she hopes the girls get from the camp is to form relationships with each other.
“It’s fun to meet people from different high schools,” said Josephine Asamoah, PWSH junior. “It’s very nice to get to know different people.”
Once the two-week camp is over, the participants are sent follow-up e-mails during the year with the opportunity to ask questions. The girls will have input on the session topics and the physics teachers in Plano will be invited to participate. The follow-up session is meant to provide the girls with added support once they are enrolled in the Physics I or AP Physics course. The girls will receive encouragement to either continue taking AP Physics or to take the AP exam.
Plano ISD measures the success of the camp by the number of girls who pass the AP physics exam. They also look at their attitudes toward careers in physics or engineering based upon questionnaires given out at the beginning and end of the program. One goal for the district is to have at least 85 percent of the girls who attend the camp pass at least one AP physics exam. The program is funded through a partnership between the TI Foundation and the Plano ISD Education Foundation.
“Before this camp I had heard how hard physics was, but I’ve never taken it,” said Kiran Alibhai, PWSH junior. “Now I have a better understanding of physics. I definitely plan on coming back next year.”
Contact Heather Smith at HSmith@acnpapers.com
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