Beyond Kinematics: The Beginnings of an Interdisciplinary Physics Curriculum

Baseball as a learning lab for physics is part of Jennifer Warnow's senior project

"Spend time with a two-year-old and you will hear a common refrain, "Why?" writes Jennifer Warnow in the beginning of her senior project, "Beyond Kinematics: The Beginnings of an Interdisciplinary Physics Curriculum." Jennifer goes on to lament two things: the loss of those questions and the lateness of studying physics. "Physics," she writes, "gives us the answers to the why questions: Why is the sky blue? Why are the fireworks so loud? Why will I get hurt if I fall out of the tree?"

As a freshly minted teacher with certification from College of the Atlantic's education program, Jennifer knew her limits. She knew she couldn't change the timing of when kids study physics, but she believed she could bring back the wonder that generates those why questions, the amazement at how things happen. How? By encouraging their own looking, listening and thinking, in short, imparting to her lesson plans something of the creative critical thinking that is at the heart of a COA education.

The first lesson in Jennifer's Kinematics physics unit she calls, "Say it Ain't Sosa," about cork in baseball bats. She also includes a lesson in the physics of golf and that of building a pyramid. Writes Jennifer, "To think critically is to wonder why we as humans believe the things we believe. . . . Critical thinking is not something usually associated with a physics education, but physics provides people with the ability to try to understand the world, which requires a healthy dose of critical thinking." Embedded in each of her homework assignments are questions with no right answers, forcing students to examine what they know of a given situation and write their own conclusion. After students determine that corking bats does nothing to increase a hitter's ability to hit a home run, they need to answer this question: "So why do they still cork bats?"

Asked once what stands out from her years at COA, Jennifer answered, "I've learned to look at the world in a new way. Many of my previous assumptions have been challenged and I have grown and changed as a result."