Georgia Public Broadcasting's Education Services Division, in partnership with the Professional Standards Commission, developed Chemistry & Physics in response to the lack of qualified chemistry and physics teachers in many school systems throughout the state. Chemistry: A Study of Matter and Physics Fundamentals
are innovative teaching tools that provide instructional content
delivered through video episodes and integrated classroom materials.
The courses can be facilitated easily by certified teachers, even those
teaching out of field.
Much of the instruction is done through the thirty minute video
episodes. The episodes provide content, while giving video and audio
cues for the classroom teacher to pause the video and interact with
students, engaging them in discussions, problem-solving, and laboratory
activities. The videos are designed to support, not replace, the
teacher in the classroom. Video episodes are being delivered to schools
now via satellite for taping or can be streamed from this website.
For each unit, daily lesson plans are provided to help teachers prepare
for and pace the lessons. Since the courses are designed to be textbook
independent, classroom materials, including note-taking guides to
accompany the videos, worksheets, classroom activities, quizzes, and
tests, are available in electronic format. Student materials can be
downloaded from this website. For security reasons, CD's containing
teacher materials will be mailed directly to teachers upon request. And
support from a certified teacher is just an e-mail or phone call away.
Lab activities are an essential part of learning chemistry and
physics, and two types of laboratory exercises are included in these
series. Hands-on labs are conducted by students in the classroom using
safe and simple materials. Video labs are conducted by student actors
on the video episodes, with classroom students observing, collecting
data, and graphing, calculating, etc. to make conclusions.
Schools across the state have reported a variety of uses for the Chemistry & Physics courses - serving as the primary curriculum, supporting
novice teachers or those teaching out of field, delivering instruction
during long teacher or student absences, or providing new resources for
veteran teachers. In addition, the courses have been modified for
individual instruction and are currently used by the Georgia Department
of Juvenile Justice, the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, and Georgia
Virtual Schools for on-line instruction.
