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Helen Reynolds

@helenrey.bsky.social

1.1K followers 470 following 1.2K posts

Physics teacher, author of Activate/Oxford Revise Physics + others. Learning the foxtrot. Loves cogsci + joined up curriculum. Big fan of mini whiteboards. Owns It's A Learning Curve LLC https://itsalearningcurve.education All views my own.

itsalearningcurve.education

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 1

Super excited to announce that I am now a company! My days teaching in a school are at an end.

My new venture is tutoring + providing professional development + outreach in physics and cogsci.

Here's the site - if you find anything amiss let me know! 😊
itsalearningcurve.education

It's a Learning Curve

itsalearningcurve.education

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 2d

Would seem like an eminently sensible idea to me. I hope there are data somewhere to show it?

What proportion of physics departments in the US do it?

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 3d

That is so cool!! Not that getting a PhD isn't cool, but yay for all those kiddos who will benefit from his passion for physics!!
Brilliant!!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 4d

Excellent! Will add you to the list.

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 4d

Fantastic, will do!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 5d

Great!! Super excited... will add you to the list!

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 6d

Calling physics teachers!

I'd like to get together an online 'group' of people who teach physics AND also have an interest in cognitive science.

If that's you, let me know (DM or via my website)! I'd love to talk specifics, share ideas, discuss issues.

#iteachphysics
itsalearningcurve.education

It's a Learning Curve

itsalearningcurve.education

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · 23d

Another summary! This time the marvellous Mental Models by Dr Jim Heal and Rebekah Berlin delving deep into developing students thinking, what it means and how to do it.

AND updated Cogsci Reading List - now up to 74 books.
itsalearningcurve.education/cogsci-book-...

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Sep 2

Ah, gotcha! That is a big step, and yay! So helpful if it can all be joined up!

If you need any ideas about that I'd love to help!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Sep 2

Interesting!
Are you also talking about content with MS science teachers? Like doing free body diagrams, basics of reflection refraction, current and p.d?
They can do a lot in the 3/4 years of MS (we've had a knowledge-rich curriculum in our 5-8th grade for 4 years and it's awesome!)
#iteachphysics

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Sep 2

Want to introduce some cogsci practices into your classroom but not sure what that looks like?

Check out some easy+no cost ideas here (specifically for physics but adaptable!):
itsalearningcurve.education/cogsci-in-th...

#iteachphysics

Cogsci In The Classroom

” Ok, fine. But what do you actually DO?” I get asked this a lot, so this page is for ‘THIS is what I do*’. I’ll put it in phases, where a ‘phase’ was abou…

itsalearningcurve.education

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Sep 2

This kind of thing doesn't really help.

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Sep 1

The Most Persistent Myth... 'that (fill in the gap...) will revolutionize education'.

@veritasium.bsky.social , please you could you update your excellent video to include AI?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEmu...

The Most Persistent Myth

YouTube video by Veritasium

www.youtube.com

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 30

Thanks
@carlhendrick.substack.com for shining a light on something that has bothered me about the 'mastery' model assessment.

It has to factor in forgetting...

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#iteachphysics
#cogscisci

Capturing Session-to-Session Dynamics of Learning and Forgetting: Testing the Limits of Knowledge Tracing Models - International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education

The development of intelligent tutoring systems and other educational technology necessitated the implementation and development of computational models of student learning. At the foundation of these...

link.springer.com

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 30

Yay!! See you there!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 29

Yep, good call!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 29

Best intro to a book about physics stuff...

So Planck should have had two constants... 🤷

#iteachphysics

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 29

Exacerbated by the fact that potential/field/circuit mean completely different things in the 'real' world.

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 28

Following on from the 'a physics teacher needs a large number of explanations for things' post, which are the topics/concepts that need the MOST?

Mine are:
#1 - potential
#2 - field
#3 - anything to do with circuits.

#iteachphysics

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 28

I think there might be an element of mistake... but unfortunately if it doesn't seem to the student that it's an alternative then it really isn't?

It's pedagogical content knowledge, or lack there of. You need to have a bunch of analogies/think of it like this in you back pocket.

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 26

Yes!! Of course! Great resource.

There's a lot of talk of checking for understanding, but explaining it well/differently in the first place is how that understanding happens!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 26

Unsurprising but reassuring.

And I think that 'being able to explain it differently' has a place of great importance in physics.

My students have said that they notice this, or rather the lack of it, especially in math(s) and physics.

#iteachphysics

teachinglicense.study.com/resources/st...

We Asked 100 Students What They Wish Teachers Knew Here's What They Said

When students are asked to reflect on their learning experiences, they often offer candid and thoughtful feedback. In a recent Study.com survey, we asked 100 students what they wish their teachers understood about their needs, challenges, and learning preferences.

teachinglicense.study.com

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 25

This.

"Humans who rely on an LLM to generate outputs for them do not understand those outputs well enough to do anything with them... the reliance on AI is preventing junior entrants into every field from developing the very skills they would need to check that AI’s work."

Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · Aug 24

You might have heard AI boosters say: "it's okay that this tech is wrong half of the time, because the human operator 'partnering' with the LLM will catch errors."

Except no they fucking won't.

The actual context in which these systems are deployed make checking the AI's "work" impossible.

"Human in the loop" is a thought-terminating cliche

Without thoughtful guard rails, asking people to clean up after machines doesn't make machines better — it makes people worse.

productpicnic.beehiiv.com

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Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 25

Thank you! It's super fun!

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 25

When I told my classes I was leaving one student said (to general agreement) that the thing that they would miss most was how I said ....

Wonderful
@xkcd.com

Helen Reynolds @helenrey.bsky.social · Aug 24

Good call! A really excellent challenge for students taking APC in their stride.