Monthly Archives: September 2017

For majors in engineering, science and computing, college is a fundamentally different experience than it is for most others – and most higher ed experts refuse to acknowledge that

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Paul Cottle

A former President of Misericordia University, Michael McDowell, wrote an op-ed published last week in the Fort Myers News-Press in which he defended the value of a college education.  In the body of the piece, he offered a list of pro … Continue reading →

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Are you bragging about the number of students you are placing at the college starting line? Unless they cross the finish line, you need to stop bragging.

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Paul Cottle

If you are an educator of high school students who are in an engineering academy or robotics club or program for aspiring health educators, you have a responsibility to make sure that they are well prepared to succeed in those … Continue reading →

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Jones High School grad, National Medal of Science winner Gates to speak at a conference for minority physics undergraduates – but he is sure to be the only Jones grad there

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Paul Cottle

Jones High School graduate and National Medal of Science winner Sylvester “Jim” Gates will be delivering a banquet address at the inaugural Conference for Undergraduate Underrepresented Minorities in Physics being held at the University of Maryland in a few weeks … Continue reading →

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In high schools, robotics-without-physics is a problem. At Florida State University Schools, teacher Matt Martens is solving that problem.

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Paul Cottle

Robotics courses have been wildly popular with high school students and teachers. There are robotics competitions like the FIRST Lego League, robotics kits, robotics curricula and robotics academies. But too often robotics programs, which in principle are intended to attract … Continue reading →

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Want to encourage more Florida high school students to study computing? Then allow AP Computer Science Principles to substitute for Biology 1.

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Paul Cottle

It’s Groundhog Day in the Florida Legislature for those trying to use the state’s statutes to nudge more high school students into taking courses in computing.  Legislators have once again filed bills to allow high school computing courses to substitute … Continue reading →

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“Give Florida students national tests for better comparison” – my op-ed in this morning’s Orlando Sentinel (and the graphs my readers want!)

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Paul Cottle

This morning, the Sentinel published my opinion piece on replacing Florida’s high school standardized tests in English Language Arts, math and science (er, biology) with the ACT. Of course, my regular readers (maybe five now??) want graphs of the rankings described in … Continue reading →

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Why is STEM such a tough sell in Florida? In part because there aren’t many STEM professionals in Florida.

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Paul Cottle

Source here.

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Which teaching future will FSU’s Physics faculty choose? We’ll discuss during next week’s Physics Colloquium

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Paul Cottle

Update (Saturday evening, September 9):  No, we will not discuss the future of FSU’s introductory physics classes next week.  The university will remain closed all week because of Hurricane Irma and the expected power outages. The two pictures above illustrate the choices … Continue reading →

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I challenge each Florida legislator to acknowledge that the state is facing a crisis in recruiting talented individuals into high school math and science teaching careers.

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Paul Cottle

I challenge each Florida legislator to acknowledge that the state is facing a crisis in recruiting talented individuals into high school math and science teaching careers. I also challenge each of them to propose a way of effectively addressing this … Continue reading →

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FSU Physics Ph.D. grad and Florida High teacher Matt Martens schools Education Secretary on science

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Paul Cottle

During a visit to the Florida State University Schools (FSUS) last Tuesday, US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos had an opportunity to learn a bit of physics and how students best learn science from FSU Physics Ph.D. graduate Matt Martens, … Continue reading →

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