What is Teaching: Definition and 369 Discussions

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include teaching, training, storytelling, discussion and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, however learners can also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.
Formal education is commonly divided formally into such stages as preschool or kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and then college, university, or apprenticeship.
There are movements for education reforms, such as for improving quality and efficiency of education towards applicable relevance in the students' lives and efficient problem solving in modern or future society at large or for evidence-based education methodologies. A right to education has been recognized by some governments and the United Nations. Global initiatives aim at achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4, which promotes quality education for all. In most regions, education is compulsory up to a certain age.

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  1. E

    Database of physics powerpoint slides?

    Is there any website that has a database of physics (or other course) powerpoint slide sets? For example, I am teaching both an introductory physics class, and a separate calc-based physics class of what should be the same general material as the non-calc-based. For the former class I am using...
  2. D

    Engineering PhD in Mechanical Engineering, CC teaching?

    I am almost finished the final drafts of my dissertation, and now I am wondering what to do next. It seems that all jobs at universities want someone to "establish a thriving research program" or the like. That's not me, so a job at a university is out. I very much want to teach, but much...
  3. N

    Your thoughts on numerical analysis teaching

    Hello all, I may get a contract to teach numerical analysis. I did quite a lot of numerical work during my PhD but that was a while ago. Now when I look at most books on the topic, I get the feeling that a lot is outdated, and I also feel that a lot of what I knew is outdated as well...
  4. matqkks

    I What is the most motivating way to introduce primitive roots

    I am teaching elementary number theory to first year undergraduate students. How do introduce the order of an integer modulo n and primitive roots? How do I make this a motivating topic and are there any applications of this area? I am looking at something which will have an impact.
  5. bhobba

    Teaching Economics Without Calculus

    Just a quick question. Can you really teach economics without calculus? Reviewing it now just to refresh my memory since we have a budget being delivered tomorrow here in Aus. I have reached the point where it is proven that maximizing overall profit is different from profit per unit of...
  6. I

    Engineering Is it possible to go back to biomedical engineering after teaching?

    I graduated undergrad as a biomedical engineer but received an amazing opportunity to earn my masters in education for a reduced price and earn a full-time teacher’s salary. I’m about halfway done with the 2 year program and am feeling unsatisfied due to not using my engineering degree. I was...
  7. biologyboy89

    Learn Algebra 1: Self-Study Guide & Tips

    Hey guys, I have never finished algebra 1 in high school which was around 10 years ago. I want to start myself on a good foundation so I can learn more advanced math. My ultimate goal in the end is to learn meteorology; so I need to start somewhere. For algebra 1 are you able to list things...
  8. Mohamed_Wael

    Why are we still teaching Routh-Hurwitz criterion in Control

    I am a TA for Automatic control class, I can't find an answer for my students about why we are still studying Routh-Hurwitz criterion as almost anyone can use computer software to find the roots of the closed-loop system and determine stability instead of doing these tedious hand calculations
  9. ToneCoole

    Studying Teaching myself math with Khan Academy.... Advice?

    Hello, PhysicsForums. Right now, I am studying high school mathematics on Khan Academy, and it is working out great! I also read all of the articles and do the excersizes and I write down everything that I see. I feel that I will achieve mastery of Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry in no time...
  10. paulo84

    Studying Maths in Physics Teaching Websites?

    Hi, I'm looking for some website suggestions for maths learning. Specifically introductory calculus, introductory trigonometry, introductory matrices, and introductory vectors?
  11. M

    Studying Self teaching Gcse and A-Level maths

    Hi, I have recently embarked on the journey to do a mathematics degree. I am 16 and homeschooled, although, I self teach myself as I find it easier to read from textbooks and teach myself the material from resources online and the likes. I have taken a math Gcse a few months ago and was going...
  12. N

    Explaining acceleration due to gravity without math

    Hi, I teach a physics class to a group of homeschooled students. Many of them aren't yet at the level of algebra. Last week we went over Newton's laws and did some experiments to show objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass. One student though, has asked me to explain why the mass...
  13. M

    Suggestions for videos teaching engineering concepts

    I hope to one day help engineering students by having a wealth of videos that cover the "weed-out" courses (in the first two years of engineering curriculum). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make these videos be the best that they can be? I plan to do narrated powerpoints, but I...
  14. whitsona

    B Teacher needs help: Bra–ket notation for parabolas?

    I am about to do a unit on the wonders of vector decomposition for year 2 in a 3 years science curriculum where the kids follow along with the historical developments of science. It's the science class I wish I'd had before becoming an engineer at MIT. In year 3, we are with Einstein and...
  15. dkotschessaa

    Math Part time: Tutoring vs. Teaching

    I've asked about community college teaching before, or really anywhere that will work with someone with a Master's degree. My understanding was that it does not pay well and is more kind of 'for the love of it' type of a thing. I am actually open to that, because I do love it, and I think it...
  16. Useful nucleus

    Teaching Thermofluids to electronics engineering students

    This semester I'm teaching a thermofluids course to students with a major in electronics engineering. The subject covers thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. The motivation is to help the students to solve thermofluid problems that arise in their field. For example, the design of...
  17. C

    The problem with maths and physics teaching

    Please don't take this too seriously -I do still like my maths and physics but I have a gripe about how I have been taught some of it, best give some definite examples. 1 - Maxwells electromagnetics. In his original work there were 2 parts. Part 1 was a touchy feel thought experiment where he...
  18. P

    Physics Transitioning from teaching to Data science

    Hi all! First of all I am sorry about (grammatical ,etc) mistakes that I maybe do but english is not my first language. I am physics teacher in Greece holding a B.Sc. in Physics and a M.Sc. in Physics teaching. After 3 years of professional teaching I would like to start working in another...
  19. Strange design

    Is Velocity Increasing or Decreasing with Negative Acceleration?

    Good afternoon all, For those of you that teach physics, if an object has an initial velocity of - 5m/s and a final velocity of -20 m/s, do you consider the velocity to be increasing or decreasing in this case? I view this to be strictly defined mathematically, that is that the acceleration is...
  20. P

    Physics graduates that take teaching jobs, and later move on....

    Hi all! It's my first message. I am Nice to meet you! I would like your thoughts about the fact that many physics teachers leave profession during the first 5 years of teaching in UK mostly due to low income. What kind of jobs do you believe those physics graduates (who started their career in...
  21. J

    What technology can be implemented in high school Chemistry courses?

    I'm looking for tested and proven technology for the high school chemistry class, can anyone suggest anything? It's a passion of mine to improve labs, and teaching lessons. Lately there has been a lot of emphasis on technology in the classroom. How do you implement any technology when there are...
  22. K

    Self teaching basic average shear stress calculation

    Hello All I am designing some very basic components for a motorcycle project at home, and because I am interested, thought I'd use it as an opportunity to refresh my memory in order to reduce the risk of the parts failing. To begin, I want to do some basic hand calcs if possible so have...
  23. matqkks

    I How to motivate the study of Fermat's Little Theorem

    What is the best way to introduce Fermat’s Little Theorem (FLT) to students? What can I use as an opening paragraph which will motivate and have an impact on why students should learn this theorem and what are the applications of FLT? Are there any good resources on this topic?
  24. MichPod

    I What's wrong with Quantum Mechanics and its teaching?

    I am afraid I have no enough competence to raise this topic. I should not have. Because of a very limited experience I cannot back up my arguments. Because of knowing mostly my own experience I should have not made generalizations. Because of not reading completely even one textbook of QM, I...
  25. matqkks

    I What resources are there for RSA for the layman?

    I am looking for any resources which explain the RSA algorithm for the layman. I have found a number of sources but they all tend to end with a morass of technical details. This is for a first year undergraduate course in number theory who have covered some basic work on modular arithmetic.
  26. P

    Electrons in periodic potentials -- lesson

    Hi, I need to teach a lesson on electrons in periodic potentials for Bachelor Physics students in just 20 minutes Any ideas on how to organize the lesson (pre-concepts they should know, relevant message and consequences) would be very much appreciated
  27. MathematicalPhysicist

    Fortran What are common errors when compiling a simple Fortran code?

    So I have a Ubuntu machine with gfortran installed in it. I wrote the following simple code in fortran: program calculation print *, 55+55 end program calculation I saved it as 'calculation.f' file and then tried to compile it in the terminal, but got the following errors...
  28. Scott Hill

    Classical Text for an electronics course

    Next fall I will be teaching an electronics class for the first time, for undergraduate physics majors (who have already taken introductory E&M and integral calculus, not necessarily PDEs). The catalog description is "An introduction to analog and digital electronics. Topics include DC and AC...
  29. anorlunda

    Tiny Tweak in Teaching Basic Circuits

    I'm sure we have all seen the frequent questions from students who don't understand the difference between potential and voltage in a circuit. They seem to think that zero voltage has physical significance. Even using the phrase "voltage drop" is not suffienct, because they say, "What happens...
  30. Andrew Munzer

    Teach Yourself Physics: Halliday & Resnick as a Start

    Hi all! I was referred to this forum through a google search about how to teach myself the basics of Astrophysics... this Quora page in particular. You guys must be doing something right, as it seemed like an informed response. I'm beginning, as that post suggests, with Halliday & Resnick. I...
  31. megk

    Physics Outreach: Experiments & Equipment Ideas

    I am trying to build up our physics outreach in uni by taking a team of people out 'science busking' on the streets. Has anyone got any experiments or good equipment (preferably physics) which would be exciting enough to attract attention and get people more excited about physics?
  32. UsableThought

    Courses Teaching quality of Coursera math courses after platform re-design?

    I'm currently in the 5th week of the 9-week Coursera course on first-level math logic, "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking," created by Keith Devlin of Stanford. I'm an older adult doing self-study, in hopes of brushing up my high school math & adding the other necessary math skills to...
  33. e.bar.goum

    Teaching STEM at the Time of Political Distress

    I just came across this article from UPenn physical chemist Prof. Zahra Fakhraai on "Teaching STEM at the Time of Political Distress" ( http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v63/n20/teaching.html ) . I found the article inspiring at a time when it is often hard to focus on research, and when...
  34. haushofer

    Teaching Calculus, exercises: just hints or worked out?

    Dear all, I'm currently teaching calculus courses with Stewart's book. I was wondering what other teachers their experiences are with giving fully worked out answers to the exercises versus giving just hints and the final answer. I have the feeling that the last approach activates students...
  35. PsychonautQQ

    Math 2 year Data science masters program? Teaching Math abroad?

    Hello PF! This place is so great at helping me with my math homework, maybe ya'll can give me advice on life as well! As the title indicates, I'm looking for any information/opinions what-so-ever on topics of teaching math abroad at a maximum of a high school level and how beneficial would it...
  36. dkotschessaa

    Math Can I Teach at a Community College with Limited Teaching Experience?

    I am only a qualifier away from my Master's. (MA in math). I'm studying for it but not attending classes. I do have an OK job, but it's temporary/contract. I would have no trouble teaching at a community college (I even have reasons to prefer it!) but do you suppose they would consider hiring...
  37. Timvizz95

    Studying How Can You Effectively Teach Yourself Algebra and Beyond?

    This is my first post on the forums, Hello! my names Tim, nice to be on here! I will keep this as short as possible. In high school, I hated math and loved science. Its a story I hear often. I was bad at math, or maybe it just wasnt introduced to me correctly. It took a lot of soul searching...
  38. C

    Can You Learn Advanced Math and Science While in Jail?

    Hello all, I will be spending 1 year in jail for selling weed (please don't judge). I am very business savvy, and have always been very good with the math I needed to know (which was mostly just algebra). I have always been interested in learning advanced mathematics and chemistry/physics...
  39. A

    Teaching particle physics in basic education

    Hi guys! I'm doing a research about teaching elementary particles in the middle school, something that isn't the reality in my country. Despite of the research in Physics Teaching be a lot advanced, the proposals made by them are not applied in the practice of the teachers. I want to propose...
  40. Dopplershift

    Exploring Physics Concepts with Portal: A Teacher's Perspective

    So I have found this awesome resource called 'Teaching with Portal" For those who do not know, Portal is a puzzle game where players have to solve challenges given certain components in the environment that they are in. Somebody has created a "Teaching with Portal" lesson plans (found here)...
  41. M

    Admissions Teaching Before Starting A PHD

    I am a junior in college studying physics, math, and computer science who has been heavily involved in research, year round, for the past 2 years and have already started taking graduate classes. I feel like before I start a phd program I would really like a year or two off. How do professors...
  42. AaronK

    Intro Physics Opinions on "physics: DeMYSTiFieD - A Self Teaching Guide"?

    Recently at a second-hand bookstore, I found this McGraw Hill text for only $2 dollars, so naturally I had to buy it (any 500+ page book about physics for $2 bucks is a great deal). I wonder though, is it useful at all to someone already taking physics courses in college? Or would it just be a...
  43. JasMath33

    Participation in the Classroom

    I am teaching summer school this year in math. Our summer school is only 12 days and is only available to students who have failed the class. When looking at the requirements for teachers this year, I noticed one thing was each teacher is going to be required to add in a participation grade. I...
  44. nmsurobert

    Other High School Teaching: Is It Possible?

    I was wondering if there was any high school teachers here. Have any of you guys gone right into teaching at a public high school after graduating. I've spoken to a couple different people. One of them being an ex-high school teacher (now university instructor) and he told me that with my...
  45. Greg Bernhardt

    Teaching statistics before calculus?

    Here is a short (and old) TED talk where a mathematics professor suggests we teach stats and probability in depth before teaching Calculus because it's math that is more relevant to a wider range of people. Have we got our math curriculum wrong? Thoughts?
  46. E

    Physics Teaching High School and College-Level Physics

    Hi All, I recently decided to go after a Physics B.A. with a concentration on teaching. This degree takes away some of the upper-level physics courses you need to take for the B.S. or regular B.A., but now requires a minor in education. So, along with the general courses and four physics...
  47. Parsifal1

    Courses Self teaching A-level maths and physics?

    This year I have been doing a BTEC in Engineering, which is equivalent to 1.5 A levels and I am thinking about what to do next year. I have three options, I could carry on and do the second half of the BTEC, which is equivalent to another 1.5 A levels, I could do a foundation year for university...
  48. MATS309TrinaC

    How Can Educators Keep Science Teaching Relevant and Current?

    Hi there, Since Science has a rapidly changing knowledge base and expanding relevance to society. Can you give me suggestions or innovations I can use in my science class to cope up on this.
  49. Robert100

    How does diamagnetism originate?

    For AP Physics or Chemistry, how do we explain the origin of magnetism, and diamagnetism? Saying that "Well, it's a quantum mechanical effect" or "it is a relativistic effect" isn't much help in explaining it's origin. Are there semi-classical explanations or analogies, that high school seniors...
  50. S

    Physics Why aren't there more research jobs without teaching?

    I can only think of a handful of places that employ full time Physics researchers with job security that do NOT have to teach anyone (such as the Perimeter Institute). It seems the rest of the research jobs are found at universities where a lot of teaching is required in addition to producing...
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