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Each participant is encouraged to develop an understanding of the methods associated with phenomenological or sense based science. Comparisons between the methods of sense based science and more classical approaches are both encouraged and investigated. The emphasis is placed on developing understanding through individual experience so that later presentations in the classroom are rich and authentic. The physical science curriculum in all four grades is surveyed with specific examples. Various discussions concerning implementation of the curriculum and the relationship to the developing adolescent will also take place are followed by a more in-depth investigation of the 9th grade Thermal Physics block.
The class has two central themes. The first concerns the 9th grade Thermal Physics curriculum. Participants investigate their own understanding of thermal phenomena and also begin to develop an understanding for, and appreciation of, phenomenological methods. Secondly, the class focuses on some of the themes presented in The Marriage of Sense and Thought: Imaginative Participation in Science. If time permits, a brief discussion of some of the themes in The Warmth Course may also be included.
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