Looking for a Community of People Teaching Themselves Physics

[msk]

Hi,


It's been interesting to look around The Science Forum.


I was a classroom teacher for a time, but I've often found that the most important things people learn are learned outside of schools, just following curiosity or ambition where it takes you. Seems like you do some of that here on this forum.


I used to teach physics and engineering to middle school students, and I try to keep up with the most recent happenings in science. I also read a lot of science fiction. I hope being part of a forum will help me delve a little deeper, learning more about science, but also, (since I'm an educator), learning more about the ways people teach themselves science.


I'm actually trying to put together a little community of people who teach each other physics through the iPad. If you're interested in that, or how to teach physics, or you just want to share how you teach yourself without school, I'd love to hear from you.


Cheers!


Miri

[shlunka]

Best of luck on the physics community mate! Though, I can't say I'm terribly interested in learning physics myself.

[Markus Hanke]

I'm actually trying to put together a little community of people who teach each other physics through the iPad. If you're interested in that, or how to teach physics, or you just want to share how you teach yourself without school, I'd love to hear from you.

This is interesting. I have been self-studying physics for some time...would love to hear more about what you are proposing to do.

[msk]

It's somewhat free form at this point, but we're pairing people around materials. If there's a book or a lecture or a course you've gone through we pair you up with someone who hasn't gone through it yet. Or if you're starting a course or book we pair you with someone who's gone through it before, to guide you to a richer understanding. Together in video chats the pairs help motivate each other through the new materials and give us someone to discuss it with, trying to understand it and apply it to the interests of each person.

We're thinking of starting with something of a roughly structured beginning course like Lenny Susskind's Theoretical Minimum. But, if there's a more advanced book or course you're especially interested in, I'd love to hear what people are most interested in learning. Ideally, we'd have conversations going on at a number of different levels.

M

[Markus Hanke]

It's somewhat free form at this point, but we're pairing people around materials. If there's a book or a lecture or a course you've gone through we pair you up with someone who hasn't gone through it yet. Or if you're starting a course or book we pair you with someone who's gone through it before, to guide you to a richer understanding. Together in video chats the pairs help motivate each other through the new materials and give us someone to discuss it with, trying to understand it and apply it to the interests of each person.

We're thinking of starting with something of a roughly structured beginning course like Lenny Susskind's Theoretical Minimum. But, if there's a more advanced book or course you're especially interested in, I'd love to hear what people are most interested in learning. Ideally, we'd have conversations going on at a number of different levels.

M

It's certainly an interesting concept; however, I don't do video chats or even YouTube. If there is a text-based alternative, like a private discussion forum, that would be brilliant...it would need to be LaTeX enabled of course

My specialty area is geometrodynamics, and I have begun to self-study Gravitation by Misner/Thorne/Wheeler.

[msk]

A text based private discussion tool does sound interesting. And I certainly know some people who might be interested in working their way through Gravitation.

Unfortunately the tool I have is video based, not text based. I have found a LaTeX enabled chat called MathIM. Maybe something could be set up using that? Have you used it before?

M

[Markus Hanke]

A text based private discussion tool does sound interesting. And I certainly know some people who might be interested in working their way through Gravitation.

Unfortunately the tool I have is video based, not text based. I have found a LaTeX enabled chat called MathIM. Maybe something could be set up using that? Have you used it before?

M

No, but I think it could do the job quite well. Perhaps you can set something up based on this. Remember though that time zones might be an issue...

[msk]

If you think that will work, using MathIM, I'd be curious to see what it would be like.

I'll write up a post to see if anyone else is interested and get back to you. We'll cross the time zone bridge when we come to it.