Challenging concepts, simple connections
Hands-on physics classes help freshman students forge friendships online
Conceptual Physics teacher Billy Abdallah’s highly interactive online classes made for a friction-free transition to in-person learning.
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t’s the first class of the day, the first day of the second semester, and Billy Abdallah is instructing his ninthgrade Conceptual Physics class from his backyard. He checks in with each student one by one—his tone energetic, his gestures expressive. He’s beginning a new unit on motion, which he knows is often a tricky topic for first-time physics students. He introduces the topic of mechanical equilibrium in a way the entire class can readily understand. He asks each freshman about her “ideal day,” listening and responding, encouraging everyone to understand their own personal sense of what equilibrium is, before moving on to the scientific definitions. Soon enough, Mr. Abdallah is discussing forces and vectors, tension
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and weight, and leading the class as they do simple equations measured in newtons. The subject material is advanced and could be potentially intimidating for young learners, but Mr. Abdallah bypasses both apprehension and anxiety by putting this Zoom room of near-strangers at ease. ”He always finds a way to make the lesson fun...and he always talks to us and makes us feel comfortable,” explains Natalie Grohs ’24. It’s clear that the way Mr. Abdallah conducts his course doesn’t make students feel comfortable with just him, but with each other, too. “My favorite thing about Mr. Abdallah’s class...is how he makes us feel that we are in person even though we are not,” says Elisa Milkie ’24. Building community
is no small feat during remote learning, particularly when the subject material is academically rigorous. But, although many of these freshman students have never met in real life, they’re building bonds—and deep knowledge—through hands-on activities and discussions. In fact, Mr. Abdallah offers such a wide variety of interactive projects that his students can’t settle on a favorite. Sarah Brennan ’24 mentioned the lesson on optical illusions, Ella Moriarty ’24 liked the presentations on light and color, and multiple students nominated the virtual hockey competition, which illustrated how protons and neutrons work. “This activity brought camaraderie...which is difficult to do online, but Mr. Abdallah does activities like that which brings us closer as a
POSTSCRIPTS 2021
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2021-08-01 11:52 AM
