Films for Science Teachers

i have viewed these and have used some in the classroom. It has also prompted discussions with colleagues about how demos were presented to students and the reasoning behind why we use them. I’d like to think more are being produced.

I had the pleasure of watching Alom and Jonathan work on a couple of these videos under the supportive eye of David Sang. The care and attention to detail in both the production values and the physics teaching ideas that can be gleaned from these videos is a testament to how hard Alom and his colleagues work on them.
Demo the movie is a brilliant call to arms to help science teachers see the benefits of science demonstrations in the classroom. To my shame I still don’t do enough but these videos help inspire me to try new ideas out.

Gorgeous videos from passionate science educators. Thank you.

These videos are a fantastic resource for teachers and for use in the classroom with students. The monkey-hunter demo is a tough one to get right, and so having the intricate detail provided in the video here is an excellent option to clearly demonstrate the physics to the students.

After watching the bin-bag capacitor and jelly-baby wave machine videos, we immediately set about making them. The bin-bag capacitor now sits as a mainstay practical for the Y13s – who love to see the sparks (!) and also much more clearly envisage the construction of a capacitor. Likewise, the Y9s get to see the wave machine when they begin to study waves – and it is a great way to demonstrate wave movement, especially in contrast to the slinky model. Moreover, the wave machine is used regularly in our open days – everyone getting something from it.

I look forward to utilizing Alom’s videos more and more. His explanations are clear and succinct, and the video style is simple and easy to access for all. It’s a difficult thing to do well, and he does just that!

Your videos of demonstrations have been very useful. I know of experienced technician who have used your monkey and hunter video to support them in getting the demo to work. In the past few years I have found myself without an experienced physics technician and as a result having to set up my own demonstrations, your capacitor video gave me confidence to try this. The jelly bean wave machine was something new to me when I saw the video and is now a firm favourite. I hope you will continue to make more videos like this, showing teachers how to successfully demonstrate physics concepts in their classrooms.

These videos are a great resource for science teachers wanting to try something new. If you were inspired by Demo the Movie, then the rest of the videos give you specific examples of good things to try in the classroom.

The explanations are clear and Alom’s presentation style is engaging – you can tell it is something he cares about deeply. We’ve had a go at making chemistry demo videos, so we know how hard it can be, and these guys do a great job.

Alom’s work first caught my attention via an article and video in the Guardian where he was asking ‘Are school science practicals a complete waste of time?’. That’s a massively challenging question and one that, as a science teacher, I had considered often but not really acted on. The power of a demo has been neglected in my practice and, thanks to Alom, I’ve really thought hard about when to do a demo instead of trotting out a well-worn practical without considering the focus of the learning. I’ve found the examples of demos presented by Alom and his colleagues to be very useful indeed – I’ve used the collapsing can several times now and the others have been very helpful in clarifying my understanding of where to focus students’ attention. Too often I”ve had snatched practice sessions with technicians just prior to using some new equipment (or busked it in the lesson) – these videos are a fantastic resource to help teachers like me to do a better job and to get a discussion going in the Science department.

These videos are excellent resources for science teacher education. I showed Demo: The Movie to my introductory science teaching class this term, using it as a centrepiece for our discussion on effective demonstrations. The film is engaging and fun while also being very true to the research literature. It really helps beginning teachers see how important it is to think carefully about their demonstrations to create meaningful experiences for their students. Several students told me that they’d forgotten how wonderful a great demonstration could be and that they have been inspired to try more demos with their high school classes while on their next practice teaching experience. Thanks Alom for creating such a great resource!

These videos are inspiring. They illustrate the best in science demos and are something to aspire to. They can be used with the kids to refresh their memories or flip a lesson, they can be used with staff to show how to do it and with technicians to go over the safety features and the points you’re trying to get across. They show all the stuff we try to do on a busy term and new things to try or we are sometimes too busy to set up. They are a treasure and I hope continue to be added to. The quality is second to none and the calm and reflective persona of all the presenters is a pleasure to perceive.

I first stumbled across Alom on line watching his video on ‘Why is Science Important?’ I was so impressed by his presentation style that I invited him to speak at the Irish Science Teachers’ Association National Conference in Trinity College in 2012. He was a huge hit and we have subsequently invited him back again on various occasions.
Although I am a chemistry teacher myself and would only have basic physics I think that he make the subject very accessible and inspires you to want to know more. His passion for physics and his engaging communication style makes all his videos very addictive.
Keep up the great work Alom – science education needs more people like you!

Thanks Alom for taking the time to not only make the videos, but putting them in one handy place. I have got so much mileage from the jelly baby wave machine I first saw as one of your videos. I have tried most of them. I had forgotten about the shadow of a flame demo and I am currently teaching spectra. I’ll give that a go this coming week.

Watching the Pearls of Water and see how you make the tube has reminded me of a demo I have thought about setting up before. It is an ultrasound detector using a thin flame.