IOP publishes subject knowledge framework to support physics teachers

The IOP has published a new subject knowledge framework to support teachers of physics in their professional learning.

Designed to help teachers reflect on their own practice and identify their professional learning needs, the framework provides a structure for focusing on four different dimensions of a teacher’s professional capability – foundation knowledge, transformation knowledge, connection knowledge and contingency knowledge.

The framework is designed for physics teachers and physics teacher educators across the UK and Ireland to complement any teacher or professional standards documentation they already use.

For each section, the framework provides a series of detailed examples of teaching approaches that will demonstrate knowledge and understanding. It is designed to provide prompts to help consider what it means to be a successful teacher of physics and to identify development needs.

Charles Tracy, the IOP’s Senior Advisor, Learning and Skills, said: “Although teacher professional standards often refer to the need for teachers to have good content and pedagogic content knowledge within their subject, they do not get into the specifics of what that means.

“From our work in teacher professional learning, we have provided a framework that fills that gap. We anticipate that it will be useful in stimulating teachers of physics, and those who support them, to think about their practice and professional learning regardless of where they might be in their career.”

A copy of the framework for teachers is available on IOPSpark, along with a separate version for educators of physics teachers.