Congratulations to John Jay High School’s physics teacher Jim Panzer, who was an invited speaker at the American Association of Physics Teachers conference in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 18.
The conference marked the culmination of three years of work funded by the National Science Foundation grant "Studying Iterations of Physics Teachers' Professional Learning: Uncovering Design Principles to Support the Integration of Equity in Physics Instruction.” The lead researchers of the study were Heena Lakhani, Kara Gray, Rachel Scherr and Tali Hairston.
Panzer shared “Food as Energy,” a lesson he had developed which asks students to examine food as a source of energy, calculate their energy use with standard physics formulas, and consider equity issues surrounding food such as pricing, workers’ rights and food deserts.
“My work was selected as an exemplar for other physics teachers to see what kinds of lessons can be created when viewing access to opportunities, one's values and energy justice as a conduit for making traditional physics course content more meaningful to our students,” said Panzer.
Innovation is a hallmark of Panzer’s approach to teaching. The high school teacher is much-loved by students because of his easy-going manner and experiential approach to physics. When he tasks students to sleep in an unheated space and track their energy loss, he completes the assignment, too!
Panzer is a New York State Master Teacher, Sustainability Curriculum Integration Leader at KLSD for grades 6-12, and part of the editorial team for the Energy and Equity Project.
"I work with teachers across the globe to ensure that world-class lessons are published for other teachers to use for the greater good,” said Panzer.
Panzer said that his work as an educator is inspired by his students’ commitment to sustainability, and cited one of John Jay High School’s recent community reads—"The Story of More,” by Hope Jahren—as a positive conversation starter in his physics classes.