Dr.
V under a microscope!
This very long web page has a full
description of my professional history, including some of the most valuable
results of my work.
But in
short: I’m a very experienced teacher with about thirty years of teaching math
and physics – in different countries, to different students: from 5-th graders
to high school students, to college and university students, to schoolteachers
and students with some intellectual deficiency. I have M.S. in Theoretical
Physics, PhD in Education. And I love teaching in a remote format, so if you
are looking for a part-time remote instructor, please give me a shout via teachology@teachology.xyz.
________
* “The Voices of My Students”;
* “Elevator Pitch” (why can you trust me with your students or
your kids);
* “Executive Summary of Professional
Experience”;
* generic Cover Letter;
* full Resume;
* my Teaching Philosophy;
* my Reflection
on Voices of My Students,
and finally;
* as an example of my teaching - Full Elementary
Physics Course: two semesters; videos, lecture notes, lab manuals.
___
In the past, in addition to teaching, I was providing consulting services to teachers and administrators; I was a director of an
institution for policy analysis and development and a member of a group
implementing on a large scale Socratic
approach to teaching. After
moving to Boston I mostly just teach.
I teach my students how
to use their brain for designing solutions
to problems they have never solved before (i.e.
be truly intelligent). Any problems, not just in
physics, because the
process of designing a solution
is universal (unless, of course, instead of a brain someone uses a
different organ).
Many people write what they think
about education. I write what I know about it - as a professional
and an expert in the
field.
Athletes and soldiers wear medals.
I have this.
The other day (in 2020) I was called in a hallway “Mr. V, hi, do you still
teach physics?”
That was one of my students from
three or four years ago.
We had a brief conversation.
“Of course, I do, I love it!”
“Mr. V, you were the best physics
teacher I had”.
“Thank you.”
“And everyone tells that you are the
best”.
“Well, I know that some students do
not like me”.
“I don’t care what people say on the
Internet. All my friends say only good things about you”
“Thank you, I had very good
teachers, and I just try to do what I learned from them”.
To read more from my student evaluations, please, follow to the Voice of my students.
I believe the following ten pages (more than ten years of teaching!) of good
words of what my former students have said about me, represent me better than
any official Resume (but this page also provides my Resume and standard CV).
The main reason for representing student feedback is to demonstrate that when I
talk about education, I know what I’m talking about; and I know this not
just because of books I’ve read, or my theorizing on the matter. I know this
because of books I’ve read, because of my own theorizing on the matter, but
most importantly because of my own deep, broad, and successful (at least,
according to me students) teaching experience.
I know teaching, because I do teaching, and I am good at it; it took time to
become a good teacher; I am good at it because I have been constantly analyzing my teaching practice and making it better.
With best regards,
Voices of My Students (and this is a link to copies of some past evaluations).
I
started this collection in 2008 and stopped adding new entries in 2020 (the entries
are not in a chronological order).
“Professor V. is extremely passionate
about physics, which made this course more enjoyable. Despite the technological
difficulties that occurred during this summer term, Professor V. was able to
manage the obstacles thrown at him, and execute teaching a difficult course
remotely. In addition, the coursework was extremely beneficial in terms of
preparing for the exams, and I never felt lost during the course.”
“Prof. Voroshilov, I’m at a loss for
words to express my gratitude. In all of my years of school, from elementary,
into high school, and through college, I have been blessed with top-notch
teachers. But I’m pretty sure you take the cake. I was originally debating
between taking physics at Harvard or BU, and all the signs pointed to BU.
Honestly, I kind of think it was fate. I am not sure if it was just a good
student – teacher match, but I thoroughly enjoined your lectures. You have an
uncanny ability to present material, and it’s pretty clear (to me, at least)
how much effort you put into your work as a teacher.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mr. V, thank you for putting up with all of us this summer!! I feel much more
prepared for the MCAT. And I loved the demonstrations! Thanks for putting all
the time + effort!”
“Professor
V, You designed this
class so that those who put in the effort would succeed, so I gave it my all
and sure enough."
“I want
to say thank you for creating such a conducive learning environment for me to
succeed. I hadn't taken a physics class since my freshman year in high school,
so I was very nervous going into your class. I did not expect this course to
become my favorite science course so far at BU. Physics is a hard subject, but
you explained everything well and made sure we, as a class, had the tools necessary
to succeed with enough hard work on our end.”
“Professor Voroshilov is great – he
explains concepts very well, and makes great use of clicker questions, demos,
etc. Prof. Voroshilov also uses powerpoint, transparencies, videos, cameras,
tablets, etc. very creatively and effectively to reinforce material from
lecture.”
“I didn’t like physics before taking
this class and now it’s one of my favorite classes.”
"I
hated physics before taking this course, and now after taking both 105 and 106
with Mr. V, I actually really enjoy it. He is one of the best teachers I've
ever had. Thank you"
“Best physics professor here, only
one who cares if students are learning the material. Proves you don’t need a
PhD in physics to teach this class. PhD in education is much more effective.”
“Needs to teach the fall/spring
semester! Physics makes so much sense!!!”
“He is awesome! Clear when he
presents, fun demos, good sense of humor Used real life examples to represent
difficult to learn concepts, made class fun he is enthusiastic and
experienced.”
“Mr. V's enthusiasm and passion for
what he does was clearly reflected in his teaching. By doing a lot of
demonstrations and connecting theory to real-life examples he made the material
much easier to understand.”
“Makes concept sound simple.”
“I found that Professor V. was a
fantastic professor to have! In particular, I appreciate that he put time into
ensuring the online nature of the course was not a detriment to our lives,
particularly as I work outside school. He hardly ever stumbled in the use of
technology to provide us with the best in-class experience.”
“Professor V. has a strong passion
and drive for teaching physics.”
“He worked hard to make sure the
technology worked in a timely and organized fashion.”
“Professor V. is extremely
passionate about physics allowing for this course to be more interesting than
normal. His teaching style and presentations are straightforward, and allow for
the material to be mastered as long as you work hard for it.”
“I loved Professor V. because he was
never trying to trick students, and he truly hopes all students can be
successful in PY105.”
“There are clear explanations for
every single problem we encountered, alongside theoretical background of all
derivations and processes studied. The instructor also appears enthusiastic,
which is very helpful for courses like physics (easily monotonous with all the
math involved)”
“He uses lot's of models and
examples to teach.”
“He is very caring and thorough,
tries to be clear with his expectations. We really appreciate how much time and
effort he puts into his lectures, demonstrations, and the amount of his own
time he puts into answering piazza questions. I have never had a professor who
cares enough to answer piazza questions as often as Mr. V so I commend how much
effort he puts in”
“I was at first a bit scared of Dr.
V because of his extremely confident way of talking and how he occasionally
comments students directly. However, I started to enjoy his class more and
more, and now I find him to be an incredibly smart and entertaining professor.
He knows how to keep one's attention. Moreover, he is extremely organized and
doesn't waste time on anything, forcing students to pay attention at all time.
Finally I love when he makes some small political comments.”
“Professor V is excellent, I have no
complaints. He is enthusiastic and caring, as well as extremely knowledgeable.
He was passionate and available regularly for help.”
“He is really funny without trying
too hard. He's definitely one of my favorite personalities of the university
professors I've had so far. I feel like every ruling he had regarding our class
was fair, sometimes even too nice. I felt this class more than any other I have
taken at this school benefited me. I spent a considerable amount of time
preparing for the exams, and wasn't surprised by a single question on them. He
really, really cared about the students, even if he didn't express it
explicitly. He came off cold at first, especially in the responses he'd give to
students on Piazza who were not doing well in the class. It was in his actions
that I really noticed he cared, like spending days regrading exams after there
were discrepancies, or changing the format of labs due to technical
difficulties on the student's parts. A teacher who didn't care wouldn't have
changed those things.”
“He was comfortable with the technology which made everything easier on our end
as students. He was able to adapt quickly when things went wrong such as
Echo360 shutting down, etc.”
“Dr. V is a very passionate
instructor. His presentations are straightforward and cover a lot of problems.
The questions are engaging and the experiments are interesting. Lots of great
demonstrations”
“Great energy, the lecture is really
easy to understand.”
“If I could give a 10 for Dr.
Voroshilov, I would. Excellent teacher. Makes physics fun (which is a very hard
thing).
“I love Mr. V.”
“Dr. V is a great professor. Cares
about physics and his students.”
“Loved Dr. V. Wish he taught during
the school year as well.”
“Fantastic teacher.”
“Make you work if you want to do
well.”
“It’s a generally really cool
course.”
“Mr. V was by far the best professor
I have ever had at BU. I wish he taught through the school year. He is always
enthusiastic, explains topics well, and has great models. I don’t think any
other science teacher at BU can match up to him.”
“Fantastic instructor. My favorite
science professor I’ve ever had. Amazing at making even the most difficult or
boring subjects interesting and fun. Absolutely hilarious. Won’t take physics
if not with him. Just needs neater handwriting.”
“He is a master. He knows his
material. He wants to help. That’s all I can expect from a teacher. He is
great.”
“He tends to challenge us by truly
assessing which of my aspects are flawed.”
“He’s great. One of the best
instructors I’ve had at BU.”
“He really makes the class
enjoyable.”
“Professor V is an excellent
professor and by far my favorite I have had in my three years at BU. It would
be a delight to have him teaching here during the school year as well.”
“He is a master. I think all
professor should be able to teach as him. That way students would not have to
spend hours reading off of lectures.”
“I can honestly say I had never seen
a professor who cared more for his students and how they do, as well as what
they learn.”
“Best teacher I’ve had, bar none.”
“Explains things in a way that can
be understood – explains why we care. Great and interesting demos. One of the
best science professors I’ve had at BU. Actually wants us to do well. Lear expectations.”
“Val was a breath of fresh air after
CH109 and 110. Great lecturer; I almost became a physics major because of Val
(and the TFs, too). Explains well, is nice, has great presentation.”
“Incredible instructor; best one
I’ve ever had at BU. He above puts the chemistry department to shame in how
thorough and passionate his lectures are. I would change to a physics major or
minor if he taught every class.”
“The examples were very thorough and
thought-provoking. The demos were interesting and made of material more
applicable to real-life scenarios.”
“Punctual, respectful of class
end-time (much appreciated). Extremely knowledgeable about content, very
effective at braking things down to digestive pieces, and presenting it in a
logical, glowing manner. Highly engaging demonstrations. Great use of
tools/props. Good energy (especially for a 9 am class). Professor Voroshilov
has a very matter-of-fact/this-is-so obvious aspect to some of his statements,
which I personally like, but could be discouraging to some students. If that’s
just his personality, then I’m not saying he should change it, just be mindful
of how others might perceive it.”
“Honestly,
he is one of the best professors here in BU. He's engaging, loves teaching the
material, and helps the students out to understand the concepts.”
“Very passionate, good
at explaining topics and going through enough example problems,
experiments/demonstrations performed in lecture were helpful.”
“I love you Mr. V, you
make physics bearable!”
“Fair and quick grader.
Has a really funny and dry sense of humor. Felt prepared for tests.”
“The professor is very
enthusiastic and has a lot of experiments relating to the topics we're
learning.”
“Professor V. presents
himself as somewhat cold and calculating, and appears to not care for his
students. This is the first impression most people get, likely due to the
nature of the material not involving emotional response. In reality, Professor
V. cares deeply for his students, and it is apparent when he spends the time to
answer students questions, regardless of how complicated or simple it may be.
Professor V's teaching style keeps you motivated and engaged, and his
presentations are clear and direct.”
“I have always dreaded
taking Physics — so much that I waited until the summer after I had completed
all the other undergraduate requirements and still hadn't taken it. I am very
glad I waited and had Mr. V as a professor; he knows the material extremely
well and teaches it clearly and explains well. One of my favorite professors
thus far.”
“Mr. V has the most extraordinary
way of teaching a topic that most people fear. His sense of humor keeps the
class amusing. I'm happy that my physics experience was left in the hands of
such a passionate and instructor. The course always felt fair and prepared us
for his expectations.”
“Amazing professor. Waited for the
summer so I could take PY105 and PY106 with him. Funny in his way and very
fair. Always helpful. Would only take this class with him.”
“I think he is very relatable and
very funny. I think he genuinely wants people who are willing to work to do
well. He is very fair with his grading policy. Many students who complain about
him are just taking advantage of him to begin with, and are being unfair to
him.”
“The professor explains the concepts
very well although of the language barrier, and he tries his hardest for
students to understand, he grades the exams fairly.”
“Prof. Voroshilov is very good at
what he teaches, his slides are dense and helpful. Prof. Voroshilov is
entertaining and teaches well. Prof. Voroshilov is awesome!”
“Prof. Voroshilov is always
extremely prepared for lectures. Excellent lecture slides, demos and PRS
questions, online class site and resources are excellent and helpful.”
“I appreciated your sarcasm and the
way you were teaching us to be very specific with our question because this
helped me to become better with my analytical skills.”
“Very enthusiastic and approachable.
Genuinely cares about his students. Best professor at BU.”
“Thank you for making physics so much fun, and
for being such an awesome teacher! Happy teachers’ day! You were
definitely my favorite teacher! You always made our class very entertaining and
I was really lucky to have you as a teacher! Thank you for teaching me to
check my grades! Have a wonderful summer and stay in touch, I will read your
book and tell you what I think!”
“He really cares about his students
and provides the appropriate materials for their success.”
“Good instructor. Helps students
learn well.”
“Good at breaking things down.”
“Passionate about teaching.”
“Very funny. Genuinely interested in
the best ways to teach material.”
“Mr. Voroshilov has a clear
understanding of all he teaches and is a master on the subject.”
“Mr. Voroshilov does a good job of
doing example problems with a simple approach to make material clear.”
“Enthusiastic and entertaining.”
“I really liked him. One of the best
instructors at BU. He explained concepts very well, his exams were pretty
straightforward and based off homework. He is really fair. He uses equipment’s
to explain the concepts which makes it fun.”
“He is an amazing professor and goes
into depth about the material.”
“I love his lecture style! It is so
helpful that he does many example problems during class.”
“Dr. V explains concepts extremely
well; I am very rarely confused and if I am it is often cleared up very quickly.
He also is quite funny, making class engaging and more entertaining (especially
since it is such an early class).”
“Mr. V clearly knows where students
are more likely to be tripped off, and thus reminds us in lecture to not make
certain mistakes. He also explains concepts in multiple ways to make sure
students understand each theory.”
“-hilarious, kept lecture
entertaining -demos prevent you from falling asleep -always willing to answer
questions -really cares about students”
“Prof. Voroshilov is a great teacher,
very wise and clear. All exams have been extremely fair so far, and he has done
a great job at conveying the material. I now have developed a much greater
interest and understanding of the beauty of physics. I look forward to PY106!”
“I enjoyed lecture he clearly cared
about the class and was straight forward.”
“He really explains things very
well, and does plenty of sample problems. The sample problems really further
the understanding of the course material.”
“Really enjoyed the dry humor. At
first, I found it a bit too much but as time went on I like it more and more.
Exercises in class are helpful.”
“Gives very fair exams.”
“Great explanation of concepts.”
“Very enthusiastic. Used lots of
demonstrations. Always made time for questions.”
“Gives many question examples. Each
lecture has many helpful visuals.”
“Very funny in some way. Goes over
the course concepts clearly.”
“Fantastic. Love his humor, makes
class fun. Tons of office hour availability which is great. Very good at
explaining concepts.”
“Incredibly funny and encouraging.
Really enjoyed the class.”
“Very clear and knowledgeable.
Funny. Made class fun and attainable.”
“Cares about students. Jokes around
with them.”
“Fantastic teacher. I suck at
physics and Mr. Voroshilov made it very straightforward, understandable and
manageable. Also hilarious.”
“Mr. Voroshilov has a teaching
technique that is almost flawless, and I wish more professors had the ability
to make a class as lively and interesting as Mr. Voroshilov has done this
summer. He was literally ready to risk his life to show us demonstrations,
solved as many problems as he possibly could, and was fair in exams. Way to go,
wish more professors were like you. Very intelligent, knows material very
well.”
“Makes the class entertaining. I
find physics to be boring at times but he keeps things fun. Very fair grader
and I like his tests.”
“He is clearly passionate about
physics. His accent is not a problem, because he genuinely tries to speak
slowly and clearly. His class demonstrations are really helpful.”
“Very smart and very funny. Physics
is hard but Val made the experience more enjoyable. He’s great. No need to
change”
“Mr. V did a great job of going
through examples and provided plenty of opportunities to get help.”
“Professor V is overall a good
professor who presents material efficiently and for the most part
understandably. I appreciate how he demonstrated phenomena we were learning
about in class. I appreciate that he answered questions in class. He provided
very good visual experiments to introduce new material.”
“He is very enthusiastic and knows
his material.”
“Mr. V’s demonstrations are
incredibly helpful to understand the concepts and be able to visualize what is
occurring in the world and in class. He teaches the information very well and
it is pretty clear what he wants from you. He is always willing to help
students and genuinely wants them to do well.”
“This material was significantly
more difficult than last semesters, but I found that the teacher presented this
material more clearly and at a better pace. The experiments that he did in
class were extremely interesting and kept the entire class engaged.”
“Very well spoken, encouraging and
funny. Knows the material well and does a great job of explaining difficult
concepts with clear demonstrations. Very open in office hours and willing to
help. As a professor, he is at first glance abrasive, but with more
understanding, very genuine and determined to provide the best for his
students.”
“-straightforward, no “beating
around the bush” -willing to help students -lectures timed well -clear slides
-video recordings of lecture helpful -responds on piazza very quickly! Gives
many examples to better the understanding of the materials.”
“Mr. V was enthusiastic about
teaching and made the material very understandable. Great at explaining
difficult physics topics directly and clearly.”
“I really appreciated all the
different resources he provided us that aided in learning. The WebAssign
homeworks were reasonable, the lectures were fast-paced but provided good
example problems, having old slides helped me focus in lecture, and the
demonstrations were always enjoyable and taught concepts well.”
“Very enthusiastic and passionate.”
“Utilize great experiments to really
help students to understand the materials amazing”
“He had a great sense of humor,
which made morning classes more bearable. Does a good job of presenting
material.”
“Clear good demonstrations, funny
guy, knows physics well.”
“Enthusiastic, cares about the
students, and very funny.”
“Explains material well! amazing
professor - makes physics understandable and relatable.”
“Enthusiastic, sarcastic, chill,
lectures with intent for us to learn. Demonstrates that physics is not really
as hard as we may have believed.”
“I found that Dr. V's presentation
of materials was excellent. Even with difficult topics, the way he explains
them helps students see an easier way to solve and think about issues.”
“I really didn’t like physics but
the Prof actually made it comprehensible which I appreciate. He might not
always be the nicest but I think he is well intentioned.”
“Overall, very good presenter and
interesting to listen to. There are a lot of examples that he does in front of
the class which is nice. Gives another perspective on the material being
taught.”
“He is very knowledgeable, uses good
examples and presentations during the lecture, and does a good job making sure
we understand the concepts. Explains material in a way that it’s easy to follow
and understand for someone who struggled a lot in physics in high school.”
“Enthusiastic about the material,
explaining steps for solving specific types of problems and the overall
problem-solving strategy, very kind and willing to help students.”
“Dry humor that makes physics
bearable. Grading is great. Definitely very friendly and funny, loved his
humor.”
“Great teaching style, and
encourages thinking.”
“Russian spy. Knows his stuff.”
“I really enjoyed taking Prof. Val
and would definitely sign up to take another one of his course. You can tell he
wants his students to understand and do well.”
“Awesome guy. Loved being in his
class.”
“Mr. V is awesome. I love his humor
and he’s very good at explaining concepts clearly.”
“I love professor Voroshilov. His
dry humor is a perfect cherry on top of this course.”
“Weirdly funny. Teaches clearly.
Russian.”
“He always asks if we have
questions: enthusiastic. Too awesome!”
“I really like Professor Voroshilov.
I think he is great at explaining concepts and is very underrated. Very helpful
in office hours”.
“The course’s workload gave me the
ability to learn a vast amount of material in just a little time: most of
science courses do not do that. The professor was approachable, friendly and
was willing to spend much more time out of class than most for explaining
topics.”
“Teaching - efficient,
effective, easy to digest Presentation - funny, honest, blunt (Russian sense of
humor is hilarious). Professor obviously cares a lot about the success of his
students.”
“He goes through lots of examples in
class which allows me to go back and look for reference when trying to do
homework problems, very helpful. He has a very dry sense of humor that adds to
the enjoyment of the class, and his delight over doing in class experiments
really lightens the mood of otherwise long difficult lectures.”
“He helps explaining things clearly
and goes slow on things so people can understand fully.”
“He is very knowledgeable about the
material and genuinely wants students to do well. He is always willing to meet
with students to help them. He explains concepts clearly and effectively and it
is very clear what he expects from students. Demonstrations are super helpful
in order to visualize the concepts occurring in the world.”
“Mr. V used a lot of demonstrations
in his lectures which was really helpful and fun to see! I appreciate how he
goes through practice problems in lecture. Mr. V is really helpful with
questions in office hours, but less so in lecture.”
“Mr. V is pretty engaging and does a
good job keeping the lecture material relevant and accessible. Thank you!”
“Funny, entertaining lecturer.”
“Dr. V is enthusiastic about
teaching and his class teaches a lot about problem solving which helps in other
classes outside of physics too.”
“Very good at explaining physics
problems in a clear, straight forward and encouraging manner.”
“Professor V. is a very enthusiastic
professor that has a very deep understanding of the material and is relatively
good at explaining it. Homework is very relevant and exams fair.”
“Mr. V had very good demonstrations
to model the physics we were learning and was very knowledgeable on the subject
taught. He had a sarcastic sense of humor which I very much enjoyed, and he
prepared us really well for the exams.”
“Funny, passionate and very open to
questions.”
“Demonstrations were so helpful and
fun!! Mr. V clearly loves physics and loves to teach. He made physics fun and I
learned physics!!”
“Experiments in class kept the
students awake and entertained, and his sense of humor is dry but humorous.”
“The demonstrations were great and
really helpful. The tests were extremely fair and were based on material given
in the homework as well as what was discussed in class.”
“He is very clear and concise with
his explanations of concepts. I also really appreciate all the practice
problems we do and the step by step examples he shows us.”
“Enthusiastic, lots of examples
shown to class, posts everything online which is very convenient.”
“Very nice guy, understanding.
Exceptional knowledge of the subject. Wants people to do well. Enthusiastic.
Always available during office hours.”
“Demonstrated experiments in class
that helped explain the material even further. Also made the class engaging by
asking question through webassign.”
“interesting, does many fun examples
in class that display the concepts well, funny”
“He used demonstrations well. All
work was returned timely.”
“Included fun and engaging
demonstrations. Related exam material to HW and lecture problems. Made things
challenging and engaging but not impossible. Good structure for learning!”
“Good examples, helpful for exam”
“Funny; intelligent; witty;
knowledgeable; i love physics so much more because of this man.
Fast paced, but easy concepts”
“The pace of his lecture is pretty
good. The exam is pretty fair, and it reflects all materials covered during
lectures.
“Very clear teaching style.”
“I appreciated the flexibility in
attending lectures and his responsiveness to questions on Piazza.”
“very enthusiastic and wants
students to do well”
“Great!”
“Explains topics very clearly with
helpful examples”
“He is good at entertaining students
and explaining concepts well too. Makes physics more enjoyable.”
“Straightforward teacher, exams are
fair”
“He is very clear and his exams are
very fair. He teaches us what we should know.”
“Professor Voroshilov explained
physics very well for how hard a topic it is. He showed us fun experiments and
tried to make lecture fun.”
“fair grading quick to return
assignments”
“Very funny and
entertaining. Clear and to the point. Very detailed course materials, fair
exams based o homework problems and lecture.”
“Professor V was very
passionate about the material and it was evident through his use of frequent
demonstrations. He also went though many examples in class which made the
theory more applicable.”
“He knows the material
really well (obviously) and is extremely clear about his expectations and what
he wants us to know and get out of the course. The course is predominantly the
basics and straightforward, but you get a really good foundation of whatever
you are learning.”
“Mr. V. Is very clear
about his grading criteria. He is clearly enthusiastic about his subject. The
homework and exams are a fair representation of what we have learned in class.
He knows the material and have good way of explaining them. Really good at
explaining concepts.”
“Mr. V is very good
making physics less intimidating and easy to understand. His demonstrations of
concepts in physics through small experiments are very helpful in understanding
the course material.”
“He is able to clearly
articulate and explain physics.
Great guy, and knowledgeable. Sometimes
difficult to understand and read handwriting, but it is math not English.”
“Mr. V is really nice!
He tries his absolute best to provide necessary information for students to
pass. He has EXTENSIVE office hours. I legitimately think he is the hardest
working teacher I've had at BU - he uses these presentations to explain
concepts and is EXTREMELY aware of things that people may not like (fast pace,
accent?) and tries his best to accommodate for this. He is doing really, really
well as a teacher and I understand why people prefer summer physics because of
this.”
“He was always prepared
for class. He posted the slides in a timely manner and despite the class being
and hour and a half long at 8:30 in the morning, he still made a good effort in
being enthusiastic.”
“The professor does a
lot of practice problems which are very helpful for solving the homework and
tests. Pretty good
enthusiastic.
Amazingly brilliant and
makes physics comprehensive.”
“The live examples he gives in class
help.
Great
Examples helped to explain topics visually
knows his students. Knows physics and minds of students.
Professor Voroshilov is helpful and
covers many examples and makes it simple to understand concepts. Great at
explaining very stimulating
Good at explaining, uses lots of examples in lecture, very
fair exams
Presents
very clearly and thoroughly. Adds humor, keeps students engaged.”
“The webassign homeworks were mostly
helpful and the course gives AMPLE opportunity to get a decent grade.”
“The course’s exams were fair and
often tested all the material learned in class. The homework, especially
webassign helped prepare for the exams.”
“The professor is a lovely person.
Friendly and eager to help”.
“He can explain concepts really
well. Brings in humor to make class more interesting”.
“Good professor, I am not naturally
good at physics, but he explains things well”.
“The homework and discussions helped
me learn the material. The professor was energetic and happy to help us learn.”
“Shows a strong willingness to help
students and meet their needs”.
“Availability outside class, always
willing to answer questions”.
“Much opportunity to get help and
improve”.
“Very knowledgeable and helpful.”
“Homework is relevant”.
“Good demos.”
“I really enjoyed the course and
webassign, homework was helpful”.
“Explains concepts thoroughly”.
“Funny, explains concepts well.”
“Instructor was organized and
prepared for the lecture.”
“Explains concepts slowly so easy to
understand, great having slides online for reference, in class examples and
experiments.”
“The course is very organized and
the Web CT content is very useful. The professor is dedicated and explains
concepts well.”
“Very good lecturer, extremely
helpful during office hours.”
“I really liked Dr. Voroshilov and
think he does a good job of explaining the material and does lots of
demonstrations that make class more interesting.”
“Very detailed powerpoints – they
were very helpful in studying for tests and doing homework.”
“Very nice man, very fair.”
“Good objective grading.”
“Labs are quick, easy and to the
point. Homework is generally representative of exams, usually is relevant to
material. Discussion is helpful. I like the webassign system.”
“Professor knew material well and
was helpful in office hours. Labs were fair, even though I hate labs.”
“Instructor Voroshilov is pretty
good at explaining concepts. He’s very funny which keeps people awake at 8 am.
His PowerPoint presentations are very thorough and helpful.”
“Fair grading, good TAs, relevant
reading, and helpful, accessible labs.”
“Helped to understand how physics is
a part of everyday life. The instructor really knew his stuff, and his
demonstrations were great.”
“Lots of visual aids to help
understanding. The professor is good and funny.”
“I thought he was well organized and
explained the concepts well. His emphasis on doing examples in class was very
helpful! He is also pretty funny when he wants to be, which is much appreciated
at 8 am while trying to learn physics. I found the professor, course and
material so much more interesting then PY105!!”
“Very helpful. Wants us to succeed!”
“He experiments with methods to be
more effective, very creative, very interesting and straight-forward.”
“The professor really enjoys the
subject and has fun teaching – good demos.”
“Professor Val is very effective in
teaching concepts, especially because it’s obvious he put a lot of work into
it, in terms of visual aids and notes. Very good professor, always available
and helpful to students.”
“He knows what he is talking about.”
“Always available and willing to
stay beyond posted office hours. Entertaining lectures, effective teaching
style, approachable.”
“Wants us to do well in class.”
“Grading is fair.”
“He is an intelligent man.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better
physics professor.”
“His demonstrations are awesome.”
“Loves teaching. Gives great
examples and demonstrations in class.”
“Hands down, one of the best
professors I had at BU. Great humor, makes physics very fun and exciting to
learn, and has fair examinations and grading policies. Great presentation
skills.”
“Great instructor – knows concepts
well, and can grab our attention and keep it.”
“Very fair exams and homework.”
“The instructor is awesome with
technology. He uses it as a very helpful tool in ways other teachers haven’t or
can’t.”
“Great instructor – really helps me
to understand concepts I am confused about.”
“Good lecturer. Knowledgeable.
Better than D______y”
“Very clear and reasonable
expectations.”
“Lab is helpful in understanding
material.”
“Much material covered in a
manageable manner.”
“Tests were straightforward and
expected.”
“Very straightforward, no surprises,
and everything he did was relevant to the exams.”
“Good pace for amount of material.”
“The homework and exams were similar
so studying was well rewarded.”
“Great class – keep it up.”
“Professor V is great and during
class his introduction is most helpful.”
“Amount of homework was good. Just
the right amount to grasp/solidify material.”
“Fast, but well taught course.”
“He is able to present a lot of
questions that are likely to be present on the exam and he goes over it well.”
“Teaching is clear and concise.
Examples on lecture slides are for homework. Demonstrations are cool and help
cement concepts.”
“Very effective at explaining
concepts.”
“Clear explanations, very good
lecturer, nice.”
“Hard class made somewhat easier or
more manageable because of Mr. V.”
“Very easy to understand and grasp
concepts (even at the faster pace).”
“Straightforward course.”
“Good pace and good amount of time
introducing every topic.”
“Challenging course. Covers all
necessary topics.”
“Learn a lot in a very short time,
but definitely able to master material and comfortable in physics.”
“Lectures were interesting, exams
were decent, and homework helped a lot.”
“Summer course is fast paced, but
worth taking with Mr. V.”
“Super easy course.”
“Course is challenging but not
anything impossible.”
“Tests are extremely fair. Homework
and textbook are very helpful.”
“He explains things clearly and labs
are helpful.”
“I thought the test were extremely
fair. I liked the problems taught and I thought the material on the tests was
covered in class.”
“Physics is fun due to this class.”
“Very good. Not difficult for
someone not good at math.”
“Teaches what needs to be known in a
clear/understanding matter.”
“Course is clear and interesting.”
“Very fair exams/assignments.
Improve grading scale – A is 95+, almost impossible in an already hard class.”
“Great at using real life examples
and experiments.”
“Clear, easy to understand.”
“Well-paced course despite the
course being compacted in time.”
“Organization of material is superb.
Professor really really cares about his students’ success and learning. This is
a very special, conscious professor, aware of his work and its impact.”
“Loved it, great summer experience.”
“Difficulty of the course is fair.
Homework, labs, and attendance help boost exam grades.”
“Strength: his knowledge of the
subject, his ability to teach us; labs are too long.”
“Great course.”
“Webassign is a great practice.
Well-spaced course out a six week course.”
“Very funny and covers a lot.”
“So interesting. Does relevant
problems. Makes exams related to homework questions.”
“He really enjoys physics and the
experiments were cool.”
“Fantastic professor, hilarious,
great and enthusiastic. Nice guy.”
“There were a ton of examples during
lecture which were extremely helpful. He’s funny too and very willing to meet
with students in office hours.”
“Knows answers to all my questions.
Grading scale is ridiculous.”
“Very enthusiastic and interesting.
Knows the material well and can explain it multiple ways.”
“Very good at explaining concepts
and keeping students interested.”
“Awesome demos.”
“Professor Voroshilov is excellent.
Very clear. Makes students understand.”
“Very clear on the course policy and
gives many outlets of problems to do to understand the course material.”
“He knows what he is doing.”
“He emphasized his handwriting was
hard to read so he made sure people were following along so that no one would
feel lost.”
“Strong points were his mastery of
the course material. He was always able to answer questions clearly. His
demonstrations were also great, and the slides were well-prepared. Lectures
sometimes were dull because we’d just worked through problems together.”
“The course covered a lot of
content, but it was presented in a way that made it relevant to life – the real
world, so it was interesting throughout.”
“Very clear verbally. Homework
helps.”
“Good labs.”
“Fair exams.”
“Homework was very helpful in
clarifying concepts.”
“Webassign – great tool.”
“Very fair in terms of time expected
on studying and homework. Webassign problems were relevant to tests and useful
in conceptual understanding the material.”
“Course is of adequate difficulty.
Grading is very fair. Love the class. Great introduction to physics. Don’t see
anything to be improved.”
“Exams and homework were very fair. Overall
great course.”
“Great professor, though could try
to be less monotonous, really funny sometimes. Overall liked him and class a
lot.”
“The course was clear and well
laid-out. It never felt overwhelming or scary.”
“Labs were great.”
“Great course, loved it.”
“Material is very difficult
conceptually, but Val does a good job of explaining it.”
“The homework actually helped and
the tests are very fair.”
“Learned a lot. I liked that the
labs were for understanding material better.”
“He know the summer term is
compressed, so he teaches accordingly and his exams are fair and he clearly has
taken that time constraint in his mind. Also awesome physics demonstrations in
class that are intriguing and help understand the material better. Improve
handwriting.”
“Course was not too challenging,
slightly boring, but I don’t really like physics.”
“Office hours with professor and
teaching fellows saved me.”
“Course: concise and to the point;
could be shorter.”
“Labs are usually very helpful to
reinforce concepts, great that office hours last so long.”
“I like the way webassign works.”
“Obviously knows material very well
and keeps class engaged. Encourages participation.”
“Great.”
“He clearly cares about not only the
material, but his students’ grasp of physics. He did his best to show and not
tell. Also, examples in class made up for the fast pace. I respect how his
exams clearly reflect material from class and show a true understanding of
presented material. Improve: He has mastered how to teach this course. Only
important would be closer instruction of TAs.”
“Professor is very knowledgeable and
explains concepts well. His demonstrations are useful and fun.”
“He clearly loves physics. While he
has typos a lot it doesn’t ever interfere with clarity of lecture.”
“Instructor is passionate about
material, quick to answer questions (email and in person). Instructor knows
about material well and truly cares about students. At office hours, instructor
is extremely helpful and patient explaining concepts clearly. 10/10 experience.”
“The professor is good at explaining
concepts. He makes lecture interesting and is funny. He also is available for
office hours regularly.”
“Very fun. Some of the funniest
moments in my college experience. Great format.”
“Helps walk students through questions,
does not mind back-tracking in case a student doesn’t understand. Has a lot of
visuals and experiments that he does to help us understand the material
better.”
“Very funny and engaging. Inspires
interest.”
“Knowledgeable. Morbid humor.”
“Knowledgeable. Provides excellent
class materials (PowerPoint, recorded lectures etc.). Assignments indicative of
challenge level.”
“Enthusiasm and humor. Explaining
how to keep going through problems with variables.”
“Mr. Voroshilov was an excellent professor.
He quickly responded to all questions and was often available outside of class.
He included demonstrations during almost every lecture that were both helpful
and fun.”
“Strong lecture demonstrations. Good
paring. Great dry humor. Very knowledgeable and well organized.”
“Very clear. Fair. Encourages
questions. Works well with practical problems.”
“Mr. Voroshilov is really good at
explaining concepts. He helps me regain my confidence in physics. He is super
helpful outside class. I love his jokes.”
“Patient. Useful demonstrations.
Useful practice problems.”
“The professor is really clear. His
lectures and presentations do not simply gave explanations to memorize but
rather comprehend them. He accomplishes this through demonstrations with
experiments. Engaged students in problem solving. Also he makes the lectures
interesting.”
“The professor is good at explaining concepts. He
makes lecture interesting and is funny. He also is available for office hours
regularly.”
One of the first statements I tell
my students is that the most important ability for succeeding in a physics
course (and in life) is not mathematics, or even logic, it is imagination
(and persistence – but that is obvious).
Imagine that you are on a plain (or
taking a train, or a bus), and talking to your neighbor.
Turns out, he is in education; for
years has been teaching math, logic, problem solving, but lately mostly
physics; developed and taught courses to middle school students, to high school
students, to college and university students, to students with learning
disabilities; has a M.S. in Theoretical Physics and a PhD in Education with
focus on teacher professional development; taught courses to teachers;
consulted school and district officials on managing innovations in education;
was a consultant to a state department of education to help with writing a
program for strategic development of the state system of education; was an
assistant to a director of a regional institute for teacher professional
development and an administrative assistant to the chairman of the board. I ran
an institution responsible for development of analytical documents and policy
recommendation for the department of education of a city of the size of Boston
(and often did all this at the same time).
No doubt, you would think that this
guy was an expert in the field of education: an expert in teaching, an expert
in advancing teaching practices.
This guy is me, Dr. Valentin
Voroshilov. I was wearing all those “hats” in Russia before I moved in Boston.
My career was very promising, but I gave it up for a chance to give my family a
broader future.
At the time, I had no publications
in English. I didn't even speak English. Hence, after I moved, all my
professional experience was bottled up inside me for many years to come. I had
to start from a square one. First as a janitor, learning English using books,
radio, and TV shows.
Today I have recovered the most of
my previous career (very proud of it!):
until my retirement 2021 I worked full time at Boston University, I teach (mostly physics) and I
am good at teaching; finally I can clearly express myself beyond a
physics course; I’m productive and I publish
in English!
Based on my professional experience,
I consider myself a driven professional (educator), an eloquent expert (in
human intelligence), a productive author, and a collaborative colleague.
In the end, I have a very broad
teaching and research experience. In one word, I have become a TeachSmith,
so to speak (not bragging, just stating a fact). The journey from a teacher to
a TeachSmith was long and wavy, but not unique, has many shareable
elements common to every professionally growing educator (and summarized in
book “Becoming a STEM Teacher”).
“Executive Summary of Professional Experience”
(I) Teaching
(A) Groups
5th-graders; 6-th graders; 7-th graders; 8-th graders; 9-th graders; 10-th
graders; 11-th graders; 12-th graders; 2-year college students; 4-year college
students; university students; schoolteachers; school administrators; district
administrators.
(B) Subjects
Physics for Engineers (two semesters); Elementary Physics (two semesters);
algebra, geometry; trigonometry; formal logic; problem solving; group theory
(discreet and continuous); methods for teaching science courses; methods for
advancing individual teaching practice; managing innovations in education
(initiation, implementation, growth, support, assessment, audit).
(II) Managing/Consulting
Assistant to Director of an Institute; Administrative assistant to the chairman
of a board. Director of Department of computerization and information
technologies; Director of Center for Development of City School system; member
or a team, leader of a group of consultants for schools and school districts
(initiation, implementation, growth, support, assessment, audit of innovations
in education).
(III) Learning
graduated from schools with high GPA; participated in a wide range of
extracurricular activities; developed personal approach to teaching (flipped
the classroom before the approach was described in publications); published
papers on various aspects of advancing education; converted publications into
PhD theses and then found an adviser; moved to a country without knowing the
language; learned the language; learned how to teach using foreign language;
started publishing in foreign language.
Dear Colleagues,
At the top of my Russian
career, before I moved to Boston (in 2002) I ran an institution which was an
analytical branch of the City Department of Education of a large city with
about 1,000,000 citizens and about 130 schools (most of which would represent
an equivalent of the combination of American elementary, middle, and high
school together). And before that I was in the field of a teacher professional
development (please, see below for the details).
But my main professional
achievement is being a good teacher. I am a highly-experienced
educator. I have been successfully designing and teaching my courses and
helping to design various courses to many educational professionals. As an
instructor, I am definitely above the average level, with a solid formal proof
of that fact in the form of my
student evaluations; with a strong
conceptual view on what teaching is and how to teach effectively, efficiently,
and sufficiently; with an experience in inventing and implementing into a teaching
practice new and effective teaching instruments helping students develop deep
understanding of the subject (physics).
The rest of this letter
details my experience in the field.
“He is a master. I think
all professor should be able to teach as him. That way students would not have
to spend hours reading off of lectures.”
“I can honestly say I
had never seen a professor who cared more for his students and how they do, as
well as what they learn.”
“Thank you, thank you,
thank you! Mr. V, thank you for putting up with all of us this summer!! I feel
much more prepared for the MCAT. And I loved the demonstrations! Thanks for
putting all the time + effort!”
“Professor
V, You designed this
class so that those who put in the effort would succeed, so I gave it my all
and sure enough. I want to say thank you for creating such a
conducive learning environment for me to succeed. I hadn't taken a physics
class since my freshman year in high school, so I was very nervous going into
your class. I did not expect this course to become my favorite science course
so far at BU. Physics is a hard subject, but you explained everything well and
made sure we, as a class, had the tools necessary to succeed with enough hard
work on our end.”
These are quotes from
many nice words said about me by my former students.
I believe, such a
feedback is one of the greatest rewards any teacher can have.
Three times since my
university graduation, I had to re-start my professional career from a square
one. This feedback is one of the proudest achievements of my professional life.
Dear Colleagues,
I believe your view of
an educator, is similar to mine, i.e. at the core of an educator is a
person who loves learning, who is good at teaching, good at
understanding the logic of learning and teaching processes, one who can clearly
express that logic to students and to colleagues, the one who can think outside
a box, who can create non-obvious solutions to non-traditional problems, one
who can help colleagues becoming the best teachers they can be.
A good teacher is a
teacher who can teach not only memorizing and repeating various – even very
complicated – patterns (that is essentially no different from training animals
doing tricks – BTW: that is what all current AI-systems do); but also beyond;
i.e. a good teacher is a teacher who, in addition to solid knowledge and
skills, can teach how to think creatively and critically –
which is the essence of Human intelligence. Currently the AI filed has no
common definition of Intelligence, that is why I have developed my own. Intelligence
is an ability to create a solution to a problem which
has never been solved before. My definition not just
grasps the quintessence of intelligence, but is also operational, i.e.
measurable (hence, teachable). For me, the vital and ultimate goal of teaching
is helping students to advance their intelligent abilities, i.e. helping them
become truly human.
“I have a very
particular set of skills, which I have acquired over a long career”. My
student evaluations are the result of my extensive and successful professional
experience in the field of education.
I have no doubt, I would
be a good fit as a member of a professional team of educators.
What may make me stand
out of some other educators is the breadth and deepness of my professional
experience – due to my good luck of working in many areas of the field.
I have a deep knowledge
of the main subject I teach (M.S. in Theoretical Physics), as well as augmented
subjects (math, logic, problem solving, human psychology, methods for
teaching); I am an expert in teaching methodology and teacher preparation (PhD
in Education, experience in consulting teachers and administrators); I have a
deep knowledge of Human Intelligence; I have an extensive and successful
tutoring, teaching and research experience; I believe, all this makes me a teach-smith (so to speak).
I have a successful
experience in designing and teaching courses for middle school, high school,
college and university students, pre-service and in-service teachers. I have a
clear vision of the structure of an effective on-site or online science courses
(the latter should be more than a standard combination of “talking heads”,
hyperlinked texts, screen simulations, and chat rooms).
A joke “those who cannot
do – teach; those who cannot teach – teach teachers” is definitely not about
me.
I could have become a
physicist. I could have gotten a PhD in Physics. Anyone who could get a B+ in
elementary Quantum Mechanics can get a PhD in Physics. And I aced Quantum
Mechanics, as well many other subjects, e.g. multivariable calculus, linear
algebra, differential equations, hydrodynamics theory, particle theory,
electrodynamics, renormalization group, and even taught group theory to
university faculty. So, I could have gotten a PhD in Physics, but decided not
to use my time to getting another badge of honor. However, to prove it to
myself, in 2010 (not ever doing physics before that) I read some papers on high
temperature super conductivity, and then wrote mine own, which was published in
a peer reviewed specialized magazine (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921453410006179).
There is, though, the
seed of truth in the joke. It is just a fact that when someone is good
at doing something, it does not necessarily mean that the one can also clearly
explain what the one does, and why the one is good at it, because “clear explaining”
is also a special skill. I am lucky to have this skill, and happy to offer it
to students and colleagues.
My professional goal is
very clear – I work hard to maximize my professional output by applying all my
skills and experience.
Three times since my
university graduation, I had to re-start my professional career from a square
one and I think I can adapt to almost any working environment.
When I was receiving my
MS diploma in theoretical physics, I thought I would be becoming a physicist.
However, when the Russian economy collapsed, in order to feed my family, I
turned to tutoring, and later to teaching middle and high school students, and then
college and university students, and then teachers. At the time, schools were
some of few places where the government sometimes paid some money.
Soon I realized that
students liked my teaching, and I liked teaching students, and I started my
second career – as an educator.
I
joined a team of innovative teachers, administrators, researchers, and
consultants. Our team has been running various teacher professional development
activities, including a year-long projects involving teams from multiple schools,
with the end of a year bootcamp for students and teachers. As the result, in addition to teaching, I also entered the field
of teacher professional development, and educational consulting, and got my PhD
in Education (specialization in andragogy, concentration in teacher
professional development). My career was on a rise. But at the time leaving Russia
was the only way for me to save my son from being drafted in the Russian Army
(which at the time was not much different from Somali pirates). In 2001 a
miracle happened – I won a Green Card. Professionally as well as economically,
moving to the U.S. meant for me being greatly degraded (as from many
immigrants), but I saved my son and hoped for the best.
When I moved in the U.S.
I started my third career from a square one (my first job was a janitor at a
supermarket). Since no one knew me, and I knew no one, and I spoke just very
basic English (which I learned myself from books, tapes, TV and radio shows),
the journey to reestablishing myself as an educator was not quick and easy. But
today I teach, I write, I research.
I am proud of my current
achievements, but I am always open to making another step in my professional
journey.
For example, I am always
open to more teaching and to a collaboration on development of new approaches
to teaching and teacher professional development.
I have been involved in
many collaborative projects which had led to the development of new curricula,
new course content, efficient tools for managing teaching activities and
learning experiences, facilitating teacher professional development, running
professional development workshops for teachers and administrators.
I started my teaching
career as a tutor. Tutoring may be very helpful for gaining a deep
understanding of numerous reasons for different students to have various
difficulties with getting a good understating of math and physics.
Some tutors would help a
student to do the homework, and then a student would come back with a new
homework, and then again, and again. For me it felt like cheating. I wanted to
teach my students how to do their homework on their own. My goal was to help a
student reach that level of understanding so he or she would not need me
anymore. It may have looked counterproductive – money-wise. But in reality, it
worked for me very well, because parents of my students talked about me to
other parents, and I had plenty of clients.
Tutoring helped me to
initiate the development of my teaching toolbox tailored to students with
different background. People usually are eager to talk about gifted students,
and how to help talented students to realize their potential. Struggling
students do not often attract the same attention as gifted ones. Tutoring is
like having a clinical practice. All good students are good due to mostly the
same reason (a good background), but when a student struggles there might be
numerous possible causes for that.
Teaching and tutoring
physics, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, problem solving, logic helped me
acquire an integrative view on various difficulties students may have and
effective approaches to guide students through those difficulties. My
Doctoral work was focused on the approach for igniting and supporting teacher’s
sustainable desire to grow professionally, and on methods for helping educators
to design the most effective path for their continuous sustainable professional
development (teaching teachers about teaching requires deep and wide
understanding of learning, teaching, and of the teaching subject).
In Russia I was a member
of “Moscow – Perm Socratic group” – a collaboration of educators dedicated to
promoting the Socratic Method of teaching.
I have a long and
successful experience in teaching various mathematics and physics courses,
courses for pre-service and in-service teachers and school administrators. I
have been teaching Mathematics and Physics to almost all possible categories of
students (i.e. to middle- and high- school students, 2-year and 4-year college
students, university students, to students with learning difficulties, and to
school teachers). I also have been teaching various curses for in-service
teachers (in parallel with teaching math and physics).
For a number of years, I
had been working at a regional institution for teacher professional
development, providing various courses and training to teachers and school
administrators.
Individually and as a
member of a team I was consulting and auditing individual teachers, schools,
and school districts regarding educational policies, teaching technologies,
learning outcomes, and quality of education in general. Alone and with my colleagues,
I was traveling to towns and villages of the Perm Region to meet with teachers
and administrators and helping them with adjusting teaching and administrative
strategies and techniques in order to achieve better learning outcomes of their
students, including preparing strategic plans for systemic development of a
school, a district and a regional education system.
My administrative
experience involves running a department of computerization at Perm Institute
for Continues Teacher Education, working as an assistant to the Director of an
Institute and as an administrative assistant to the President of the Board, and
later running the Center for Development of the School System of City of Perm,
which was an analytical branch of the City Department of Education (my last
position before moving to the U.S.).
I was hired by the Perm
State (a.k.a. Region, a.k.a. Oblast') department of Education as a consultant
to help draft the “Program of the Development of the State Educational System
for the five-year period”. This was one of the highest levels of the
recognition of me as a professional educator and a consultant.
After I moved in the
U.S. and re-entered the field of education, I have been teaching Boston
University PY105/106 Elementary Physics courses, as well as College
Mathematics, Physics and Problem Solving at ITT Technical Institute (Norwood,
MA), Wentworth Institute of Technology, Bridgewater State University, BU High
School Academy.
During the years of my
teaching practice, I have developed numerous math and physics middle-, and
high- school and college curricula, syllabi and lesson plans; problem sets,
worksheets and hands-on activities. I have an experience in developing websites
and using such ones as webct, moodle, blackboard, webassign, masteringphysics,
wileyplus; creating new demonstrations, filming movies and posting them online,
using Java applets and audience responds systems (eInstruction, Turning
Technologies); developing laboratory experiments and writing manuals. I have
been and am using different teaching strategies, including different media to
motivate students to learn and to help students to master a subject.
My years of personal
tutoring and teaching provided me with invaluable insights into how people
learn and how to help them to master a subject and to become a more efficient
learner (my teaching philosophy is presented below). I have been sharing
this experience with many students, teachers, and colleagues. I have strong
communication skills, deep understanding of pedagogy, wide teaching experience,
and competent in using a variety of educational software products.
I firmly believe in a
scientific approach to teaching and to research on teaching. A teacher should
be able to state specific goals, list the assumptions, formulate the criteria
of a success, and establish measuring tools and procedures, and a researcher
should be able to do the same as well. I am also convinced that contemporary
technologies will allow to bringing teaching to a new level.
My personal teaching
experience has always been entangled with my research and consulting practices,
and this entanglement represents one of the most helpful assets I have and use
when working with students, colleagues, teachers, and administrators, because I
usually know what students, colleagues, teachers and administrators may want or
need, what obstacles they may encounter and need to overcome, and how to help
them to do that.
I am a team player, the
goals of my team always set limits and directions for my personal professional
goals. Throughout all my professional life as an educator I have always had
good relationships with my students and colleagues. I always respect all my
students and they know it, and they respect me back even if at the end of the
course they do not have the grade they would like to have.
I am confident that my
teaching, research, and administrative experience would let me to be a serious
asset for a team of innovative educators, specifically, effective instructional
designer.
Sincerely,
P.S. What usually confuses HR associates is the
fact that never in my life I was holding only one professional position. Since
the time when I was a middle school student, in addition to taking classes or
having a full-time position, I had always had some additional job or jobs on a
side, and then later in my professional career I held at least two official
positions, and sometimes even three. And I firmly believe that my “extra”
experience only amplifies my experience, no matter which specific professional
position I would hold.
When I was becoming a
manager, my mentors taught me that the number one quality of a manager is
character, because without character one cannot be decisive, cannot make decisions,
especially if they involve risk, hence cannot properly execute his/her function
as a manager - making decisions. However, I have also learned, that character
is important for anyone to succeed. The fact that I re-stared my career three
times, and twice overcame severe financial hardship proves that.
Education:
PhD in Education: “Organizational and pedagogical conditions for helping
teachers to master project-based approach for designing their own teaching
practice” (a study on the methods for motivating teachers towards
continuous professional development; which has become a chapter in a book).
Moscow Academic
Institute for Innovations in Education; Moscow, Russia, 2000
M.S. in Theoretical
Physics: “Homogeneous
Relaxation in Weakly Non-Ideal Non-Equilibrium Bose Gas”
Perm State University,
Perm, Russia, 1985
Areas of expertise:
A) administrative
practices related to running a unit of an administrative structure, such as a
department, or an institution, including but not limited to:
1. strategic and
tactical planning
2. observing,
guiding, coordinating, evaluating the performance of employees
3. analyzing
individual reports, preparing and presenting cumulative statements
4. managing everyday
workflow
B) consulting on
developing teaching practices at different levels (individual teachers, teams
of teachers, schools, school districts)
C) auditing
teaching practices of individual teachers, teams of teachers, schools, school
districts
D) public relations
– representing the team of developers to different groups of prospective
clients (teachers, administrations of different levels)
E) analytical
practices:
1.
developing and employing various analytical tools – surveys, interviews, tests
2.
conducting analysis and presenting reports
F) developing and
teaching various courses for pre-service and in-service teachers, including but
not limited to:
1. philosophy of education
2. role of teaching in
human practices
3. curriculum
development and lesson plan preparation
4. assessing learning
outcomes of students
5. classroom management
with and without differentiation
6. how to become an
effective teacher (the role of self-reflection in professional development)
G) developing and
teaching various Math and Physics courses for undergraduate students
(non-physics majors, including pre-service and in-service teachers):
1.
preparing a syllabus (structuring the course, building up learning paths)
2.
writing/composing lecture notes and problem sets
3.
developing problem solving strategies and guiding techniques
4.
lecturing, guiding, tutoring students (including teachers in service)
5.
developing, testing, performing physics demonstrations and laboratory
experiments
6.
video and audio capturing, editing, posting, streaming
H) teaching
creative courses as such “Lateral thinking”, “Problem solving strategies”
I) as a faculty
member of a research university: facilitating, monitoring, consulting faculty
on developing curriculum, preparing lectures, incorporating various teaching
activities into a course, analyzing the learning outcomes of students.
J) using and
consulting on using online teaching instruments (blackboard, webassign,
mastering physics, etc.) and personal response systems
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Strategic Consulting / Education Advancement Professionals
Boston University, Boston,
MA; Physics Department: 09/2007 – 08/2021
Lecturer (PY105/PY106
courses):
Responsibilities: Curriculum development; developing and editing
lecture notes, homework assignments, laboratory manuals, exams; lecturing,
overseeing work of teaching fellows and learning assistants.
Boston University,
Boston, MA; Physics Department: 03/2007 - 08/2021
Lecture Enhancement
Coordinator (Physics Department Demonstration Facility Director)
Responsibilities: Cooperating with the faculty on using existing
and developing new physics demonstrations and helping faculty with implementing
contemporary teaching research-based techniques into the teaching practice.
Bridgewater State
University, MA; 2010 - present time
Visiting Lecturer:
Algebra Based Physics.
European Journal of Physics; 2013 - present time
a reviewer, physics education.
Wentworth Institute of
Technology, MA; 2008 - 2012
Adjunct Lecturer:
Algebra Based Physics.
Boston University,
Boston, MA; Physics Department: 08/2012 – 08/2013
PDGK12 program/ Program
Manager:
Responsibilities: Organizing and guiding teaching fellows –
participants in GK12 project – on the use of physics demonstrations in Boston
schools.
Boston University,
Boston, MA; Physics Department: 08/2012 – 08/2013
BU ERC Lecturer:
Responsibilities: Curriculum development for and leading workshops
“Physics - Demystified” for BU students.
BU Academy, MA; 2009 - 2012
Substitute Lecturer:
Elementary Physics
ITT Technical Institute, Norwood, MA; 06/2004 – 2011
Adjunct Physics
Instructor:
Responsibilities: Teaching Physics, College Math I and II, Problem
Solving
Boston University,
Boston, MA; Physics Department and School of Education: 09/2006 – 06/2007
Adjunct Instructor
Responsibilities: Teaching Physics to in-service high school teachers
Boston University,
Boston, MA; Physics Department: 09/2004 – 03/2007
Lab Tech Coordinator
Responsibilities: Coordinating a preparation and carrying out of
undergraduate teaching labs; managing the equipment; developing new teaching
labs; consulting TFs
Boys and Girls Club of
Boston, Roxbury Clubhouse, Boston, MA; 07/2004 – 11/2004
Teacher’s Assistant,
Math and Science tutor:
Responsibilities: Tutoring in Math and Science to Club Members
Wentworth Institute of
Technology, Boston MA: 01/2004
– 05/2004
Physics Laboratory
Instructor: Department of
Applied Mathematics and Sciences.
Responsibilities: Guiding students through a variety of
Physics I and Physics II laboratory work
Tutor: Academic Resource Center. 01/2004 –
05/2004
Responsibilities: Tutoring students in Mathematics (Algebra,
Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus) and Physics
Center for Development
of City School System, Perm, Russia: 2000 – 2002,
Interim Director:
Responsibilities:
managing teams of
professionals of an institution responsible for development of analytical
documents and policy recommendation for the department of education of the City
of Perm.
Institute for Continuous
Education, Perm, Russia: 1997
- 2000
Associate Professor: Department of Teachers’ Skill Development.
(1995 -1997 as a part time employee)
Responsibilities:
Taught a wide spectrum
of courses to school teachers and principals of the city of Perm and Perm
region
Examined teachers’
curricula, Evaluated of the quality of teaching in physics and mathematics
Courses developed and
taught included:
Methods for Problem
Solving in Mathematics and Physics
Modeling of Mental
Processes of Students while Problem Solving
Methods for Preparing
Educational Tests
Planning Effective
Teaching Activities
An assistant: to the Director the Institute.
An administrative
assistant: to the President of
the Board of the Institute.
Director: Department of computerization and
information technologies.
Member: of the consulting group for schools and school
districts.
Perm State Technical
University, Perm, Russia: 1988
- 1997
Assistant Professor: Physics Department.
Responsibilities:
Teaching a wide spectrum
of courses to undergraduate students
Training students in
Math to prepare them to study Physics
Developing physics and
math curricula
Developing educational
aids for students
Courses developed and
taught included:
Mechanics; Thermodynamics;
Electrostatics; Magnetism; Optics; Atomic and
Nuclear Physics
Fundamentals of Quantum
Mechanics; Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus
Methodological
development included:
Curricula in Physics for
Undergraduate Students; Midterm and Final Physics Exams;
Collection and
compilation of Physics Problems and solutions for Undergraduate Students
Perm State University, Perm, Russia: 1985 - 1988
Hardware Engineer: Department of Computerized Calculations:
Responsibilities: Various type of a technical support for
effective running large computers based on IBM-type architecture
Middle and High Schools, the City of Perm, Russia: 1991
– 2001
Teacher/Tutor:
Teaching a wide spectrum
of courses to students
Developing curricula and
midterm/final tests for courses taught
Training students to
Math/Physics competitions
Developing and testing
learning tools for students with learning disabilities
Courses developed and
taught included:
Algebra; Geometry; Trigonometry;
Fundamentals of Probability Theory; Physics
Methodological
development included:
High School Curriculum
in Physics with Elements of University-level Physics
Math Curriculum for High
School Students in Physics Classes
Introductory Lectures on
Basic Quantum Phenomena for High School Students
Midterm and final
physics exams
SELECTED CONFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS
What is “Teaching” and “Learning”? A
short essay, where I summarize my views on what is teaching, what is
learning, and why everyone should learn physics these days: Cognisity.How/2017/11/method.html.
Becoming
a STEM teacher: a crash course for people entering the profession //
amazon.com
What does “thinking
as a physicist” mean? // 2011
The fundamental laws
of “Teach-Ology” // 2016
Project-oriented
form of teacher professional development / Presentation at
2016 PhysTech conference:
Professional
Designing as One of Key competencies of a Modern Teacher /
2016
Materials
from a one-day workshop with Prof. Novak for teachers:
“Educational concept mapping”
A general algorithm
for creating a solution to a physics problem // 2012
What is the mission
of education? // 2018
How much of “cyber” in
“cyberthinking”? // 2018
An
actual level of difficulty of test problems and its subjective perception by
students // 2009 AAPT Winter Meeting, Chicago, Feb. 15 (2009).
Making
the Transition from Introductory to Upper-Level Courses //
2009 AAPT Winter Meeting, Chicago, Feb. 15 (2009).
On a
Definition of Work // The Physics Teacher, Val. 46, May 2008,
p. 260.
Energy
from nothing? // Physics Teacher, Vol. 45, No. L1, p. L1, July 2007.
On
Putting Physics First // “Interactions”, March/April 2007, p. 6 -7;
Physics
First or Physics in Parallel? // 2007 AAPT Summer Meeting,
Aug. 1 (2007)
The
Comparison Between Russian High School And American College Curricula //
2007 AAPT Winter Meeting, January 2007.
Constructing
Learning Aids for Teaching Algebra-based Physics /
Poster, AAPT summer meeting, 2006
Learning
aides for students taking physics. (a broader version of
Phys. Educ. 50 (2015)
694-698, http://stacks.iop.org/0031-9120/50/694)
A
Map of Operationally Connected Categories as an instrument for classifying
physics problems. // (Mar. 2015)
Critical reading of “Making
sense of confusion” by Eric Mazur et al. // (Mar. 2015)
“To
test or not to test?” This is NOT the right question. //
edutopya.org (Mar. 2015)
On electron pairing in a periodic potential // Physica C:
Supercunductivity, V 470, # 21, November (2010), pp. 1962 – 1963 // http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physc.2010.08.007.
Classification of Educational Self-Determination of Students // in
the journal “School Principal”, Moscow, Russia, 2001.
Universal Algorithm for Solving School Problems in Physics // in
the book "Problems in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics". - Perm,
Russia, 1998. - p. 57.
On the Necessity of Modeling by a Teacher of His/Her Own
Pedagogical Activity // in the book “Development of Scientific
Intercommunications in Eurasia”. - Berezniki, Russia, 1997. - p. 172.
Application of Operationally-Interconnect Categories for
Diagnosing the Level of Students' Understanding of Physics // in the book
“Artificial Intelligence in Education”, part 1. - Kazan, Russia, 1996. - p. 56.
Quantitative Measures of the Learning Difficulty of Physics
Problems // in the book “Problems of Education, Scientific and Technical
Development and Economy of Ural Region”.- Berezniki, Russia, 1996. - p. 85.
My reflection to the voices of my students.
First, one might ask why do I post
all that feedback, isn’t this just bragging?
No, it is not just bragging.
I write on education, and I want to
demonstrate that I know what I am writing about.
I know about education not from
books or theorization.
I know about education from books,
from my own theorization, and from my own highly successful teaching
experience, from my whole educational practice.
I believe that having this type of a
feedback shows that overtime I have made a transition from being a teach-er
to becoming a teach-smith :)
The first two paragraphs above are
copies of the thank-you cards I got from two of my former students, the rest is
the quotes from end-of-a-course (elementary physics I and II) student
evaluations from 2008 to 2017 about me and the course I have designed. Those
quotes represent about two thirds of positive (mostly) views expressed by
students (the other third expresses sentiments very similar to already
presented). It is worth noting, that many comments go beyond just “he is a nice
guy”; many comments underline the fact that the course is designed to help
students to get good understanding of physics.
Do I have any negative reviews from
my former students?
Of course! (the copies of full
evaluations are available on https://www.cognisity.how/2019/09/feedback.html and (the older one) http://gomars.xyz/mathhealth/myinfo.htm but why would I presented here everything
negative about myself? :) )
Having only positive reviews is
unnatural for a teacher of a large class. When one has several dozen students
with different backgrounds, different expectations, different cultural habits,
and psychological inclinations, it is inevitable and unavoidable to have
student who did not like the way one teaches (due to a list of possible
reasons).
The first question is – does the
teacher have more positive or more negative reviews?
Well, in my case, if I had more
negative reviews than positive ones, I would not be allowed to teach these
courses for so many years.
Since I am a teacher, it seems
natural to me to evaluate my skills by comparing them with the skills of other
teachers. Unfortunately, I have no access to statistic on other BU physics
department faculty; I would even think that this statistic might not even
exist. “Fortunately”, www.ratemyprofessor.com
gives some glimpses of “comparable” “data”. Surly, no one can take seriously
what students post on this site, at least until hundreds of students would
express their opinions on the same professor. However, even with this amount of
“data” we still can see some interesting patterns. There are faculty whose
average rating is high because the most of the students’ ratings are high;
there are faculty whose average rating is law because the most of the students’
ratings are law; there are faculty whose average rating is average because the
most of the students’ ratings are average. But there are also faculty whose
average ratemyprofessor rating is average because students’ ratings are very
opposite (some give a high rating but some give a lower one). So far my
ratemyprofessor rating is of the latter kind (good thing is that my official BU
student reviews aren't such; but one can ask a general questions – what is more
important, the average rating or the highest one?).
______
This is the glimpse of some of the
reviews taken from the ratemyprofessor:
GOOD!
Mr. V was honestly the best
professor I have had at BU. I never take the time to rate my other professors
but Mr. V is worthy of the praise. He made the summer course worthwhile. His
demonstrations were great and his humor always made my day. Go to office hours,
do the web assign, and you will learn a lot. He is an awesome human. Thank you
BAD!!
Not fair. First exam was easy. But
other exams were ridiculously hard. Exams are much more difficult than HW
problems. Handwriting is horrible and it is difficult to understand him. Never
tells what is exactly on the exam. Expects you to study everything he gives
(labs, discussion, lectures, webassign, etc). Not clear at all.
GOOD!
I was very worried coming into this
class, having ALWAYS struggled with classes like Physics. I was also worried
when I heard Dr. V's strong accent. However, after taking 2 straight summer
courses with Dr. V, he has proven to be an incredibly nice, caring, and funny
professor who really wants his students to succeed! GO TO OFFICE HOURS, DO
HOMEWORK
BAD!!
Very difficult to understand.
Homework questions are not like questions done in class. Goes through too much
material far too quickly. Do not take this class over the summer.
GOOD!
I took PY105 in the summer and
although I honestly dislike physics, I did enjoy Mr. V's lectures. I guess his
accent's gotten better because our class was the first to not complain about it
(2016). The exams are generally difficult but graded more leniently that most
other BU courses IMO. I'd love to have him for physics again for 106, he's
chill.
BAD!!
Very hard professor and moves at the
pace of a fast train. he does not go through examples and thinks people
understand concepts when they do not really. i really wish he would solidly
lecture/explain more.
GOOD!
Val is a great professor. He is
somewhat difficult to understand and his handwriting is atrocious, but overall
he does a good job getting the concepts across. He has some awesome in class
demos which are fun to watch. He tests very similar to the homework problems,
so if you understand the homework fully you'll be fine.
BAD!!
Expects you to have read ahead of
class and memorized everything. there is no required textbook, but he takes
class problems, homework, and test questions from the one that he recommends,
which is not helpful at all. he speeds thru things and doesn't give one time to
write or properly digest the info. if he's teaching, take physics later.
_________
You would probably prefer having a
GOOD teacher, and tried to avoid the BAD one. But the fact of the matter is
those two descriptions depict the same person, i.e. me (BTW: on the
first day of each new class I always show to my new students a much longer list
of pros and cons)!
I think this is very solid proof of
the fact that different students have different learning styles and different
teachers have different teaching styles, and sometimes those styles match and
sometimes they don't.
It is clear that students’ opinions
about me are polarized, and I am absolutely fine with that.
Probably I am the only professor who is accused of a "grade
deflation", the quote: “grade deflation is the craziest concept to exist
in a university setting. This is a physics course. A 93 should be an A period.
In what world is a 93 not an A?”
That is when everyone talks about
grade inflation.
The large part of my first lecture
is devoted to presenting to students my views on physics, on teaching, on
learning, on grading, and on my expectations about students (for example, take
a look at this short video: https://youtu.be/E8776nfGNX8; over the years I have posted many short YouTube videos,
including videos on what is physics and how to solve physical problems).
I always mention a simple fact, that
different students learn differently, people have different learning styles,
and different teachers have different teaching styles, hence, there is always a
chance that my teaching style does not math somebody's learning style. What to
if that happens? Well, a student will have to make a decision – stay or go to a
different teacher. So far (knock on wood) I represent a good match for the
majority of students taking BU PY105 and PY106 courses.
Among negative reviews the most
common themes are: an accent (Russian), handwriting (guilty, my handwriting is
not much better than the one of a regular doctor), too fast (well, the average
speed of covering the material is equal to the total volume of the material
divided by six weeks of the course), do not answer questions in full (that is
sometimes true, it depends on a question, sometimes I just cannot spend much
time on repeating the material learned two weeks ago and only can point at the
material which is needed to be reviewed again), too forward/direct with
students (for example, when asking direct questions; an interesting observation
– you ask a direct question to a student in a lecture and the student
“shrinks”, but there is almost no problem if it happens on office hour).
I believe that for any teacher the
list of positive reviews from students should present the best recommendation
for a teaching job.
When I left my comfortable life in
Russia and moved to the US I did not have professional network to rely on, or
money, or language. It took me some time to finally land at Boston University
physics department as a laboratory assistant. Gradually my English got better,
and my knowledge of the new academic environment got clearer. After three years
I got a promotion to run a demonstration facility. A year after I started
teaching BU elementary physics courses, and I have been teaching physics since
then. During the last several years, in addition to my full-time position at
the demonstration facility, I also have been teaching, and traveling to
different conferences with posters or presentations, and publishing various
papers, but my dream has always been to became a full-time physics instructor.
I have an experience in research on
teaching physics, I have an administrative experience, I have been helping to
schoolteachers and administrators to improve teaching environment, but at my
core I am a physics teacher.
My teacher philosophy, my views on
what is teaching and what is learning are presented in my book “Braking the
Mold of Conventional Thinking: a Personal Quest for Teaching Philosophy”
available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/665204 (the short version of my teaching philosophy is below).
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
(for
the broader version, please follow to: http://www.cognisity.how/2017/11/method.html)
Dear Colleagues,
Below you find a very short version
of my teaching philosophy, which has been presented in great details in my book
“Becoming a STEM teacher”. In chapters “What is
Learning”, “What is Teaching”, “How I flipped my classroom without even knowing
it”, “What does “Thinking as a Physicist” mean?”, and others I lay down the
results of my reflection upon years of my (mostly successful) teaching.
I believe that learning is more than
just acquiring a certain set of skills and prescribed amount of knowledge.
Learning is an important cultural process which happens when pupils (students)
are being brought into the realm of relationships and traditions which should
allow them (a) to prosper in the current society, and (b) to become active
agents of the social progress.
I believe that a teacher is more than
just a “walking knowledge storage” who imparts this knowledge on students and
judge how good students have become at reproducing the knowledge imparted onto
them. My definition of teaching is: “Teaching is guiding students
through a specifically designed set of learning experiences (a.k.a. student
activities) to help them to develop or advance desired skills and knowledge.”
A teacher is a guide, who had become
an expert in a certain field, and now helps students to begin and to walk a
path to becoming an expert in the field he or she wants to become an expert. In
order to guide students as efficiently as possible, a teacher has to use (and
often develop) specific tools/instruments students should use when immersed
into situations specifically designed to help them mastering designated skills.
A teacher might be not the one who designs the whole set of student activities
and corresponded learning tools, but he or she generally should have a deep
understanding of the reasons for the use of the activities and tools.
Students are not empty vases needed
to be filled up with wisdom, not tabula rasa on which a teacher scribbles smart
things. Students have certain world views, they have certain understanding of
how the nature works, and a teacher cannot ignore ideas, conceptions,
preconceptions (some of which might be incomplete or incorrect) students have
when starting a course.
The goal of learning is to achieve a
higher level of competency. Passive learning does not work. Strictly
speaking, passive learning is not really a learning, it is just a precursor for
an actual learning. A true learning happens when students are actively
trying to merge new knowledge (usually presented to them by a teacher live or
via mediating media – books, videos) with the previously internalized
knowledge. Very often students run into contradictions, some of which are often
called “mistakes”. However, the only truly real way of learning is through
making mistakes and reflecting on how those mistakes had been corrected.
One of the most important qualities
of a teacher is ability to guide students through mistakes they make
(maneuvering between giving away the answer and making students feeling
desperate).
When assessing student’s progress, a
teacher is not a judge, but rather an auditor who has to present to a student
the accurate measure of student’s achievement (or a failure).
In the end, the most important
measure of a teacher’s success is good feeling students have about themselves,
the course, the work students done during the course and the results of the
work; and also the reputation of a teacher students pass along to fellow
students.
That is why the simplest definition
of a “teacher” is “the person about whom someone said at least once – I’ve
learned something valuable from that guy!”.
My ultimate goal is to change
students’ aptitudes about themselves and about physics. Many students are
afraid of taking physics because they have an impression that physics is only
for selected few, that succeeding in physics requires super intelligence. This
impression is wrong. Anyone who is capable of solving quadratic equation and
knows the multiplication table can learn physics. There are only two
requirements for achieving a deep understanding of Physics:
# 1 - a good teacher;
#2 - a good student.
Being a good teacher means having a
proof of a successful teaching (e.g. the voices of my students).
Being a good student means putting
effort in learning.
If you are a good student, you don't
give up, you try and try again, and you are actively guiding your or learning
by making your teacher work for you. If something is not clear for you, if you
feel like you don't understand something - it's not your fault; it only means
your teacher needs to find the right way adjusted specifically to you to
help you to master the subject.
If a teachers does good job,
students not only learn the subject, but they also change their attitude to
more positive side.
For example, my students always
demonstrate the positive shift in their attitude.
I always tell my students that there
are science courses which represent the material simply as a collection of a
disconnected facts. Courses like that do not represent students with the
scientific way of thinking. Many people in the field of education for a long
time have been propelling the idea of teaching students how to think
critically, but they could not offer the method for how exactly this could be
done. However, the method has been around for at least several hundred years,
and is called – science thinking. The true science course has to guide students
through the scientific way of thinking using the course material (i.e. facts)
as the building bricks of the science students learn. This is how my physics
course is developed and taught.
Naturally, not all student like my
approach, the evidence
shows that some of them definitely do.
Thank
you for your time,