2/5/12 – All is quiet in the room 31C of Westlake High School. AP Physics students are holding their breaths, fidgeting with their fingers, and sharing nervous glances at each other.
All eyes are fixated on the seemingly rickety roller coaster set in the middle of the room. Four students close to the roller coaster are especially tense as the marble glides down their creation.
And when the marble finally hits the end point, the entire classroom lets out a deep sigh of relief. After hours and hours of hard labor, four more students in the AP Physics-C class have succeeded in creating their very own roller coaster.
Such a scene is not uncommon for AP Physics students in room 31C. Despite being one of the hardest AP classes and tests, students seem to spend less time in class getting lectured, and more time either discussing problems with each other, or delving into real life projects.
The man behind it all is 14-year teacher Scott Holloway. This is his fifth year at Westlake, and during his time the physics department has seen an increase from 69 students to 205. His classes feature an interactive atmosphere, with more discussion between students and less lecturing by the teacher.
“Physics needs to be explained,” stated Holloway. “By asking and questioning, a student will have to explain physics to another student, and this will confirm what [he or she] knows.”
This philosophy behind Holloway’s classroom is what makes this class so unique. Students start each day with mini-quizzes, or “Daily’s,” where they are given challenging problems to solve; they are, however, permitted to discuss and share their solutions with the other students around them.
“[The class] models how the real world works. In the real world there are small teams that change,” noted Holloway. “And you have to be able to communicate an idea in both written and verbal form to your team.”
Students are constantly urged to work together in all of Holloway’s classes. Desks are arranged in a way such that they do not necessary point to the front of the class, and every student is assigned a “partner” who works with his or her respective partner in various tasks.
This method appeals to learners as well. Nancy Liu, a current junior taking AP Physics C, stated, “I like physics because of the atmosphere of Holloway’s classroom and his teaching method. The class is more discussion driven; Holloway does not lecture as much as other teachers do.” She also noted that “because we tend to talk with each other more in order to learn, physics is a very open ended and engaging, though challenging, class.”
The reason behind this method of teaching is clear. “I really don’t want to show students how to do things, but rather how to think.,” said Holloway. “I want students to understand how to apply known facts into real life situations.”
Accordingly, one aspect of Holloway’s physics classes stands out as something rarely seen in other rooms: projects. Ranging from building a popsicle bridge that holds weight to an airplane that can glide for several seconds, the physics class is always filled with interesting projects that challenge but also entertain students.
“Projects incorporate kinesthetic learning (touching things),” said Holloway. “Physics is al theory in class, so I put real stuff that turns abstract concepts to real ideas… [that way] students can find out what happens in real life.”
AP Physics classes at Westlake enjoy a high pass right, but Holloway noted that the numbers meant something else. “I had a 75 percent pass rate in Physics C, and a 90 percent in Physics B [last year],” stated Holloway. “I don’t want anything over 90 percent, because then I know I’m not letting in enough kids.”
It always seems as if room 31C of Westlake High School is filled with entertainment and education, or as Holloway puts it, “edutainment.” Holloway’s physics classes are the exemplary model that shows that learning can be effective, while maintaining the fun.
I really liked the article! It was short and sweet and very entertaining to read. All the quotes were great and appropriate for the story. I remember thinking about what this teacher’s pass rate was and I liked how you give that information at the end, because I think many readers would have been curious. It obviously means his teaching methods work! Very interesting article on unconventional takes on education.
Hey Brian!
Nice article. I’m also taking AP Physics C this year and our teacher does something similar to Mr. Holloway’s. We work on challenging Fermi problems in groups and discuss with each other on our thought inputs and processes.
I agree with you on how the type of classroom setting you’re in, especially for AP Physics C, is quite important.
Good luck on Monday 😉