Chromebooks & Positive Physics!

Verified Non-Profit

Verified Non-Profit

The Description

Please see our website, positivephysics.org, for more information and an interactive demo problem.  

Please note that while our goal is listed at $1,000 for the next 30 days, we need to raise a total of $23,000 for 25 Chromebooks ($5,000), router ($200), Chromebook charging cart ($800) and website development ($17,000). 

  

Dear Potential Supporter:

 

My name is Jack Replinger and I am the physics teacher at the Soulsville Charter School in Memphis, Tennessee, and a Teach For America alum. I am currently in my eighth year teaching high school physics.  During my second year of teaching, I reached the painful conclusion that the traditional method of teaching physics was simply not working for my students.  Over the last six years, through much trial, and unfortunately error, and with help and patience of my amazing students, and the invaluable assistance of Nick Barnhart, Memphis Teacher Residency class of 2015 and now Physics teacher at Melrose High School in Memphis, we have developed a new physics curriculum, we call Positive Physics.

 

In the Positive Physics approach, we break traditional physics problems down into well-defined skill sets, which allow students to master all necessary skills before putting them together to solve rigorous, traditional problems.  In addition, we focus on conceptual reasoning and real-world examples over algebraic manipulation and abstractions.  With this method, we have had tremendous success making physics accessible to all learners, especially the populations we serve in inner-city Memphis. 

 

I am writing to request your support for developing the Positive Physics curriculum into an interactive, online program which will not only transform our classrooms, but make Positive Physics accessible to other teachers and their students.  In addition, I am requesting a classroom set of laptops for my students so that my students can have access to the website.  A screen shot of a problem from our website is shown below.  You may also try the problem by clicking on the “Interactive Demo Problem” link at positivephysics.org. 

 

For more information please view the “Full Proposal” at positivephysics.org and feel free to contact me via phone at 206.595.4675 or via email at jreplinger@tscsmemphis.org.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Jack Replinger

Physics Teacher

The Soulsville Charter School

 

Back Up Plan

I will use all funds raised to continue to develop the website and purchase as many Chromebooks as possible.  Then I will continue to fundraise until my students receive the opportunities they deserve!

No Updates

Comments (2)

Akshay April 2, 2015

Looks awesome, good luck Jack!

Bryan Hearn April 2, 2015

This is an amazing project that will have a huge impact on students (I'm "positive" it will!). I encourage everyone to donate (if possible) and share this project with our social networks.

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About the Creator

My name is Jack Replinger and I am in my eighth year teaching physics in Memphis, Tennessee. I first came to Memphis through the Teach for America program, and spent my first four years at Kingsbury High School and Treadwell Middle School. For the past four years I have been the physics teacher at The Soulsville Charter School. The Soulsville Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter school, which serves approximately 650 students in grades 6-12. I was fortunate to begin teaching at Soulsville the first year we had a graduating senior class. Of Soulsville’s three graduating classes, each has met the goal of having 100% of seniors being accepted into a four-year college. The mission of The Soulsville Charter School (TSCS) is to prepare students for success in college and in life in an academically rigorous, music-rich environment. TSCS serves a pre-dominantly low-income, minority student population (86% free-reduced lunch in 2013-2014) in south Memphis.

Each year I have worked towards the goal of making physics a positive experience for my students and as described below I have developed a new approach for teaching this notoriously difficult subject that is especially effective with the student populations I have served. I am writing to request your support for developing an interactive online physics program which will transform my classroom and allow this method to be available to other teachers and their students. I am co-developing this program with Nick Barnhart, Memphis Teacher Residency class of 2015, who was my resident teacher at Soulsville and now teaches physics at Melrose High School, a public school in south Memphis, which also serves a predominantly low-income, minority student population.

Investments (8)

$10

9 years ago

$50

Anonymous

9 years ago

$25

Akshay Y Gupta

9 years ago

$20

Tyler J Woodard

9 years ago

$10

Audrey C Eason

9 years ago

$10

Peter VanWylen

9 years ago

$10

Bryan D Hearn

9 years ago

$9

Anonymous

9 years ago