More on YouTube and UC Berkeley

One thing about the UC Berkeley lectures on YouTube is that we all have been inspired by great teachers at different times (though generally few and far between). But the YouTube lectures give us a chance to see great speakers who love their subject area and have a wealth of engaging stories and examples that really help us learn. If K-12 teachers had time to listen to expert lectures on topics related to their curriculum, they could acquire new knowledge and stories that create the context that makes learning stick. Here's a lecture on gravity from the "Physics for Future Presidents" course taught by Richard Muller, in which he shows a model of how gravity acts on a stream of water. He then has us consider what would happen if the stream shot out so far that it missed the earth on it's way down. This is the kind of question that would be a great opener in a classroom or around the dinner table with the kids. Bottom line: If you look at the four and five star lectures, you're bound to pick up some great information.