Today, we shine the spotlight on Dr Koh Teck Seng, a physics Senior Lecturer from SPMS, who leverages the affordance of technology to update the traditional inquiry-based science laboratory classroom. The lesson is pitched at the modification level according to the SAMR model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition).
Read Dr Koh’s lesson vignette to gain an appreciation of how purposeful he has been in leveraging technology and peer learning to optimise curriculum time. His goal is to prioritise the cultivation of thinking skills and learning dispositions in his students, with the aim of equipping them for the future.
My teaching philosophy and approach
As we confront the inevitable ubiquity of generative AI, the questions that we need to ask ourselves as educators are, “Does thinking take place in our classrooms, and at what level?”, “Has technology shifted the educative goals in our classroom?”
According to Howard Gardner, in his book “5 Minds for the Future“, the first of the five types of minds that people need in order to thrive in the future is a “disciplined mind”. To me, that must mean that students must not only be accumulating knowledge and procedural-based problem-solving skills. In my classroom, they must learn to “think like a physicist”, and we have to provide meaningful learning opportunities for them to do so.
As Chad Orzel puts it, thinking like a physicist is “a very particular approach to problem-solving that involves abstracting away a lot of complication to get to the simplest possible model that captures the essential elements of the problem”. To paraphrase Einstein: “Make it as simple as possible, but not simpler”.
To allow thinking to take place, it is important for me to observe and facilitate; that is, be a “guide-on-the-side” rather than a “sage-on-the-stage”, so that there is sufficient space for students to think like physicists.
In this particular rotational mechanics class that I share below, I started with a carefully designed complex inquiry-based learning task that is both challenging and motivating for students to want to “struggle” through. It is the process of perseverance and reflecting on that struggle that helps them inch closer to developing their “disciplinary mind”. In designing such lessons, there are always two practical constraints I have to resolve:
Different readiness levels of students: Provide scaffold structures for less ready students to appreciate the abstract physics concepts at work without feeling lost, and
Limited class time: Minimise class time students spend on lower-order thinking work (e.g., data collection, plotting graphs, etc.) so that they have time to focus on higher-order analysis and evaluating work.
I would like to share one such lesson and how I overcame these practical constraints, which I believe all faculty members face.
Lesson sharing: Concept of Rotational Inertia through the lens of a physicist
Ignite the Inquiry Process: I started the lesson by introducing the investigative task, emulating the curiosity-driven pursuits of physicists. Students are challenged to find the elusive “k” (which refers to a physical quantity related to an object’s rotational inertia) of a tin can rolling along a plane by the end of the lesson.
Connect and Hypothesise: To scaffold the inquiry process for all students, I got students to work in pairs, who were provided with a worksheet to explicitly guide students to make connections with their prior learning, and to apply that theoretical knowledge to hypothesise the relationship between rotational inertia and an object’s physical properties, mirroring the theoretical groundwork that physicists undertake in a collaborative context. The pairwork arrangement and the guided worksheet were crucial to support students who may not have a strong background in Physics.
Investigate: In pairs, students collected real-world data by videoing the rotational movement using their smartphones. Then, they uploaded the video into Tracker, an application which automatically plotted the videoed movement into a graphical representation. This enabled the students to plunge straight into the analytical and evaluative thinking process, minimising time spent on lower-order laboratory work. The students also got to appreciate the complexity (and messiness) of working with real-world data. Both the troubleshooting process to clean the real-world data for analysis, and the augmentation and modification of the learning process through technology mirror the data collection and analysis practices of physicists.
Present and Reflect: Finally, through facilitative questioning, students were guided to make their thinking visible, evaluating their results against their theoretical predictions. They engaged in independent reflection on their understanding of what worked and what didn’t in their investigation. This reflective practice is a key part of the scientific process, driving advancements and deepening understanding.
Let’s hear from a couple of students who have shared their thoughts on their experiences during the lesson.
Tiffany Lim
It was quite fun to work on the hands on task & to learn how to use a new software and felt rewarding when our group was able to work on the task together and ultimately figure out how to use the software to obtain our required values.
It was frustrating when we forgot to calibrate our frame rate, which caused the graph produced and acm calculated to be incorrect. But we ultimately were able to work it out to recalibrate the t axis and obtain the right acm, which was highly satisfying 🙂
Gerald Tan
Activity was fun, interesting to see conceptual knowledge being applied.
Troubleshooting is very painful 🙁
Bridging the gap: From learning physics to being a physicist
I hope that through the description of my lesson, I have illustrated how my teaching approach goes beyond simply teaching physics concepts, to fostering the mindset of a physicist. This is vital because understanding physics is not just about absorbing information, but about learning how to think through problems, develop hypotheses, collect and analyse data, and reflect on findings — in essence, learning to be a physicist.
Learning to be a physicist fosters universally valuable competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical reasoning. These are not confined to the realm of physics but are essential across various disciplines and professional fields. This mindset, characterised by curiosity, rigour, and persistence, equips students to tackle complex problems, challenge assumptions, and make evidence-based decisions, preparing them for future challenges in their professional and personal lives.
Moreover, the scientific inquiry process integral to physics mirrors the process of lifelong learning. It encourages comfort with uncertainty, a willingness to test and revise ideas based on evidence, and an openness to continuous learning. These attributes are beneficial for everyone, not just physics majors or budding scientists. Thus, the approach of “learning to be a physicist” has broader implications, fostering a mindset and skillset that can serve students well in any field and any aspect of life.
Elevating Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) with technology
Through the description of my lesson, I hope I have also effectively illustrated how technology, combined with the IBL approach, can profoundly transform the learning experience, reshaping students’ pathway towards achieving their learning objectives. For instance, students could use digital databases for research as a starting point, but then deploy text analysis tools or data mining software to explore these resources further. This encourages them to move beyond passively consuming information to actively generating new insights, a transformation that aligns with the modification level of the SAMR model and the principles of IBL.
Similarly, students could use technology to create innovative presentations. Instead of traditional slide decks, they could use video editing software to produce mini-documentaries or animated explainer videos, actively engaging with the content in a creative way that aligns with IBL’s emphasis on communicating new insights.
The critical reflection stage, an important part of the IBL cycle, can also be enriched with technology. Students could create video reflections or vlogs, sharing their learning journey in a personal and engaging format. This not only promotes deeper reflection but also helps to foster a community of learners.
By integrating these modification-level uses of technology and the principles of inquiry-based learning into teaching, we can enhance student engagement, foster critical thinking, and provide innovative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding.
I hope that sharing my teaching experiences has ignited new insights on how combining IBL with the thoughtful application of the SAMR model in technology integration can transform education. This approach not only helps mould informed students but also nurtures them into becoming creators of knowledge and lifelong learners. It is my hope that as faculty members, we see our goal as educators to not just disseminate knowledge, but to nurture the thinkers and innovators of tomorrow.
Today, we shine the spotlight on Dr Koh Teck Seng, a physics Senior Lecturer from SPMS, who leverages the affordance of technology to update the traditional inquiry-based science laboratory classroom. The lesson is pitched at the modification level according to the SAMR model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition). 
According to Howard Gardner, in his book “5 Minds for the Future“, the first of the five types of minds that people need in order to thrive in the future is a “disciplined mind”. To me, that must mean that students must not only be accumulating knowledge and procedural-based problem-solving skills. In my classroom, they must learn to “think like a physicist”, and we have to provide meaningful learning opportunities for them to do so. 
