With Costa’s extensive range of course offerings, some classes tend to get lost in the overwhelming selection. That’s why Astrophysics teacher Rebecca Ford tries to make her class stand out by making the course as engaging as possible.
Four times a year, Ford hosts night labs on the roof of the math and science building on campus. These labs give students the ability to observe the planets and stars in a different atmosphere, leading to students being more interested inside the classroom.
“Seeing students see Saturn through a telescope for the first time, you can see they are 100% engaged because every single student is blown away by how beautiful it is,” said Ford.
While attending the labs is optional, 136 of 145 students showed up at the most recent night lab in October, highlighting students’ interest in these optional learning opportunities.
Ford’s course also invites innovative student-led projects, including the pinhole camera project. Students use recycled soda cans and photographic paper to construct cameras, allowing them to track the sun’s path across the sky.
“We create pinhole camera projects every year in astrophysics to mark the pathway of the sun,” said Ford. “They stay up from the Fall Equinox to the Spring Equinox, literally from September to March.”
These hands-on and interactive projects allow Ford to provide students with a tangible connection to confusing and complex astronomical concepts, rather than just relying on lectures or textbook readings.
Sadly, this year an unfortunate miscommunication with the maintenance department led to the pinhole cameras being removed from the roof of the math and science building after only one week of being installed.
“One of our custodians thought they were left over from last year,” says Ford. “It was a pretty honest mistake.”
Despite encountering this hiccup, Ford perseveres and keeps her students eager to learn in class. Her approach is rooted in creating a supportive environment inside the classroom.
“I try to make my class not so challenging in terms of exams because this is a science elective. These are students who are taking an extra year of science because they either are interested in it or want it on their transcript or something. I try to make it interesting but not super difficult,” said Ford.
Ford’s class design ensures that students can explore their curiosity and stay excited to learn without feeling the pressures of rigorous testing and overwhelming assignments common in other core classes.
“I think students are pulled in a lot of different directions with all the classes they have to take, all the media that they’re bombarded with,” said Ford. “To someone my age, it looks like they’re disengaged, but maybe it’s just that they live in a different time period.”
Ford’s innovative teaching methods for Astrophysics at Costa foster an environment in which exploration and hands-on learning thrive. In a world full of distractions and divided attention, Ford’s class remains united, creating a sanctuary for creativity and a deep appreciation for the cosmos.
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