In many classrooms, physics and chemistry live mostly in textbooks. In Kate’s physical science class at Oliverian, they live in gardens, kitchens, climbing walls, and workshops. Her goal is simple: help students see that science isn’t abstract, it’s something they experience every day.
“My idea was to take general physical science, an intro to physics and chemistry, and translate it into everyday terms students actually use here at Oli,” Kate commented.
Rather than separating science from the rest of campus life, Kate has built her class around Oliverian’s Pillars (Stewardship, Adventure, and Art) so learning happens through real-world experiences.
“I have integrated my teaching with our Oliverian Pillars so students get real hands-on experiences that they will think back to even after they leave Oli. I am trying to do at least one experiment and one design project each quarter so students get experience with all sides of science – both the scientific method and the design process. I want students to think about science in new terms and learn how to ask real questions about the world around them. My goal is that the students become more curious about why things work and I want them to practice asking big questions and then looking for answers, even if our labs and projects don’t always work the way we hope for them to.”
Science That Happens in Real Life
Students don’t just read about science: they build, test, and create. They learn how energy moves through our gardens, how heat changes metal and ceramics, and how helmets & ropes mitigate the forces they experience while climbing. They also explore how ancient inventors used scientific thinking to shape the modern world.
Learning Through the Quarters
- Quarter 1: Stewardship
Students joined with our stewardship teacher to explore conservation of energy and thermal energy through composting, greenhouses, and solar cookers, finishing the quarter by designing and building solar ovens. - Quarter 2: Adventure (in progress)
Our Adventure Teacher is helping students see how Newton’s Laws, forces, and momentum are seen throughout rock climbing with a hands-on climbing anchor lab and a DIY helmet design project. - Quarter 3: History (upcoming)
Our medieval studies teacher will join students as they examine the physics principles of work and energy through ancient Greek inventions and simple machines, then shift into chemistry by studying chemical properties and the periodic table through carbon dating and archaeology. - Quarter 4: Art and Music (upcoming)
Students will explore chemical bonding through metalworking and ceramic glazing with hands-on labs led by our art teachers, then study sound waves through instrument design and music recording with our music teachers.
By the end of the year, Kate hopes students won’t have just learned science — they will have experienced it, questioned it, and will start to see the world through a scientific lens.
