Richard Feynmen as a role model for physics teachers

Overall, the study atmosphere among students in the physics courses in USM is not that satisfying. Specifically, the students follow a chronic pattern of rote learning. Lecturer also seldom, if not never, initiate innovative method in their teaching. Many things I attempted in my teaching initiative are a result of personal motivation. I simply enjoy the mere act of making others to apprehend knowledge that is otherwise incomprehensible.

I admire Richard Feynman, and am particularly impressed by his character as a physics teacher [Feynman’s enthusiastic adherence to physics teaching can be felt very strongly in the compilation of his letters by his son, in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman, published by Basic Books in 2005.]. His enthusiasm and ability to make his audience comprehend the otherwise incomprehensible physical laws has inspired me to be one of his “followers”. He was able to make abstract ideas tangible, complicated matters become crystal clear. He certainly was a master of making explanation and story telling, skilfully using many “tools” to assist his explanation, such as analogy, simile, humour, contrasting cases, contradictions and, most importantly, daily language understood by ordinary people. Throughout my teaching years, I have gradually acquired some personal “insight” in the art of explanation, thanks partly to the inspiration Feynman has imparted in me. I made effort to make my lectures a pleasant learning process to the students. I will devise interesting and comprehensible ways to illustrate a concept, for example, by creating funny analogy, reminding them of certain previous knowledge they had learned before but was forgotten, or even performing clown-like act. Very often I play computer simulation to visualise the actual scenario of how a physical laws is in action. Of course not every student would agree with me that I am a successful physics teacher (many still say they don’t understand what I say in the class). However, I am quite confident that at least my physics class is among the less boring ones.

Finally, let me quote the following:

It may seem incomprehensible to many that physics and mathematics are comprehensible. Therefore, I find that it is indeed a refined pleasure to be able to make people comprehend the seemingly incomprehensible. Such an acquired pleasure makes the teaching of physics and mathematics a source creativity, liveliness and enjoyable endeavour.