HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS TEACHER

The Koç School Physics department encourages students to :-

- be curious about their world and to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to
to investigate their environment.
- appreciate the importance of physics to their every day lives and its role in society.
- realise the power of scientific enquiry as well as its limitations.
- value physics as a practical science as well as a theoretical pursuit in its own right.
- develop skills to communicate their knowledge and findings to others.
- realise the importance of physics in understanding and solving problems in society.
- acquire a volume of knowledge that allows them to draw connections between physics
and other areas of knowledge.


The physics courses at Koç are intended to satisfy the requirements of the M.E.B., Ö.S.S. and I.B.
(at both higher and standard levels).

Teachers who deliver these courses are expected to :-

- be able to communicate effectively in English since all of our physics courses are
conducted in English.
- keep themselves up to date with modern developments in physics. This is particularly
important in the IB courses.
- adapt their teaching strategies to take maximum advantage of the teaching time available
in a crowded curriculum. This involves the extensive use of I.T.
- work closely with their colleagues as part of a team.
- be enthusiastic about students engaging in hands on practical work at all levels.


Brief course descriptions :-

YEARS 9 and 10 This course is allocated three periods per week as one single and one double
session, each session lasting for forty minutes. It is expected that students will
carry out their own experiments during some of these sessions.
The course content is that of the MEB, so that this course is still under
development as more details of the course become available. It is intended that
this course provides a firm foundation for the courses that follow in year 11,
and includes material from the usual topics covered at these levels.
We are currently using a UK text book for this course but we will adopt a
Turkish text when a suitable one becomes available. Most of the materials
that we use are generated within our department.

YEARS 11 and 12 Students can choose to study physics either according to the MEB syllabus or
according to the IB syllabus. The courses are taught in separate classes and
to different year plans.
Both courses are allocated five periods in year 11 and six periods in year 12.
The IB course has a requirement for an extensive practical programme that
occupies about 25% of the total course time. The new MEB course also has
an expectation of an experimental programme.
Most of the materials used for these courses is generated within our department
but we also use the IB Course Companion as a text for the IB course.