AP Physics Teacher Johnny Devine Describes his Nationally Acclaimed Mars-Rover Project -Based Learning Opportunity

Johnny Devine is a Tacoma, Washington Nationally Board Certified high school science teacher with over 15 years of teaching experience.

In 2018, Johnny placed before his AP Physics students a project-based learning opportunity that not only called upon his students to figure out how they could successfully land a Rover-like vehicle on Mars but that also was fabulously described by journalist and PBL advocate Suzi Boss for the Edutopia website.

Johnny has a “personal passion” relating to an ever-present burning desire to create engaging, high school project-based high learning opportunities for his students.

In this episode of Titan Talk, Johnny not only describes in detail his Mars Rover PBL, but he also answers a number of other PBL related questions:

1. Describe your Mars Rover PBL and how/why you went down this path?
2. How do you respond to AP Physics teachers who might say that this PBL, along with all other PBLs, takes too much time away from the curriculum and therefore results in a dumbing down of the curriculum?
3. How do you respond to AP AP Physics teachers who might say that your PBL’s, along with all other PBLs, aren’t for the serious student?
4. How do you respond to AP AP Physics teachers who wonder if this PBL would require them to teach students how do things that they, the teacher, hasn't been trained to teach (i.e.m how to improve a student's public speaking skills, research and writing skills, presentation skills, tech and digital media skills, etc.
5. How do you respond to AP Physics teachers who might say that this PBL, along with all other PBLs would be too hard to grade?
6. How do you respond to AP Physics teachers who say PBLs are fine for social studies classes and english classes but have no real place in a science or math class
7. Would it be harder for an AP Physics teacher to implement your PBL in an online environment than in a face to face environment.
8. Working on any new PBLs now.
9. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?

Titan Talk is normally hosted by SMHS social studies teachers Peter Paccone and Andrew Gayl, though for this particular Titan Talk SMHS AP Physics teacher Scott Barton sat in for Mr. Gayl.

Peter can be reached at ppaccone@smusd.us and Scott can be reached at sbarton@smusd.us

San Marino High School is a top-rated public high school located in San Marino, California, just twenty minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles, a few miles southeast from the Pasadena Rose Bowl, and just up the road from the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

This "Home of the Titans" serves grades 9-12, with the SMHS website to be viewed at https://www.sanmarinohs.org.

This Titan Talk was produced using Free Conference Call to record, Audacity to edit, Auphonics to level, and Libsyn to publish AND it was edited by San Marino HIgh School junior Christian Liao