Whenever I tell people that I study physics, the Big Bang
Theory almost always comes up at some point. Three of the main characters are
physicists and fill every possible geek/nerd stereotype one could imagine –
they embed science analogies in their conversations, have regular trips to the
comic book store and attend comic-con, and are among the most socially oblivious
creatures that roam the world.
I wonder how familiar my students might be with the show –
obviously some of the content is more mature, but nothing the average high
schooler wouldn’t be watching. If I deemed it appropriate for the class,
perhaps using occasional clips before leading into certain lessons would be
really effective! Even at the beginning of the year, I could use this clip from
season 3 to transition into my personal introduction to the course, reassuring
that I won’t be teaching them anything like Sheldon would:
Although a great deal of their discussions revolve around highly
advanced topics in quantum physics, a lot of the references they make as asides
can be understood by someone who’s taken a high school-level physics course.
For my students, this may make them feel as if they’re in on an inside joke. I
might even want to assign extra credit projects where they pick references from
the Big Bang Theory or other shows and make a presentation to their classmates,
pretending that they were explaining the joke to a bunch of friends who didn’t
get it.
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