In this commentary, I consider several theoretical and methodological aspects of Nadaraji Govender and Edson Mudzamiri's study. The commentary starts with an examination of the purpose for making physics understandable to learners of indigenous background and decolonization of school physics in Govender and Mudzamiri. Next, I offer an alternative…

As I approach my 70th year in physics, let me tell my younger colleagues about my adventures with computation. When I was 14, my father gave me a slide rule because I appeared to be headed toward a career in physics. Since then, I have had experience with many other calculating devices.

Newton married her, Einstein eloped with her, and many a physicist fell head over heels for her beauty, charm, and heavenly elegance! This paper is a heartfelt personal attempt to make sense of the indescribable love many physicists have for their subject matter, physics. My muse's nickname is Feezya and this is how she shall be referred to for…

In January of 2019 I received the AAPT [American Association of Physics Teachers] Melba Phillips award. The award provided me the opportunity to reflect on the many programs in which I had participated and the outstanding AAPT leaders that I had the privilege to know. Those reflections are represented in the following narrative that I delivered at…

This commentary promotes discussion on the imaginary provided by Sanaz Farhangi in her article entitled, "Contribution to activity: a lens for understanding students' potential and agency in physics education" (see EJ1191322). The commentary is concerned with aligning ontological assumptions in research accounts of learning and…

We present a comment on "Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course", by F. J. Kontur, K. de La Harpe, and N. B. Terry PRST-PER 11, 010105 (2015). Our data show that the conclusions Kontur and coworkers draw from their data may not be generally applicable.

In this article, Paul Black reflects on his career's enrichment, due to the commitment of Kevin Keohane in the 1960s and 70s to reform the school science education. Black's commentary is based on a paper written by Kevin Keohane, ("Physics Education--21 Years On," 1987 "Phys. Educ." 22 142) where Keohane recalls the innovations…

Unparalleled academic journals not only provide a seaworthy vessel for the sharing and dissemination of innovative ideas, but also cause a perceptible wake with each new issue. For physics teaching enthusiasts, our flagship is "The Physics Teacher" ("TPT"), with its vibrant community of learners on board observing an extensive…

We reply to Rieger, Reinsberg, and Wieman's forgoing Comment [Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., Comment on "Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course" 12, 028001 (2016)].

Science fiction and the "technofantasies" of the future that it provides may attract some students to study physics. The details and assumptions informing these "imaginaries" may, on the other hand, be unattractive to other students, or imply that there is not a place for them. This forum discussion complements Cathrine Hasse's…

This paper offers a response to Dr. Noriyuki Inoue's article published in this issue of the "International Journal for Transformative" research, entitled "The Role of Subjectivity in Teacher Expertise Development: Mindfully Embracing the 'Black Sheep' of Educational Research." Inoue freely uses the terms…

This response to Marie Paz Morales' "Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude achievement" explores the ideas of culturally responsive pedagogy and critical literacy to examine some implications for culturally responsive science instruction implicit in the original manuscript. [For "Influence of…

Hans Niedderer has contributed a lot to German physics education research. His work includes quantitative and qualitative studies about topics like the learning of physics concepts or the history and philosophy of science in science teaching, he has worked on theoretical issues as well as on textbooks. But it is not only his work that is…

In this forum piece, we respond to Karin Due's study of social dynamics in groups of students in physics class and gender issues that play out in this context. We discuss two threads that appear in Due's paper: one pertains to patterns of talk within groups and how these patterns open up possibilities for learning, the other pertains to…

From Rio to Rio with Kyoto, Copenhagen and Durban in between, the conclusion remains the same: we fundamentally disagree on realities of this planet and the ways we can address them. A decisive breakthrough would necessitate both wider contexts and a larger participatory base so as to identify problems, formulate policies, and broaden and…