Amy Winston

Amy Winston, an energetic and innovative physics teacher at Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts, was introduced to Motion Visualizer 3D at the national AAPT conference in 2000. Ms. Winston is now in the second year of using Motion Visualizer 3D for successfully teaching motion with freshman and senior physics classes. Amy says, “My students learn more quickly and retain information longer with the activity-based, student-centered curriculum.”

In addition to Amy’s physics classes, Motion Visualizer 3D is used for Capstone projects, individual projects that are required of each senior physics student. Motion Visualizer 3D allows for the exploration of complicated topics. There is real-time, instantaneous feedback from the motion object and the ability to do perform thorough data analysis. Successful Capstone projects have included the analysis of a "giant" move on the uneven bars in gymnastics, juggling, the motion of a falling bowling pin (pictured below), and of a wiffle ball though the course of a pitch (also pictured below). Click images for a larger view:

Ms. Winston is very proud of her class of at-risk freshmen students. “Motion Visualizer 3D really grabs them”, as she says. “Students love the interaction, the immediate feedback, and are anxious to do further experimentation.”

Does Ms. Picard recommend Motion Visualizer 3D to other high school physics teachers? “I certainly do, particularly if the teacher likes to get students really involved in their learning, through exploration and experimentation."

Motion Visualizer 3D can be easily used with any standards based curriculum. It is for ALL levels of students and makes learning an active process.