Welcome to IOPSpark

Today we are delighted to launch our brand new education website IOPSpark, the ‘go to’ resource for every aspect of teaching physics at school and college levels.

IOPSpark has been designed with teachers and their supporters in mind. We’ve thought long and hard about how the site is structured to make it quick and easy to navigate, offering suggested related resources and linking topics.

We hope you will enjoy discovering:

• the UK’s most comprehensive set of free high-quality physics education resources
• collections of themed research, news and expert comment designed to bring classroom teaching to life with topical content
• CPD content including articles on developing professional skills as well as a brand new glossary of physics terms
• brand-new evidence-based resources to help you identify and address common student misconceptions
• access to the active community of physics teachers across the country.

Charles Tracy, Head of Education at the Institute of Physics commented: “Teaching physics today is hugely rewarding. However it can be daunting to teach something new or to teach something familiar in a new way.  We know it’s also challenging for teachers to stay constantly abreast of the latest resources, news and content, especially when with planning, time is limited.

“Our hope is that IOPSpark will provide teachers with a trusted source of ideas and professional learning.”

"Our hope is that the new IOPSpark site will provide teachers with a trusted source of ideas and professional learning, whether they are looking for a quick fix or pedagogical contemplation. Some of the site’s resources are ready to use whilst others will allow users to delve a bit deeper and explore the best ways to present those ideas and develop their own explanations.”

We have combined our existing resources (including favourite IOP websites Practical Physics, Supporting Physics Teaching and Teaching Advanced Physics) with a growing bank of inter-linked IOP resources (including our new Ideas Students Have resources on misconceptions) plus lots more including Marvin & Milo, the IOP Physics Glossary and news, views and blogposts.

The website is searchable by student age, physics topic or type of resource (eg lesson plan or enrichment activity).

All resources on the site are themed by curriculum areas and have been tried and tested by physics teachers for their peers. Many of the resources also feature teaching tips and links to carefully selected further reading.

To make the site even more valuable as a time saving way of enhancing lesson planning, resources are linked in ways that help users find related materials and navigate through sequences of activities.

IOPSpark will also provide the gateway to TalkPhysics – our online physics teaching community. Here teachers will find a safe, friendly and knowledgeable environment in which they can share best practice, discuss opportunities and challenges they encounter and ask any questions around teaching physics.

“It’s going to be my starting point whenever I’m looking at a new topic.”

We asked Jemma Duncombe, teacher of physics at King’s College School, Wimbledon to road-test IOPSpark. She said: “It’s invaluable to find all these resources under one roof. It’s going to be my starting point whenever I’m looking at a new topic.”

We hope you agree!