Poetry Writing in General Physics Courses

Abstract

Poetry writing in the context of physics is a student-centered activity that enables students to view the world through the window of physics and make connections to everyday life scenarios. Poetry assignments provide a creative and atypical challenge to students, creating more student-centered class discussions and a fun, light-hearted approach to learning what is often perceived as a purely logical subject. In order to write poetry in the context of a physics concept, students actively unify their worldview with an expression of physical concepts, personalizing their connection to the topic. Physics and poetry are two of the great human intellectual endeavors, each producing deep insights on self-created models of the universe. Each attempts to get beneath the surface of events and actions through different domains. Just as poets create a perspective of the world, scientists and researchers use their creativity to come up with new ideas, tests, and explanations. Creative thinking is one of the most important skills scientists have, whether that creativity is used to develop an alternative hypothesis, to devise a new way of testing an idea, or to look at old data in a new light. Scientific analysis often involves alternating among different modes of reasoning and creative brainstorming. Creative thinking is becoming an increasingly valuable skill for students. A 2006 comprehensive study done by job placement professionals concluded that creative thinking has become one of the most important skill sets for recent college graduates.1