The man, the myth, the Physics mastermind - meet Anthony Pedrana, our VCE Physics presenter. Half scientist, half teacher, there’s not much Anthony doesn’t know about teaching physics, the VCE Physics Study Design, applying Physics to the real world or how to help you score those extra exam marks. He shares some of that scientific wisdom here.
Anthony will be presenting two VCE Physics student study sessions on Friday 4 October in Melbourne and Saturday 19 October in Bendigo as part of Edrolo Study Fest '24.
What do you love about teaching Physics?
I love telling the story of physics and using the concepts to help explain the phenomena students see around them.
What is a concept students most often struggle with?
Relativity, and light as a wave and particle.
What are you going to cover in the study session?
- The new topics in the study design that may not appear on previous exams
- Common mistakes and areas of the exam where students struggle
- Questions on the sample exam they should understand
- Effective studying and exam tips
What’s a taster of a study tip that students might expect from the session?
Don’t focus on the questions you are strong on! If you know you can do well on the Newton’s Law’s questions, don’t waste time going over them again and again, focus on other areas.
What will students take away from the session?
- Worked solutions to some of the difficult questions in the sample exam
- Examples of questions that could be asked about the new topics
- Copies of my slides
What can students be doing now to set themselves up to be ready for exam prep next term?
- Making sure they’re learning the content well and not just cramming before their SAC.
- Getting in a good routine of studying and revising every day.
Any tips you’d give students who might be struggling right now?
- Assign time throughout the week for each subject, it’s very easy to drop all your other subjects and concentrate only on the upcoming English SAC, but in the long run you’re better off making sure you still dedicate some time to all your subjects each week.
- Use the Edrolo videos! Watch and rewatch them as needed to make sure you understand the concepts properly.
What’s the one thing you always tell your students for success in Physics?
Keep your scientific and graphics calculators separate! Never do physics with a graphics calculator and don’t take your scientific to Methods or Specialist – there’s nothing worse than doing a whole physics exam in radians.
Why should students come see you in person?
To be able to ask any questions they have and to make sure they give themselves the best chance possible of doing well on their Physics exam.
