SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Thana Rahim spent a week meeting teachers from around the world, and learning about physics from some of Canada's top researchers at the Perimeter Institute.

Thana Rahim is a physics and mathematics teacher at St. Patrick's high school. Here she stands on the deck of her apartment overlooking the school, while holding some unique learning materials – toy bowling pins – for her physics class this fall. She spent a week this summer at a physics camp for teachers where she picked up lots of new teaching strategies. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

The camp, EinsteinPlus, took place in Waterloo, Ontario, Aug. 2-8. Focuses were on innovative teaching strategies for all areas of high school physics, developing learning resources for classes, and interacting with some of the world's top scientists.

"It has been an amazing, memorable, and motivating experience. It has exceeded my expectations. I was lucky to be selected," said Rahim.

Rahim is a physics, math, and science teacher at St. Patrick's High School.

She applied for the camp and was selected as one of 28 teachers from around the world who were invited to attend.

The flight there, plus food and accommodations, were all provided by the Perimeter Institute.

The Perimeter Institute is a world-renowned research centre that studies relativity and quantum physics – the institutes's goal is to develop a single, unifying theory for the two fields.

As the high school curriculum for physics in the Northwest Territories changed last year to involve more modern theories, such as quantum physics, the trip to the camp was extremely well-timed for Rahim.

Rahim said the EinsteinPlus program had the teachers putting in long days – sometimes going from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. – but she never grew bored, and she was constantly learning about new developments in physics, unique strategies to make physics more accessible to students, and different ways to create activities that cost next to nothing and will greatly help get the message across to students.

One of those techniques involves toy bowling pins and a toy car.

Rahim demonstrated an activity where three pins are set up and the car is rolled toward them. The kids use physics formulas to explain why one angle and velocity will cause all the pins to fall down, while other may only knock down one or two pins.

Rahim said group activities like this one also facilitate discussion between students, and they pick up on theories that they may have had trouble figuring out before.

"I love the idea that they are learning without knowing they are learning," said Rahim.

She is putting together a workshop she hopes to hold for teachers across the NWT to show them the strategies she has learned. Rahim came to Canada 12 years ago from Iraq with a Master of Physics degree from Baghdad University, then she went to Queens University where she received her Master of Science degree in physics.

She then taught at the University of Toronto for a few years, before heading to Brock University where she obtained her Bachelor of Education degree.

After that, Rahim came to Yellowknife to fill the high school physics teacher position at St. Pat's, and has been there for the last four years.

"I love the people here. My first impression here was that the people were very nice, very supportive. I have made lots of friends here so it would be very hard for me if I leave one day," said Rahim.