Teaching quantum physics in elementary schools

What is the smallest thing you can think of?

Photo credit: Jim Olive

In my science outreach classes, I introduce myself as Dr. Quantum. In general, I tell students that QM is the study of the tiniest particles in the world. A Grade 2 class particularly stands out for me. I started with my famous question: “What is the smallest thing you can think of?” Hands shoot up, waving eagerly.

“An ant!” Shouts one little boy, when I point to him.

“Yes,” I say, with equal enthusiasm, “an ant is very small.”

“An eyelash!” says the tiny girl, in the turquoise smock.

“Awesome!” I reply.

“Bacteria!” says another.

“Wow, you guys are good,” I say.

Scaling has been the usual beginning of the quantum conversation in elementary school kids. In the past two years, the conversation took a little different direction. I started hearing answers like atoms, even in one class a boy asked “Aren’t strings the smallest thing?” I wonder in that moment if my heart is literally melting.

Not only are these kids really cute and enthusiastic, they may be capable of learning some basic concepts of QM. It is hard to explain the excitement and hope that I feel. Unfortunately, this is the only instance that I experienced a child knowing about QM in Grade 2 level. When asked where they learned it from, the kids said their parents, not the classroom. This points to the great potential of kids to understand basic concepts of QM, and also for the need to develop age-appropriate pedagogies to teach these concepts in school.

While my science outreach activities cover K-12 classes, the youngest group that I did QM outreach for was Grade 2. From my perspective, in the elementary levels the first fundamental concept with respect to QM is the scaling. I always start with the famous question and do a brief introduction to quantum scaling. I emphasize how nature is being studied in different fields: biology for living things, classical physics for macro scale things we see around us, and quantum physics for micro scale, invisible tiny particles. I show different models of the atom using a PowerPoint presentation that is mainly made up of appealing visuals and explain that the tiniest parts of matter are atoms, and that within the atom there are even tinier particles, such as protons, neutrons and electrons, while showing them on the model. Then I ask, “what if there are even tinier particles than these?” pointing to the more detailed atom model that also shows quarks. As I point to the quarks, saying the word “quarks” in a funny way in unison always helps us all burst out laughing.

In my elementary school QM outreach classes, I also want to introduce at least one or two counter-intuitive concepts, so that I could engage the kids by providing the understanding that the quantum world is like the magical part of life, just like the impossible things they see in cartoons or video games—radically different than their everyday life experience.

From my perspective, the concepts of quantum physics promote opportunities that would boost students' imagination and creative thinking skills. My goal is to inspire them to feel the awe of learning the counter-intuitive concepts of QM and to encourage them to enjoy learning more about physics.