Physics film wins £150,000 prize for Surrey teacher

A slickly-produced ten minute physics film that uses water rockets, school pupils, music and graphics to achieve a series of GCSE ‘learning objectives’ has been awarded a £150,000 prize fund from the e-learning site O2 Learn.  

Sharmila Hanson, physics teacher at the Bishop Wand Church of England School in Surrey, directed the most highly-rated film among more than one thousand uploaded to the site.

This film about Newton’s laws of motion beat rapping R.E. teachers and singing sociologists to the prize with the highest number of votes.

The ethos of the film, summed up by the Chinese proverb ‘Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand’, appears to be a guiding principle for this teacher..

Mrs Hanson said, “I was astounded, humbled and overjoyed to find our film had won.  The ethos of the competition was right up my street as I’m very keen to advance teaching beyond ‘chalk and talk’.”

Mrs Hanson is sharing the prize money with her school, who have earmarked £100,000 of it for the creation of a new outdoor learning complex, and a primary school in India that inspired her on a recent visit.