About Dr. Kat
Hello! I’m Dr. Katerina Visnjic, a Senior Lecturer of Physics at Princeton University—though my younger students know me as Dr. Kat.
For over a decade, I’ve been rethinking how physics is taught. At Princeton, I’ve taught hundreds of students and led a transformation of the introductory (100-level) laboratory curriculum into a fully design-based experience, where students learn by building, testing, and refining their own ideas. I’m also the creator of the award-winning YouTube channel Physics4Life, where I recreate historic physics experiments to show how new ideas were originally discovered.
Whether in the classroom or in my videos, my goal is to help students understand how knowledge is created—so they can begin to do it for themselves.
Learning by Creating Knowledge
In my classes, students don’t simply learn established ideas—they use observation, experimentation, and reasoning to build the knowledge for themselves.
We begin with simple questions:
- What interesting things do we observe?
- What patterns do we notice?
- What could explain them?
From there, students design experiments, test their ideas, and revise their thinking. An idea is true not because an expert says so, but because it is the experimentally determined to be the best description of observations. This process mirrors how physics was developed historically—and more importantly, it helps students build a kind of understanding that lasts.
Instead of asking, “What formula should I use?”, students begin to ask:
“What is happening here—and how can I figure it out?”
Research-Based Teaching (ISLE Framework)
My teaching is grounded in research-based methods, particularly the ISLE (Investigative Science Learning Environment) framework developed by renowned physics educator Prof. Eugenia Etkina of Rutgers University. ISLE is based on a simple but powerful idea: students learn best when they engage in the same kinds of reasoning that scientists use—observing, modeling, testing, and revising.
In practice, this means:
- Students generate their own ideas before being given formal explanations
- Experiments are used to test and refine thinking, not just confirm known results
- Mistakes are treated as valuable data, not failures
This approach develops not only deeper understanding, but also independence, confidence, and intellectual curiosity.
Why This Matters
Many students experience physics as a collection of formulas to memorize. They may feel like they understand something in the moment, only to struggle when faced with a new problem.
I take a different approach.
By focusing on how knowledge is built, students develop the ability to figure things out for themselves. They become more confident, more resilient, and more willing to engage with challenging ideas.
Over time, this transforms not only how they approach physics—but how they approach learning in general.
Beyond the Classroom
I’m also the creator of the award-winning YouTube channel Physics4Life, where I recreate historic physics experiments to show how new ideas were originally discovered.
These experiments reflect the same philosophy I bring into my classes: that physics is not just a body of knowledge, but a process of discovery.
Invitation
If this approach resonates with you, I would love for your child to experience it firsthand.
Ready to explore?
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