BOOK REVIEW NYSTCE CST Physics 009 2nd Edition by Sharon Wynne published by XAMonline Inc Boston Massachusetts 2008 xv 306 pp 59 95 paperback ISBN 978 1 58197 042 5 http www xamonline com browse NewYork Reviewed by Joel Harden Department of Physics SUNY Buffalo State College Buffalo New York 14222 joel r harden gmail com Wynne s book entitled NYSTCE CST Physics 009 2008 is designed to be a teacher certification study guide for the New York State Content Specialty Test CST in physics Successful completion of the CST is required for professional certification in physics 7 12 in New York State The 306 page paper bound study guide retails for 59 95 I used the guide as a resource to prepare for taking the Physics CST in February of 2009 in addition to various online resources two college level physics texts and the State s free online preparation guide New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Preparation guide Physics CST 09 2006 Wynne s study guide begins with brief generic non physics sections study tips and test taking tips then follows the same topical outline as the Physics CST test framework New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Field 09 Physics test framework 2003 and closes with a practice exam The book and exam are divided into five sub areas and then further into twenty three competencies with roughly four to eight specific State prescribed skills While this style of organization makes it easy to find information on a specific topic and is a logical form for the table of specifications for the examination it is not a logical flow for the content 1 Page The organizational shortcomings are most pronounced in a handful of instances when a specific skill is introduced before the required prerequisite knowledge is presented The study guide is also plagued by editorial quality issues particularly poor quality or inaccurate charts and figures For example on page 99 a figure has text written directly over it and on pages 28 thru 30 several apparently Excel generated graphs are rendered so that the scales hide the data trends the author is attempting to emphasize Additionally some sections have mathematical expressions and text that are pixilated and difficult to read e g page 52 I found that the erratic quality levels were often confusing and distracting even annoying during my review I found that the study guide content was generally accurate and ignoring the editorial issues was written at an appropriate level for the intended audience The guide content and included practice exam was also very well aligned with the State s February 2009 exam the exam that I sat for One glaring difference was the difficulty level of the text s only sample free response question did not compare well with the actual exam question that I encountered I found the actual exam question to be much easier however this observation is based on a single exam While the guide is potentially a good study resource I found that the high cost counterintuitive organization and low editorial quality made it a disappointing choice for students and professionals preparing for New York State s physics CST I recommend saving your money passing on this guide and instead using free online resources such as those listed on the 2 Page free web page by MacIsaac and Gosling 2004 which include textbooks websites and past American Association of Physics Teachers Physics Bowl exams Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Dr Dan MacIsaac from SUNY Buffalo State College Physics Department for his comments and encouragement References MacIsaac D Gosling C 2004 July Study Tips for the New York State Physics Content Specialty Test Retrieved March 14 2009 from http physicsed buffalostate edu programs pgmdox cstfolder cst html New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Field 09 Physics test framework 2003 New York State Education Department New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Preparation guide Physics CST 09 2006 New York State Education Department Wynne S 2008 NYSTCE CST Physics 009 2nd ed Boston XAMonline Inc Autobiographical Sketch Joel Harden is a student at Buffalo State College in the graduate program in physics education He has a B S in environmental science from the University of Rochester and an M S in environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute He worked for five years as an environmental engineer and consultant and is now pursuing a career in physics education He can be contacted via email at joel r harden gmail com via phone at 716 908 1839 or via mail at 8740 Wenner Road Williamsville NY 14221 He recently took the NYSED Physics 7 12 CST 3 Page
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