The high school teachers didn’t understand how to plot Hadamard and Pauli quantum logic gates through a Bloch sphere until they saw the blorb.
The blorb, or “Bloch orb,” was an invention Bowen High School science teacher Adam Davenport created and workshopped through the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering’s TeachQuantum program. Made from string, a stick, a metal nut, a magnetic washer and a cantaloupe-sized, clear plastic Christmas ornament, the blorb is a hands-on approach to help Davenport’s South Chicago students understand one of the key concepts enabling quantum computers.
“Any time that I can, I love to put the learning in the students’ hands, physically,” Davenport said. “That way they can build intuition.”
Through TeachQuantum, now in its fifth year, UChicago PME faculty and labs help high school teachers design engaging and student-centered lesson plans incorporating quantum principles into physics, math and even biology classes.
“TeachQuantum invites educators into the lab to explore quantum science firsthand, then supports them in transforming that experience into classroom lessons,” said UChicago PME Assistant Dean of Education and Outreach Laura Rico-Beck. “By combining lab learning with curriculum development, teachers use their deep knowledge of students and pedagogy to create lessons that spark curiosity and make quantum concepts accessible and meaningful.”
Dean Nadya Mason, who delivered a talk to the TeachQuantum cohort about quantum research, shared that it’s important to plant the seeds of curiosity early on in a student’s life.
“One of the things that has been incredibly important throughout my own career has been mentoring. In addition to my grad students and postdocs, I’ve always had many undergraduates in my lab, as well as high school students and high school teachers,” she said. “I have been given a lot of opportunities in my career. It's important to me to be able to give back and make sure that we broaden access and opportunity in science and engineering.”
UChicago PME Dean Nadya Mason spoke to the group about her own quantum research and about the need for STEM education. (Photo by Elaina Eichorn)
Blorbs, blocks and botany
The blorb needed to be clear so students could see the nut-and-string on the inside. It also needed to be smooth so they could stick a dry erase marker in the middle of the magnetic washer on the outside to trace the path as the magnet pulled the string through a complicated dance of quantum logic gates.
“My first thought was using a hamster ball, but they had too many holes,” Davenport said. “Then I got these giant clear plastic balls used in claw machines, but they are screw-topped.”
Eventually landing on oversized Christmas ornaments meant to be filled with glitter or candy, each blorb costs about $1 to make. Cost is key in the classroom, Davenport said.
Similarly, the lesson Craig High School science teacher Brian Schram of Janesville, Wisconsin, designed through TeachQuantum built the frame for a light-bending polarimeter out of Lego blocks, much more affordable than brass frames that can cost $1,000 or more.
“I know there are exciting things happening in the field of quantum physics, but as a lone high school teacher it is hard to get up to speed and even more understand it well enough to teach to my students,” Schram said. “This seemed like an opportunity for me to learn, have fun, and have much more to offer my students.”
While many TeachQuantum participants are physics teachers, Choi Maner of Kohler High School in Kohler, Wisconsin, joined the program to incorporate quantum into her biology and biotech classes. She will have her students study how light polarization affects plants.
“The premise is, when you think about the skies right now, there's a lot of haze, which can be a polarizer” Maner said. “The question is, how will that impact photosynthetic rates?”
Coming together
Although UW Madison has been a part of the program since the beginning, they’ve only worked remotely with the Chicago groups. This year, for the first time, the teams came together for two days of presentations and networking on the UChicago PME campus.
“An in-person gathering allowed teachers to deepen their professional learning community, enhance collaboration, and celebrate their work in a more engaging and meaningful setting,” said UChicago PME Education Outreach Coordinator Jessica Morgan.
Teacher M.M. Bashir of Chicago Bulls College Prep said both sides benefit from meeting in-person.
“We’ve seen their demonstrations virtually, but it’s very helpful to actually see the physical device,” Bashir said. “When (Schram) did his demo in person, there were several things that clicked, pieces that I put together that were harder to see on a conference call.”
“Quantum is an emerging workforce,” said UW Madison Quantum Outreach Coordinator Sarah Parker. “To create a prepared workforce, I think that it's important to introduce this to students as early as possible.”