Do you ever ask yourself simple questions? For example: 'Do you get a better tan at the seaside or in the mountains?'
Or: ‘Why is a door’s handle always located on its very edge?’
These questions are related to physics; in fact, everything around us is governed by physical laws that we often fail to consider.
Vincenzo Schettini, a high school teacher in a small town in the province of Bari, Puglia, used these kinds of questions as a jumping-off point in order to teach physics to his students.
By re-contextualising scientific concepts, using his natural communication skills, he first captivated the students in his classes, and then, more than one and a half million people online.
Schettini is ‘the Prof’ of La fisica che ci piace, a YouTube channel, Instagram account and TikTok that is enjoying enormous success thanks to the engaging and immediate explanations that the teacher is able to give regarding even the most complex physical phenomena.
A music enthusiast with a diploma in Violin and Choral Conducting from the Conservatorium of Music, Schettini founded the gospel choir 'Wanted Chorus' in 1997, which he still directs today. At the same time, he graduated in Physics, and began his teaching career.
“The turning point for me came when I discovered social media - we are talking about more than ten years ago now. I realised that it had incredible potential,” he says.
“One day I asked a student to film me during class; I uploaded that video online and, from the feedback I got, I knew I had to continue.”
From there, Schettini opened his YouTube channel and started uploading videos; then came Instagram and TikTok, with a follower count that grew exponentially, especially during the pandemic, exceeding 1.5 million in total to date.
"I studied social media networks to understand how they work, but at the same time I also developed my own style, because I realised that my future would begin there.
“At the same time, I began to understand that the way that young people learn is changing, I realised that textbooks would become secondary, and that online content would become more and more important.”
"Then the pandemic was the definitive confirmation of this inevitable and necessary evolution. Teachers began to change, forced to by isolation and distance learning,” the professor continues.
With a thick Bari accent, ‘mad scientist’ hair and a sunny smile, Schettini is very happy with the turn his life has taken, ultimately leading him to publish his first book, La fisica che ci piace (The Physics We Like), released on October 11 which, based on pre-sale numbers alone, seems destined to climb the charts.
His followers are students, teachers and parents, but also people who like his simple and engaging style, as he says:
"My followers range from five-year-old children, who watch with their parents, to very old people. A few days ago I was stopped for a selfie by a 94-year-old gentleman!"
But what makes social media’s best-loved professor so special?
He identifies his success in a formula given by the sum of several factors, the first of which is the fact that he has changed perspective: his explanations start from concrete and amusing phenomena that provoke curiosity, rather than via an explanation of a pure physics formula written on the blackboard, as is usually the case in classrooms.
"Secondly, when I explain in class, as well as when I go live on social media, I am always looking for the students to interact. My students are constantly interrupting, and for me, teaching should be just that: a continuous exchange,” comments Schettini, who emphasises that it is necessary for the teacher to lead these interjections as if he or she were an orchestra conductor in order to create an organic, orderly and therefore engaging discussion.
Finally, it’s his cheerfulness and natural ability to communicate that make 'the Prof' unique.
"I think another reason for my success is that I put my face on screen. Most popularisers frame their graphics tablet and explain, without being seen. It is different when you look at a face and its expressions on camera,” Schettini adds.
To use a physical-mathematical metaphor, we can say that the teacher's projects are directly proportional to his enthusiasm.
Schettini in the midst of teaching his class. (Photo: La fisica che ci piace Tiktok, screenshot by Il Globo)
Schettini, in fact, in addition to the publication of the book, has also created a spin-off of La fisica che ci piace, a podcast where he explores the English language ― L'inglese che ci piace ― with Gina Romano, a mathematics teacher from the United States and lover of the Italian language.
Having taught his audience so much, what will Schettini have learnt from this experience?
"I have delved into many other aspects related to physics, because my followers ask me a lot of questions and I have to go over some topics to give them the best possible answer. Social media has given me the opportunity to continue studying and opening myself up. Every day I put myself out there, offering something new and evolving.”
Schettini emphasises several times that he does not want to lose sight of what he is: namely, a physics teacher who teaches in the classroom, using all of the tools at his disposal:
“To the desk, I brought my creativity as a musician. Making music on a stage is the same thing as teaching in the classroom: the audience and the class coincide because, just as the audience wants to have fun and learn, so do the students.”
I just think that with a teacher like Schettini, I would have understood physics, too.
