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Lasse Leponiemi

Chairman, The HundrED Foundation
first.last@hundred.org

Greeting = Physics Formula

place India

“Where Culture Meets Concepts.”

Many students struggle with physics because it is taught abstractly, disconnected from their lives and culture. Namaste Physics transforms learning by linking everyday actions and cultural gestures to core physics concepts, making science experiential, joyful, and easy to understand. This low-cost, scalable approach builds deep conceptual clarity, confidence, and real-world application—especially

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated February 2026
Web presence

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Countries
All students
Target group
The change I hope to see in education through this innovation is a fundamental shift from fear-based, rote learning to meaningful, experience-based understanding, especially in science education. First, I hope to see physics and science become accessible to every learner, not just those who are already confident or academically strong.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

I created this innovation out of a deep concern for how science—especially physics—is taught, learned, and experienced by students, particularly those from diverse, rural, and resource-constrained backgrounds. Over many years of teaching and interacting with learners, I repeatedly witnessed a painful paradox: physics, a subject that explains the beauty and logic of the natural world, had become one of the most feared and disliked subjects in school education. Students memorized formulas without understanding them, reproduced definitions without meaning, and often passed examinations without developing scientific thinking. This disconnect between knowledge and understanding became the primary motivation behind creating this innovation.

The problem I observed in classrooms

In most conventional classrooms, physics is taught as an abstract, textbook-driven subject. Concepts such as force, energy, pressure, equilibrium, motion, and laws of physics are introduced through symbols, equations, and numerical problems, often without any connection to students’ lived experiences. As a result, learners struggle to visualize concepts, fail to relate them to real life, and gradually develop a mental block against physics. Many students internalize the belief that physics is “only for intelligent students” or “not meant for me,” which severely impacts their confidence and future career choices.
A personal mission
In practice, this innovation appears as a natural, engaging, and human-cen

What does your innovation look like in practice?

In practice, the innovation appears as a simple, experience-based physics learning process embedded within regular classroom teaching. It does not require special laboratories, digital tools, or additional class time. Instead, it transforms everyday classroom moments and culturally familiar actions into opportunities for deep scientific understanding.

A typical lesson begins with a familiar human action, such as a greeting (for example, joining palms in Namaste), clapping, bowing, or maintaining balance while standing. The teacher asks students to perform the action together and focus on what they feel in their bodies—pressure in the hands, muscle effort, warmth, balance, or stillness. At this stage, no formulas or technical terms are introduced. The goal is to engage students physically and emotionally, reducing fear and increasing curiosity.

Next, students are encouraged to observe and describe their experience in their own words. The teacher facilitates discussion with open questions such as what changes when more force is applied, why the body remains stable, or how posture affects balance. All responses are valued, creating a safe and inclusive learning environment where students actively participate regardless of academic level.

Once students have articulated their observations, the teacher connects these experiences to formal physics concepts. Ideas such as force, pressure, equilibrium, Newton’s laws, center of mass.

How has it been spreading?

The innovation has been spreading through a combination of classroom practice, teacher networks, and digital platforms, making its reach steadily wider and more diverse.

It first spread organically through direct classroom implementation. As students showed higher engagement and clearer understanding of physics concepts, the approach attracted attention from other teachers. Peer observation, informal discussions, and word-of-mouth sharing among educators helped the idea move from one classroom to another. Teachers found it easy to adopt because it requires no extra resources and fits naturally into the existing syllabus.

Alongside this grassroots spread, social media has played a significant role. Short explanatory videos and demonstrations shared on YouTube present the innovation in an accessible and visual format. These videos show how everyday actions like greetings can be connected to physics formulas, helping teachers and students quickly grasp the idea and try it themselves.

Platforms such as Instagram have helped spread the innovation through short reels, visuals, and concise explanations that appeal especially to students and young educators. These bite-sized examples make the concept memorable and encourage sharing, saving, and discussion. On LinkedIn, the innovation is shared in a more professional and reflective manner, reaching educators, school leaders, researchers, and education innovators. Posts, articles, and comments on LinkedIn .

If I want to try it, what should I do?

If you want to try this innovation, you can begin immediately and simply, even within your existing teaching routine. No special training, equipment, or permission is required—only openness to observing everyday actions through a physics lens.

Start by choosing one clear physics concept from your syllabus, such as balanced forces, Newton’s Third Law, pressure, equilibrium, or energy transformation. Then identify a familiar human action or cultural gesture that naturally demonstrates this concept, for example a greeting (joining palms), clapping, bowing, standing still, or lifting an object.

In the classroom, ask students to perform the action together and pay attention to what they feel and observe. Do not begin with definitions or formulas. Encourage students to describe their experience in their own words—what changed, what stayed the same, and why they think it happened. Allow discussion and multiple viewpoints to build confidence and curiosity.

Next, connect their observations to formal physics concepts. Introduce correct scientific terms and explain how the action represents the underlying principle. Only after this understanding is clear should you write and explain the relevant formula, showing how it describes what they just experienced.

To reinforce learning, ask students to find the same physics concept in another daily-life activity at home or in their surroundings. Reflection, simple drawings, peer explanations, or short written notes can be used to check unde

Implementation steps

Select one core physics concept
Begin by choosing a single, clearly defined physics concept from the existing curriculum, such as balanced forces, Newton’s Third Law, pressure, equilibrium, energy transformation, or center of mass. Avoid combining multiple concepts in the first attempt. Keeping the focus narrow helps both the teacher and students build confidence with the method.
Identify a familiar human action or gesture
Choose an everyday action or cultural practice that naturally demonstrates the selected concept. Examples include joining palms in a greeting, clapping hands, bowing, standing still, lifting an object, or balancing while walking. The action should be simple, safe, and familiar to all students.
Prepare the classroom for participation
Arrange the classroom so students can perform the action comfortably, either while sitting or standing. No special materials are required. Clearly explain that the activity is about observation and experience, not performance or correctness, to create a low-anxiety learning environment.
Reflect and assess understanding
Conclude the lesson with short reflections, drawings, peer explanations, or simple written responses. Assess students based on clarity of explanation and ability to apply concepts, rather than only numerical problem-solving.
Guide observation and awareness
Invite students to notice what they feel and observe in their bodies and surroundings. Ask open questions such as what changes, what remains the same, and what they notice about balance, pressure, movement, or effort. Allow students to express observations in their own words.
Facilitate discussion and pattern recognition
Collect and discuss students’ observations. Help them identify common patterns, such as equal forces leading to stability or increased force leading to increased pressure. Validate all contributions and guide the discussion gently toward scientific reasoning.