Experiments with PER (Physics Education Research)

1
Experiments with PER(Physics Education Research)
Chris Meyer christopher.meyer_at_tdsb.on.ca chris_mey
er1_at_sympatico.ca York Mills C. I.
2
Why Change?

• The poor results from my traditional lessons
• Question What is the most valuable thing kids
  could be doing when brought together to learn
  physics?

3
PER Background

• Physics Education Research has been taking place
  for 20 years
• Universities noticed poor results from
  traditional teaching practices
• Variety of techniques developed (Redish, Teaching
  Physics with the Physics Suite)

4
My Situation

• Had experimented with different PER strategies in
  a piecemeal way
• Needed to adapt university-based
  materials/designs
• Didnt know how to pull off a full course

5
This Presentation

• How I structure the class
• How the activities run
• How I evaluate the students

6
A Day in the Life

• Homework Comparison (2 min.)
• Opening presentation (10 min.)
• Group Work Activity (60 min.)
• Daily Reading and Note Taking (30 min.)
• Problems (30 min.)

7
(No Transcript)
8
Opening Presentations

• Present only the essentials for the days
  activity
• Highlight an idea from the previous readings
• Give an alternate view / explanation based on
  readings or days activity

9
Group Activities

• Group structure based upon U of T Labs and U of
  Minnesota CGPS
• Guided inquiry activities (Workshop Physics,
  Physics Sense-Making)
• Physics challenges (CGPS)
• Marked for feedback (assessment)
• Individual quizzes for marks! (evaluation)

10
Group Structure

• U of T undergrad physics labs is piloting a
  redesigned course
• CGPS manual
• Our introduction to group work

11
Guided Inquiry

• Introduction to and focus on concepts
• Open inquiry lacks direction, students see
  different things than we do
• Only key calculations
• Compare with direct measurements
• Based on Workshop Physics (Priscilla Laws,
  Dickinson College)
• Based on Physics Sense-Making (Elby, U of
  Maryland)
• Based on Tutorials in Introductory Physics

12
Workshop Physics

• Major focus is interplay between observations and
  experiments, and the formalism of definitions and
  math (the process of science)
• Students need concrete experience with the
  phenomena
• Focus on smaller quantity of topics to learn
  thoroughly

13
(No Transcript)
14
Physics Sense-Making

• Our preconceptions are based on our life
  experience
• Not necessarily wrong
• Must learn how to reinterpret them in light of
  our growing physics understanding

15
(No Transcript)
16
Tutorials in Introductory Physics

• A series of instructional materials using very
  basic equipment or thought experiments
• Focus on physical concepts and reasoning skills

17
(No Transcript)
18
Physics Challenges

• Context-rich problems
• Must make something happen
• Reinforces connection between theory and reality
• Making Connections component of the course
• Based on Cooperative Group Problem Solving
  (Heller Heller, U of Minnesota)

19
Sample Challenges
20
Sample Challenges
21
CGPS

• Emphasis on
• Planning a solution
• Abstraction of context-rich situation to physics
  idealization
• Translation of common speech to physics
  terminology
• I reinforce this with Fermi questions

22
(No Transcript)
23
Implementation Challenges

• Some students dont like group work
• Some students dont like to do anything
• Some students resist the extra structure for the
  homework or group work
• Students feel lost without lectures

24
Evaluation
Knowledge and Understanding 28 Tests
Thinking and Inquiry 14 Group work quizzes
Communication 14 Tests (6), group work quizzes (6), note checks (2 )
Making Connections 14 Culminating Project (7) and Challenges (7)
Exam 30
25
Success?

• Greater student engagement
• Increased emphasis on writing
• Daily tutoring
• Test results similar to past (but no FCI)
• Personal satisfaction

26
Resources

• The Physics Suite
• http//www2.physics.umd.edu/redish/Book/
• Cooperative Group Problem Solving
• http//groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/Research/CGPS
  /GreenBook.html
• Workshop Physics
• http//physics.dickinson.edu/wp_web/wp_homepage.h
  tml
• Tutorials in Physics Sense-Making
• http//www2.physics.umd.edu/elby/CCLI/index.html
• U of T Undergrad Labs
• http//www.upscale.utoronto.ca/Practicals/
• Tutorials in Introductory Physics
• http//www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg/tut.html