Chris Meyer, York Mills C.I. [email protected].

Chris Meyer, York Mills [email protected]

Richard Feynmann, from the introduction to his set of lectures for the first year physics survey course (180 students) at Caltech.

The Feynmann Lectures in Physics (pg. 5)

“The question, of course, is how well this experiment [his introductory course] has succeeded. My own point of view – which, however, does not seem to be shared by most of the people who worked with the students – is pessimistic. I don’t think I did very well by the students. When I look at the way the majority of the students handled the problems on the examinations, I think that the system is a failure. Of course, my friends point out to me that there were one or two dozen students who – very surprisingly – understood almost everything in all of the lectures, and who were quite active in working with the material and worrying about the main points in an excited and interested way. These people have now, I believe, a first-rate background in physics – and they are, after all, the ones I was trying to get at. But then, “The power of instruction is seldom of much efficacy except in those happy dispositions where it is almost superfluous.” (Gibbons)”

Why change?In a traditional lecture, how many students

do we engage?What proportion of class time do students

spend wrestling with physics ideas?How much writing or talking do they do

about physics in their own words?How much feedback do students get to guide

their understanding of physics concepts?What have they learned to help them solve

more than a plug’n’chug type problem?

Universities noticed poor results from traditional teaching practices

Student understanding explored and quantitatively measured, and practices refined

Variety of techniques developed (Redish, Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite)

Physics Education Research

Quantified Success

From: Redish, Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite

The Social Learning PrincipleFor most individuals, learning is most

effectively carried out via social interactions

MIT – Introductory PhysicsImplementations

U of T PracticalsImplementations

Show me the goods!Sounds great - how to pull

this off?

Teacher lecture Student group learningCookbook activities / labs Guided-inquiry activities

Content: broad and shallow Deep and focusedPlug’n’chug problems Context-rich problem solving

Furious note-taking Careful textbook readingDescribing Explaining

Change!

The good news: I have done most of

this for you.

Less is MoreLess content is covered,

but in more depthEach idea explored from

many anglesResearch shows having

fewer, but solid, pillars of understanding in no way harms their education

Question yourself - What is the purpose of racing through what they don’t understand?

Target the Whole ClassTraditional Teaching = Sputnik Model

Find the best of the best fast and educate them as quickly as possible

Reformed Teaching = Life Sciences ModelAn increasing number of disciplines need core

physics knowledge and skills to prosper in 21st century

From the Toronto

Star

“The trouble with biologists in the academic world is they are trained to work on their own,” says Edwards. “Ray, by contrast, was trained as an engineer to work in teams, to problem solve.”

Group WorkStructure the course around

groupsProvide explicit training in

the good function and management of groups

Provide opportunities for critical reflection of group work skills

Devote energy to daily coaching of groups

Get whiteboards

Group StructureSize: 3 people, rarely 4 or 2Gender: MMM, FFF, FFM,

rarely MMFGroup Roles: Manager,

Recorder, SpeakerComposition: a strong,

medium and weak studentRotation: Groups change

every major unit (3-4 weeks)

Seating: Always face-to-face

Table

human human

human

Change Your RoleModerator and socratic “inquisitor” of group

activitiesFacilitate class discussions

Provide summaries, clarifications and tips

Transform the LessonsLectures are largely

gone or are at most 10 minute intros

Guided-inquiry activities - introduce and explore new ideas

Problem solving challenges - reinforce and apply concepts

The Physics ChallengeCGPS: The Scale Challenge!

Do not write on this page! You will need:

One incline, One retort stand, One test-tube clamp, One small object (m < 200 g) Brains

Set up your incline at any angle between 25o and 40o. Your teacher will place a digital balance scale on your incline with your object resting on it. Predict the reading of the scale in grams. Show the results of your calculations before the test! Bonus How would your prediction change if the object and the scale were free to slide down the incline while making the reading?

Redesign HomeworkHomework consists of:Textbook note-taking:

extend or formalize understanding from the day’s activities

Problems: a few well-chosen problems that further the understanding of concepts – limit the plug’n’chug

A thing not worth doing is not worth doing well.

Reassess the EvaluationEvaluation must reflect the

goals of the new course.

Evaluate:basic skillsquality of physics writing

and explanationsunderstanding of

conceptsgenuine problem solving

The Measure of Success• Much greater student

engagement across all mark ranges

• 60 minutes of hard work per class

• Emphasis on writing• Direct, face-to-face

probing of student understanding

How to Start?For the full set of Gr. 12

activities and teacher resources, go to:

www.meyercreations.com

Resources• The Physics Suitehttp://www2.physics.umd.edu/~redish/Book/• Cooperative Group Problem Solvinghttp://groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/Research/CGPS/

GreenBook.html• Workshop Physicshttp://physics.dickinson.edu/~wp_web/

wp_homepage.html• Tutorials in Physics Sense-Makinghttp://www2.physics.umd.edu/~elby/CCLI/index.html• U of T Practicalshttp://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/Practicals/• Tutorials in Introductory Physicshttp://www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg/tut.html

How to Start?For the full set of class

activities and teacher resources, go to:

www.meyercreations.comTry out individual activities

Try one whole unit Go all the way! Arrange a visit

Need help? [email protected]