Title: Physics Education Research (PER): The PER-Friendly Classroom and The Importance of Reasoning
1Physics Education Research (PER) The
PER-Friendly Classroom and The Importance of
Reasoning Brian A. Pyper Ph.D. Director of
Physics Education BYU-Idaho Department of Physics
2Introduction
PER and TeachingLearning A short History of
PER Key findings for Physics teachers Lectures,
Listening and Cognition Active
Learning Demos Action Research Reasoning
3A short history of PER
- AAPT founded 1930
- The Manhattan Project
- Sputnik
- Halliday and Resnick 1st ed 1960
Floyd Richtmeyer
Paul Klopsteg
Homer Dodge
4The 1970s A Subtle Shift How do we teach vs
How do they learn?
Arons (To Teachers) You have two ears and one
mouth, and should use them in that proportion.
Karplus I believe that students become vitally
interested in their studies and learn best when
direction and guidance from a source of authority
are combined with ample opportunity for students
to direct and control their own learning.
5The 1980s Converts
- Lillian McDermott
- Fred Reif
- Joe Redish
- Prescilla Laws
- Alan Van Heuvelen
- Dean Zollman
- Jose Mestre Sheila Tobias
6The Force Concept Inventory
- David Hestenes
- Eric Mazur
- Richard Hake
7The US PER Map
8PER Now
- Misconceptions
- Expert-Novice studies
- Curriculum
- Technology
- Gender and Ethnicity
- Problem Solving
- Cognition
- Teacher Preparation
- Attitudes and Epistemology
- Reasoning
- The Physics Teacher, AJP, Physics Education,
PhysRevST - PER
9Lectures and Cognition
How people learn changing the brain Prior
knowledge is crucial - misconceptions Pedagogy is
important epistemology, metacognition,
emotion/motivation Listen at least as much as
you talk How you learn is not always (i.e.
hardly ever) how they learn
10Active Learning
- Learning is a verb you have to DO it
- You can't do it to them or for them
- The more senses involved the better
11Demonstrations
- Can be but should not only be Entertaining
- 5 E's Engage Explore Explain Evaluate
Elaborate/Extend (for physics you may add
Explode, Explain, Excuse and Escape) - Make the students commit to a prediction
- Do the demo
- Review and extend
12Action Research
- Think about what you're doing so you're doing it
deliberately, and measure outcomes. - PER methodologies (surveys, pre-post testing,
case studies, interviews, etc) are both
sophisticated and effective. - Why reinvent the wheel? especially not the flat
tire! Compadre, PER-central, PER users guide
13Reasoning
- Piaget
- The Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning
- Pre-post, thousands of students
14Changing Reasoning
Measured by the Lawson Classroom Test of
Scientific Reasoning
F08 PHS100
No significant changes using peer instruction
and some home-made tutorial-like activities.
15 tutorials
Adding one day a week with Tutorials in
Introductory Physics (Ph105)
16Knight textbook workbook assignments
17But does it help with the concepts?
18Conclusion
- If we care about learning and teaching, let's do
it right. - What matters in learning Physics? interactivity.
(engage agency) - Pay more than lip-service to how they think.
Reasoning Matters - My sincere thanks to those in this room who've
had such a big impact on my life and career.