Green Physics at Home

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Green Physics at Home
For more than 20 years, students at The Evergreen
State College have earned B.A. and B.S. degrees
in physics through theme-based courses. We try to
provide open, nontraditional learning experiences
that maximize student engagement and growth. We
use established methods such as interactive
lectures, seminars (Oxford), and
learning-through-discussion (Carleton), and newer
methods such as peer instruction (Harvard) and
workshop physics. What techniques work, how and
why? Yes, it's (partly) true that Evergreen has
no departments, divisions, grades, or majors.
This provides some unusual curricular freedom.
Still, we have enough in common with traditional
colleges that some of our better experiments may
be useful elsewhere. We also face challenges
common to many colleges, from underprepared
students to supermajors, from limited resources
to curricular competition. We'll describe some
favorite interdisciplinary physics courses
(beginning to advanced). We'll share ideas that
have worked through the years, and ideas about
how to avoid some pitfalls.   
Dr. E.J. Zita, The Evergreen State College,
Olympia, WA Physics Outside the Box, session
BA01 American Association of Physics Teachers,
127th meeting Mon.3.Aug.2003, Madison, WI
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The hard, the soft, and the complementary
Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
WI, 3 Aug. 2003
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The Evergreen State College

• Founded in 1971 by Reed College professors and
  other mavericks
• Interdisciplinary team teaching, interactive
  learning
• Narrative evaluations instead of grades
• Continuing contracts instead of tenure
• A top ranked public liberal arts college

• Ongoing experiments
• with curricular content
• and structure

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
WI, 3 Aug. 2003
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Evergreen students

• About 1/3 transfer in after
• a couple years of college
• About 2/3 from WA state
• About 1/3 from out of state
• Very diverse range of preparation, ability
• Seeking academic freedom and creativity with
  guidance
• Many working class, over 20
• Tribal programs, extensions

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
WI, 3 Aug. 2003
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Goals Expectations of graduates (adopted by
faculty in 2001, as part of Gen. Ed. initiative)

• A. Define and assume responsibility for your own
  work.
• B. Participate collaboratively and responsibly in
  our diverse society.
• C. Communicate creatively and effectively.
• D. Demonstrate independent, critical thinking.
• E. Apply qualitative, quantitative, and creative
  modes of inquiry appropriately to practical and
  theoretical problems across disciplines.
• F. As a culmination of your education,
  demonstrate depth, breadth, and synthesis of
  learning and the ability to reflect on the
  personal and social significance of that
  learning.

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Methods Evergreens Five Foci (written by
founding faculty)

• Interdisciplinary Study Students learn to pull
  together ideas and concepts from many subject
  areas, which enables them to tackle real-world
  issues in all their complexity.
• Collaborative Learning Students develop
  knowledge and skills through shared learning,
  rather than learning in isolation and in
  competition with others.
• Learning Across Significant DifferencesStudents
  learn to recognize, respect and bridge
  differences - critical skills in an increasingly
  diverse world.
• Personal Engagement Students develop their
  capacities to judge, speak and act on the basis
  of their own reasoned beliefs.
• Linking Theory with Practical Applications
• Students understand abstract theories by
  applying them to projects and activities and by
  pulling them into practice in real-world
  situations.

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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A typical class at Evergreen

• Two profs team-teaching 30-60 students
• Full time (16 credits), two quarters (10 weeks
  each)
• 3-6 classes per week, 2-5 hours each
• Interdisciplinary, integrated, theme-based

other models

• One prof, 10-30 students
• Three profs, 50-100 students
• Modules for less than 16 credits contracts
• Three-quarter or one-quarter programs

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Physics faculty

• Rob Cole, A.B., Physics, UC- Berkeley M.S.,
  Physics, UW-Seattle Ph.D., Physics, Michigan
  State Univ.
• Mathematical modeling of environmental,
  ecological and biological systems, energy
  systems, chaos theory, fractal geometry,
  mathematics, physics
• Rob Knapp, B.A., Physics, Harvard D.Phil.,
  Theoretical Physics, Oxford
• Appropriate technology, applied mathematics,
  astronomy, energy studies, ecological design,
  engineering, history of science and technology,
  laboratory physics, mathematics, science and
  technology policy, transportation studies
• Tom Grissom, B.S., Physics, U. Mississippi M.S.,
  Physics, U. Mississippi Ph.D., Physics, U.
  Tennessee,
• Calculus, humanities, American literature,
  mathematics, natural science, philosophy,
  philosophy and history of science, physical
  science, physics, poetry, science, writing
• David McAvity, B.S., Mathematical Physics, Simon
  Fraser University Ph.D., Mathematics, Cambridge
  University Mathematics,
  physics, science
• Don Middendorf, B.A., Biology, U. Missouri,
  Columbia M.S., Applied Physics, Cornell
  University Ph.D., Plant Physiology, Cornell
  University
• Philosophy of science, physics
• E.J. Zita, B.A., Physics and Philosophy, Carleton
  College Ph.D., Physics, UW- Madison Physics,
  astrophysics, magnetohydronamics, solar physics,
  energy, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy

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Outline

• Greener physics
• Challenges
• What works
• Avoiding pitfalls
• Progress
• Resources

• Background
• Goals
• Green physics
• Physics at Evergreen
• Hard physics
• Soft physics
• Complementary physics

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Shared Goals and Tradeoffs

• Questions and concerns
• How much math lab?
• Rigor vs. fun?
• Best learned in context ? more time ? less
  content
• Exploration engagement vs. learning facts

• We want our students to
• Learn some physics
• Come to love physics
• Develop quantitative reasoning skills
• Develop habits of critical thinking

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What is green physics?

• Context or theme-based
• Integrated, interdisciplinary
• Experiential
• Reflective (philosophical, societal, political,
  cultural, historical aspects of science)
• Connected theory, math, applications
• Develops critical thinking
• Develops quantitative reasoning skills

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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What isgreen teaching?

• interactive lectures
• Seminars, student facilitators
• learning-through-discussion
• Jigsaw learning
• Peer instruction
• Student teamwork
• workshop physics
• Student research projects
• Student minilectures

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Physics at Evergreen

• Intro to Natural Science
• Matter and Motion
• Energy Systems
• Physical Systems
• Energy Celestial Terrestrial
• Physics of Astronomy
• Astronomy Cosmologies
• Algebra-based summer physics
• Research projects, including NASA Sun-Earth
  Connection

• Sailpower
• Water
• Environmental Design
• Physicists World
• Science Seminar
• other interdisc. programs

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Image of hard physics

• Rocket science
• More math, lab, facts
• Less exploration engagement?
• Less reflection on context and connections?

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Hard physics Matter Motion

• Introductory calculus physics chemistry
• Lab/workshop/exploration intensive
• Integrated seminar on history/philosophy/apps
• Themes Oscillations, energies, Sun and
  environment

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Hard physics Physical Systems

• Advanced CM, EM, QM
• Linked with Math Systems DiffEq, Vector
  Calculus, Linear Algebra
• Integrated seminar history philosophy of
  science
• Advanced research projects
• Peer tutorials
• Themes symmetries and conservation laws, energy

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Soft physics

• Physics for poets
• Conceptual physics
• Philosophy and history, context and process of
  science
• Biographies and discoveries, sociology and
  ethics,
• Literature gtgt math
• Little quantitative reasoning?
• Some workshops
• Much critical thinking
• Read, think, discuss, write

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Examples of soft physics

• Physicists World
• Science Seminar
• Designed for broader scientific literacy
• No math prerequisites
• Can recruit or encourage a few new science majors

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
WI, 3 Aug. 2003
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Soft physics Science Seminar

• Consider context, meaning, process of science
• Link softer readings to a harder class (and
  boost numbers)
• Develop critical thinking
• Motivate demand for more quantitative learning
• Ex students asked to learn to derive
  Schwarzschild radius, Planck scale,

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Complementary Physics

• Examples
• Sailpower
• Water
• Environmental Design
• Energy, celestial and terrestrial
• Astronomy Cosmologies

• Qualities
• Interdisciplinary
• Mathematical
• Quantitative reasoning
• Critical thinking
• Patterns and connections
• Applications
• Hands-on projects
• Context and theme-based

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Complementary physics Sailpower

• Student-built yawl lab
• Forces
• Fluids (wind, water)
• Geometry
• Navigation
• Celestial navigation
• History, political economy
• Cultural studies
• Literature

Giancoli Fig.13-26
Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Making physics Greener

• Curricular structure
• Curricular planning
• Curricular content
• Colleagues and support
• Classroom engagement
• Student research projects
• Peer support structured in multiple ways

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Green curricular structure

• Balance disciplinary and interdisciplinary
  programs
• Webbed instead of linear pathways
• Diverse contexts for learning prerequisites
• Applications and student projects
• Peer instruction, teamwork
• Balance critical thinking (seminar) with QR (HW)

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Green curricular planning

• Division-level planning
• Group commitment to complementarity
• Individual commitment to service courses
• Flexibility re-designing and inventing programs
• Sense of community at department division
  levels
• Community across divisions
• Co-teaching

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Green curricular content

• Interactive workshops, text- based and lab-based
• Integration with complementary disciplines
• More math in soft disciplines
• More real-life applications in hard disciplines
• Connections context in seminar

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Green colleagues and support

• Sense of community and shared goals
• Co-teaching
• Co-learning
• Integrating passions
• Integrating learning goals
• Helping new faculty thrive
• Sharing resources and expertise
• Critical mass and lunch dates

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Green student engagement

• Student teams
• Peer instruction and Jigsaw learning
• Mini-lectures
• Rotating workshop aides
• Research projects
• Seminar facilitation
• Pre-seminar team discussions
• Online class journal

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Shared challenges and ideas
Unevenly prepared students ? teams, peer
instruction Undermotivated ? teams,
minilectures, research projects Supermajors ?
make interdisciplinary content unavoidable, e.g.
seminar in science programs, quantitative
reasoning in humanities programs Limited
Resources ? linked programs, labs, texts,
Web Curricular Competition ? team teaching,
alternating years Fewer majors ?
scholarships? Low enrollment in advanced classes
? Science seminar
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What works?

• Student teams need definite assignments to
  develop sense of mutual responsibility and
  accountability
• Peer instruction excellent for whole spectrum of
  students
• Student mini-lectures have students articulate
  questions and set up HW problems for in-class
  help from prof sense of ownership need
  feedback on technique
• Pre-seminar team discussions students read more
  thoroughly and with greater engagement
• Pre-class key points and significant questions
  seminar success prompts use in hard studies as
  well (JITT)
• Online class journal excellent, if required
  prof must participate actively
• Research projects need highly structured advance
  planning

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Avoiding pitfalls

• Resist temptation to include too much in
  interdisciplinary classes
• Faculty teams need frank periodic mutual
  evaluation
• Student teams need monitoring and guidance, may
  need adjustment
• Student mini-lectures give targeted assignments
  to lessen temptation to reproduce text or
  anticipate your lecture
• Pre-class points and questions rotate
  responsibility for team assignments so students
  dont get stuck in one role (or none)
• Research projects late starters at higher risk
  of plagiarism require weekly pre-research
  assignments
• Manage workload for students and profs
  re-evaluate periodically, leave room for
  adjustment

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
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Green physics is growing

• Exciting time
• Proliferation of models
• 2nd-3rd generation teaching experiments
• Assessment techniques
• Linked courses, co-teaching
• Student engagement in class and research
• Interdisciplinary and applied contexts

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Selected References

• Teaching with your mouth shut, Don Finkel, 2000
• Learning through discussion, William Fawcett Hill
• Peer instruction, Eric Mazur, 1996
• Workshop physics, Priscilla Laws, Lillian
  McDermott, and many others
• Paradigms in Physics, Corinne Manogue, OSU, 2003
• www.evergreen.edu
• academic.evergreen.edu/z/zita/home.htm

Green Physics at Home, Zita, 127th AAPT, Madison
WI, 3 Aug. 2003