Formative and summative assessment in a physics class: Time to change Eugenia Etkina Rutgers University Graduate school of Education AAPT Summer meeting, Boise, Idaho, 2002 In collaboration with David May Kathy Harper Yuh-Fen Lin Suzanne Brahmia Alan

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Formative and summative assessment in a
physics classTime to changeEugenia
EtkinaRutgers UniversityGraduate school of
EducationAAPT Summer meeting, Boise, Idaho,
2002In collaboration with David MayKathy
HarperYuh-Fen LinSuzanne BrahmiaAlan Van
Heuvelen
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Formative assessment and feedback
loop Black and Wiliam (1998)
Formative assessment is"all those
activities undertaken by teachers, and by their
students in assessing themselves, which provide
information to be used as feedback to modify the
teaching and learning activities in which they
are engaged."
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A physicistReflects on the
construction of knowledge and represents it in
multiple ways.Uses scientific equipment to
conduct observations and gather data.Records
data, finds patterns in them, asks questions.Is
able to provide multiple explanations (models)
for the patterns.Is able to design
investigations to test the explanations.Is able
to evaluate the design of the experiment, its
results and recognize the weakness of the model
or weakness of the experiments if necessary.Is
able to convince others in the plausibility of
the model.
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Sending a message to the students through
formative assessmenta) Did I understand
this?b) Can I solve problems?c) Can I record
the results of the experiments?a) How did I
come to know this? Or why do I believe in it?b)
What do I still not understand?c) Can I assess
myself?d) How do I know if something makes
sense?e) Can I convince somebody that something
makes sense??
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Weekly Reports1. What did I learn this
week? (In labs, in lectures, and recitations)2.
How did I learn it? (Why do I believe in it?)3.
What remained unclear?4. If I were the professor
what questions would I ask to find out if my
students understood the material?a) How did I
come to know this? Or why do I believe in it?b)
What dont I still know?c) Can I assess myself?

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How did I come to know this? Or why do I believe
in it?What did you learn in lab this week?We
learned that an object may have many components
acting on it. There is always a vertical and
horizontal component on an object in motion.How
did you learn it?We constructed a track and
raced hot wheels car through the track. At the
end of the track was a jump that propelled the
car upward. This demonstrates that the horizontal
component will tell how far the car will travel
in a given time. The vertical component will
determine the time the car spends in the air.
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What did you learn in lecture and recitation this
week?We learned about projectile motion. We
learned that in projectile motion, the horizontal
component of the velocity is always constant (1).
And the total time in the air is determined
solely by the vertical component of the velocity
(2). So the vertical and horizontal components of
the projectile velocity are independent (3).How
did you learn it? We learned (1) through a
simple demonstration where a cart with a vertical
ball launcher, launched a ball by a sensor just
before it went under a bridge and when the cart
came out at the other side of the bridge it was
caught in the holder. So the horizontal v was the
same as the cart, which was constant, so it was
too constant. We proved (2) by doing a problem
where a canon (sic) is at a given angle and
velocity. Then we use the vertical part of the v
and found the time and used the time to find the
horizontal displacement and that gave the right
value. (3) was verified by being given the
maximum vertical and horizontal displacements of
a projectile. From there we found the angle to
aim the canon (sic) to get the ball into the box.
Then we tested our predicted value in the
experiment and it worked.
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What they say they learned1. Formula 2.
Vocabulary 3. Concept 4. Skill How they say
they learned5. Observed phenomenon 6.
Constructed concept from observation7.
Reasoned/derived in lecture8. Reasoned/derived
in lab9. Learned by doing10. Authority11.
Predicted/tested12. Predicted/tested/interpreted
Inferences about their views13.
Applicability of knowledge14. Concern for
coherence
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What did we find? 2000-2001 (n42)1. What
matters is quality not quantity2. The high
quality means derivation of concepts from
observations, reasoning, logic, predictions and
testing with elaborations, concern for coherence
(making sense, analogies)3. In addition - high
quality questions4. Low quality means learning
concepts directly from observations, from
authority, by doing, prediction and testing
without elaboration 5. The quality is related to
H-gain on CSEM6. Predictive power of the
coding2001-20021. The number of code
indications is much lower.2. No prediction and
testing indications.3. Many statements are
impossible to code.4. Many more learn from
authority code indications. 5. No predictive
power.Why? different feedback
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What do I still not know?

• I dont understand when the word energy is used
  and when the word work is used.
• Language and comprehension Arons, 1997
• I am still unclear on exactly what momentum is.
  What kind of force is it?
• Confusion of physical quantities, particularly
  force, with other Kass Lambert 1983
• Isnt there an inertial force that resists
  motion? orWhy does a projectile always have
  a negative vertical acceleration due to gravity
  when it needs a positive acceleration to travel
  up?
• Impetus idea Clement, 1982 Gamble, 1989 Halloun
  Hestenes, 1985b McCloskey, 1983.
• How can a force be exerted by nothing? How is
  gravity causing everything to accelerate?
• Difficulty with a field concept Minstrell
  Stimpson, 1986