Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2018
Volume 63, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 5–9, 2018; Los Angeles, California
Session H16: Physics Teaching in Gateway Classes: Global PerspectiveInvited Undergraduate
|
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: FIP Chair: Surajit Sen, State Univ of NY - Buffalo Room: LACC 305 |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 2:30PM - 3:06PM |
H16.00001: Deriving Kepler's Laws as Kepler Did -- From (simulated) Noisy Data Invited Speaker: David Helfand Traditional curricula are imbued with assessment methods that emphasize answers. Students do problem sets, engage (or not) in labs, and take exams with the goal of getting the right answers. What we actually desire is for students to understand and incorporate into their mental tool kits the processes by which answers can be derived. What is needed, then, is a process-based, rather than an answer-based curriculum. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:06PM - 3:42PM |
H16.00002: Physics and the Essence of Adolescence Invited Speaker: Daniel Siegel In this presentation we will explore two basic ideas that can help make physics and science in general relevant in the adolescent student’s life: 1) How the fundamental changes in adolescence can be understood as related to the remodeling of the adolescent brain and produce alterations in four key features that spell the word, ESSENCE: a) Emotional Spark; b) Social Engagement; c) Novelty-seeking; and, d) Creative Exploration; and 2) How a quantum physics view of the nature of energy involving probabilities can be used as a possible window into the nature of consciousness and the mind as an emergent self-organizing process that both arises from and regulates the flow of energy and information. An accessible practice will be discussed, called the Wheel of Awareness, that adolescents can be taught to experience mental life through the lens of a physics’ view of energy and shifts in degrees of certainty. Students can be invited to conceptually and experientially dive into the nature of their minds revealing the power of physics to be applied in their everyday lives. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:42PM - 4:18PM |
H16.00003: International Student Experiences in Introductory Physics MOOCs Invited Speaker: Jason Hafner This abstract not available. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 4:18PM - 4:54PM |
H16.00004: Teaching Introductory Physics Courses to Freshmen and Sophomores at Addis Ababa University Invited Speaker: Mulugeta Bekele In this talk, I will share my experience as a teacher offering introductory courses in physics to freshmen and sophomores. The period I have been offering these courses spans three distinct generations of students: (i) students before 1974, (ii) students within the period 1974 - 1991 and (iii) students after 1991. The quality, capacity and confidence of the students in these three generations of the period are, generally, of different kind. I will try to explain my observation in this context. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 4:54PM - 5:30PM |
H16.00005: Physics teaching in the entry level: Prospects and challenges in the context of rural India Invited Speaker: Syed Hossain Indian science has produced many world class physicists that reflect the countries time tested commitment toward physics. In the last twenty five years the country has made a continuous effort toward producing world class scientists and technologists. The governments have been giving special attention toward science education by establishing new autonomous institutes along with inviting private sector investment in technical education for producing engineers in large number to meet the global need. A steady growth of about 20% in the enrolment in higher education has been seen in last few decades most of which is in the area of science and technology. Around 70% of the work force of the country lives in rural area. As a result of prospects in the job scenario through studying engineering and technology there has been an increased enthusiasm leading to large scale enrolment for studying physics and mathematics in the high school level even in the rural areas. Large scale student enrolment needs augmented infrastructure and trained manpower for quality education at the entry level. The effort of the provincial and the central governments in spending money to develop the infrastructure and manpower is a lot but inadequate in the context of the developing economy and large population of the country. Private sector investments in the high school science education are mainly available in the urban areas. So, to provide good quality physics education at the rural areas the physics teaching community has to find cost effective and innovative way of teaching that motivates the students beyond cracking entrance examination for professional services. This may be achieved by popularizing physics education research in the area of developing good text books along with low cost innovative experiments with no further delay. |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2024 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700