Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2005 7th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Section
Friday–Saturday, May 13–14, 2005; Victoria, BC, Canada
Session B3: Education |
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Chair: Lyle Robertson, University of Victoria Room: MacLaurin D103 |
Friday, May 13, 2005 2:00PM - 2:36PM |
B3.00001: The WALTA cosmic ray project Invited Speaker: The Washington Large Area Time coincidence Array (WALTA) is a network of cosmic ray air shower detectors located at Seattle-area secondary schools. The scientific goal is to detect the highest energy air showers, produced by single cosmic ray particles with tens of joules of energy. The school groups are active participants in this project; they are responsible for preparing the equipment and the location at their school, checking the incoming data for quality, and uploading it to a central analysis server. We are also developing a variety of smaller experiments they can do with this equipment in their classroom to learn about particle physics. Several teachers and students have independently developed related projects involving the equipment or the data. I will describe the recent successes and challenges of this project, both educational and experimental aspects. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 13, 2005 2:36PM - 3:12PM |
B3.00002: Modeling modeling: Facilitating student construction of scientific models Invited Speaker: An important thrust of investigations of student learning in physics has focused on cognitive aspects. Much less research has targeted the determination of the extent to which students in physics courses are successful in understanding the nature of the whole endeavor of physics: the construction and application of robust scientific models. We have found that many students emerge from their classes with little understanding of how a model they have studied is constructed or how to express the overarching strands of a specific model. We have also found that helping students deepen their conceptual understanding and hone their problem solving skills provides a necessary but not sufficient preparation for this task. Explicit instruction is required. In this talk, results of studies conducted at all levels will be presented and implications for instruction will be discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 13, 2005 3:12PM - 3:37PM |
B3.00003: COFFEE BREAK
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Friday, May 13, 2005 3:37PM - 3:49PM |
B3.00004: Do they know if they know? Brian Pyper, Frantisek Plasil Can students tell when they've learned something? We gave 7 questions to a group of 36 students. The questions were selected from the topic (momentum and kinetic energy) taught in their class the week before the data was collected. Each question was accompanied by a confidence question. Students answered the questions using an anonymous classroom electronic personal response system. We looked for correlations between student responses and how confident they were in their response. This presentation will discuss the results of this preliminary research. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 13, 2005 3:49PM - 4:01PM |
B3.00005: Modeling Student Understanding of Probability Pornrat Wattanakasiwich, Kenneth Krane The main goal of education is to help students learn effectively, so we need to understand how students construct knowledge. Knowledge is a complex system, so to develop an understanding of how knowledge is constructed requires a model. Based on the fundamental principle of constructivism, Redish (2003) proposed a theoretical framework for modeling student thinking. His model consists of a two-level system---a knowledge-structure level where associational patterns dominate and a control-structure level where one can describe expectations and epistemology. In order to confirm this theoretical framework, an analysis based on this framework was used to examine interview data that was collected to investigate student understanding of probability and related concepts in a modern physics course. The results will be reported and discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 13, 2005 4:01PM - 4:13PM |
B3.00006: Exploring social justice issues in a thermal physics course Shannon Mayer Recent advances in biomedicine, genetics, telecommunications, and the semiconductor industry illustrate the extent to which basic research and the resulting technological innovations transform our society. Moreover, the challenges we face as a nation, and a planet, as a result of industrial pollution, fossil-fuel consumption, and nuclear weapons development and proliferation are all indicators of the capacity for technical innovation to have significant consequences for society. Our collective response to these challenges is vital. Moreover, since these critical issues have scientific underpinnings, it is crucial that we have scientists and engineers with an informed scientific worldview and technical expertise to be participants in the conversation. This paper describes efforts to use case studies in an upper-division course in thermal physics to explore social justice issues. The activities presented provide a starting-point for encouraging science and engineering students to develop a habit of thought that incorporates consideration of social justice issues into the decisions they make in the engineering workplace, research laboratory, political or public arena, as well as in their personal lives. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 13, 2005 4:13PM - 4:25PM |
B3.00007: Student difficulties in applying quantum mechanical principles to superpositions of stationary states Andrew D. Crouse, Peter S. Shaffer, Lillian C. McDermott As part of an ongoing research and curriculum development effort, the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington is examining the learning and teaching of introductory quantum mechanics. Recent studies have focused on superpositions of stationary states. Student understanding has been probed in a variety of contexts including measurement, dynamics, and perturbation theory. Examples from our research will be used to illustrate some common problems students have in applying and interpreting basic quantum mechanical principles related to superposition. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 13, 2005 4:25PM - 4:37PM |
B3.00008: Investigating student understanding of acceleration in two dimensions Sean M. Courtney, MacKenzie R. Stetzer, Peter S. Shaffer, Lillian C. McDermott The Physics Education Group at the University of Washington has been conducting an ongoing investigation of student understanding of two- dimensional kinematics. The results have guided the design of curriculum that has been shown to help many students improve their conceptual understanding of motion in two dimensions.\footnote{{\it Tutorials in Introductory Physics}, L.C. McDermott, P.S. Shaffer and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Prentice Hall (2002).}$^{,}$\footnote{{\it Physics by Inquiry}, L.C. McDermott and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Wiley (1996).} The current research is an effort to make further gains in student learning. A primary source of data are pretests and post-tests administered in introductory physics courses at the University of Washington and other colleges and universities. Specific examples of conceptual and reasoning difficulties associated with this material will be illustrated in the context of uniform and non-uniform circular motion. [Preview Abstract] |
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