Bulletin of the American Physical Society
19th Annual Meeting of the APS Northwest Section
Volume 63, Number 6
Thursday–Saturday, May 31–June 2 2018; Tacoma, Washington
Session F1: Physics Education I |
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Chair: Paula Heron, University of Washington Room: Thompson Hall 175 |
Saturday, June 2, 2018 1:30PM - 2:00PM |
F1.00001: Introductory student understanding of signed quantities: an example of Physics Quantitative Literacy Invited Speaker: Alexis Olsho An objective of introductory physics courses is for students to develop quantitative reasoning skills in the context of physics, which includes the ability to quantify physical phenomena. \textit{Quantification} is characterized by the use of established mathematics to invent and apply novel quantities to describe natural phenomena. An important aspect of quantification in physics is making sense of the sign of a quantity. Mathematics education research suggests that students have difficulty developing the flexibility necessary to make sense of the ways negative numbers are used in algebra courses. We extend that work to physics, where the negative sign takes on different meanings depending on the context. I will describe some preliminary results from studies conducted at Rutgers University, the University of Washington, and Western Washington University that suggest that physics students also have difficulty making sense of the negative sign in a variety of physical contexts. I will suggest changes to the way we talk about signed quantities that can provide more clarity for students as they learn to reason. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, June 2, 2018 2:00PM - 2:12PM |
F1.00002: Quantification and its importance to modeling in introductory physics Suzanne White Brahmia A typical modeling instructional framework includes the development of a model and additional processes beyond its development (e.g. testing, refining, deployment, application). In this talk I will discuss a crucial part of developing a model -– generating the physical quantities that are the subjects of the model. Mathematicians use the term quantification to describe the process of generating new quantities characterize attributes of an object or system. Many mathematics educators consider quantification to be an essential, and challenging, cognitive process for students, yet students’ experience with quantification is mostly missing from physics instruction. I present evidence that students taking calculus-based physics struggle to use simple mathematics in the sophisticated ways of physics quantification by providing two examples: 1) generating an unfamiliar ratio quantity (acceleration) and 2) interpreting the meaning of a negative quantity (work). I describe available supplemental physics instructional materials that target quantification as a learning outcome, and that show improvements in physics learning outcomes as measured by the Force Concept Inventory and CLASS-Physics. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, June 2, 2018 2:12PM - 2:24PM |
F1.00003: Probing student reasoning approaches through the lens of dual-process theories: a case study in buoyancy Paula Heron, Cody Gette, Mila Kryjevskaia, MacKenzie Stetzer A growing body of research indicates that student performance on physics problems depends on many factors, including conceptual understanding. However, in contexts in which significant conceptual difficulties have been documented, it can be difficult to isolate such factors because students' responses rarely reveal the full richness of their conscious and, perhaps more importantly, subconscious reasoning paths. In this investigation, informed by dual-process theories of reasoning and decision-making, we conducted a series of experiments in order to gain greater insight into the factors impacting student performance on the ``five-blocks problem,'' which has been used to probe student thinking about buoyancy. In particular, we examined both the impact of problem design and the impact of targeted instruction. Instructional modifications designed to remove the strong intuitive appeal of the first-available response led to significantly improved performance, despite failing to improve student conceptual understanding of the requisite buoyancy concepts. These findings represent an important step in identifying systematic strategies for using advances in cognitive science to guide the development and refinement of research-based instructional materials. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, June 2, 2018 2:24PM - 2:36PM |
F1.00004: Curriculum development to improve student understanding of rolling motion Sheh Lit Chang, Peter Shaffer Prior research on student understanding of rolling motion has led to the identification of some specific difficulties that students have with this topic, including in the case of rolling without slipping. At the University of Washington, we have been building on this work and in the process of developing and testing a tutorial based on a relative motion approach to this topic. Results from pretests and post-tests will be given to illustrate some of the findings and to assess the utility of this approach. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, June 2, 2018 2:36PM - 2:48PM |
F1.00005: Commonly-Activated Conceptual Resources for Understanding Mechanical Wave Propagation Lisa M. Goodhew, Amy D. Robertson, Paula R.L. Heron, Rachel E. Scherr In a resources theory of knowledge, new knowledge is constructed from existing knowledge elements---called \textit{resources---}that are activated in real-time, in context-sensitive ways. These resources are thought to be derived from experience and continuous with formal physics concepts. Despite proposed benefits of instruction that builds upon student resources, little research has been done to investigate the common resources that students use as they reason about physics concepts. Our work contributes to the conversation on resources-oriented physics instruction by investigating the common conceptual resources that students use to reason about mechanical wave propagation. In this talk, we will present our analysis of written responses to conceptual physics questions that were administered to introductory physics students at multiple institutions across the United States. We will focus on the resources that are commonly activated in wave propagation scenarios, with an eye toward how our results can inform instruction that takes up and builds upon student thinking. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, June 2, 2018 2:48PM - 3:00PM |
F1.00006: Math Bits: Just-in-Time Math Methods in Paradigms 2.0 Paul Emigh, Corinne Manogue Courses in Mathematical Methods of Physics are a common and crucial part of many undergraduate physics programs.~ The exact content and timing of such courses can vary substantially from program to program.~ In the recent redesign of the Paradigms in Physics at Oregon State University (Paradigms 2.0), Mathematical Methods content was implemented in a just-in-time manner as an integrated but separate part of six upper-level physics courses spanning the junior year.~ We discuss the specific mathematics content, how it was implemented, and our initial impressions from the first two years of Paradigms 2.0. [Preview Abstract] |
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