Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2015
Volume 60, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, April 11–14, 2015; Baltimore, Maryland
Session J11: Invited Session: Identifying Grand Challenges in Physics Education Research |
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: GPER Chair: Rachel Scherr, Seattle Pacific University Room: Key 7 |
Sunday, April 12, 2015 10:45AM - 11:21AM |
J11.00001: Physics Education Research efforts to promote diversity: Challenges and opportunities Invited Speaker: Suzanne Brahmia We begin this talk with a brief description of the gender and ethnic diversity of the physics community. We then discuss several current efforts within Physics Education Research that have the potential to further our understanding of issues surrounding underrepresentation. These efforts include research into (1) the role of community and strategies for developing effective communities; (2) physics identity and self-efficacy; (3) the affordances that students from~underrepresented groups bring to physics learning; (4) socioeconomics and its impact on mathematization. One of the challenges to conducting this research is the relatively small proportion of underrepresented minority students in current physics classes, and the small number of women in physics and engineering majors.\\[4pt] In collaboration with Stephen Kanim, New Mexico State University. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 12, 2015 11:21AM - 11:57AM |
J11.00002: Grand Challenges in Physics Education Research: Teacher Preparation Invited Speaker: Paula Heron The courses, curricula and programs that produce new K-12 teachers have been the subject of research in the physics education community for many years. In terms of recruitment, curricula, and mentoring, programs and pathways vary considerably from institution to institution. Each program addresses many different aspects of teaching including knowledge of the content and familiarity with best teaching practices. At the same time, even within physics (or physical science) there is a broad range of student outcomes that are considered important, including acquisition of factual knowledge, development of skill with disciplinary practices, and positive attitudes toward the discipline and one's own abilities. Given the broad range of both input and outcome variables it is no surprise that there are very few clear answers about the impact of teacher preparation on teachers, students and society. In this talk I will summarize some of the main findings to date, and identify some areas where much more research is needed. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 12, 2015 11:57AM - 12:33PM |
J11.00003: Bridging the Knowledge-Practice Gap in Undergraduate Physics Education Invited Speaker: Charles Henderson The Physics Education Research (PER) community has shown that there are many aspects of teaching that can be systematically studied and improved using scientific methods. PER has also shown that a wide variety of instructors in a wide variety of institutions can consistently improve student learning by using research-based teaching practices. Like most fields, though, there is a substantial gap between the research-based knowledge that PER has developed about effective teaching and the actual practices of physics instructors. In this talk I will discuss this current state of research related to this grand challenge in Physics Education Research. [Preview Abstract] |
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