Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2017 Annual Meeting of the APS Mid-Atlantic Section
Volume 62, Number 19
Friday–Sunday, November 3–5, 2017; Newark, New Jersey
Session A1: Improving Learning 1 |
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Chair: Gordon Thomas, New Jersey Institute of Technology Room: 303, Central King Building (CKB), NJIT |
Friday, November 3, 2017 1:00PM - 1:36PM |
A1.00001: What are the goals of introductory physics courses and how can we help our students be successful? Invited Speaker: Eugenia Etkina h $-abstract-$\backslash $pard We are all passionate about student learning. We want them to succeed in our introductory courses. But what should the students learn in our introductory courses to be successful in the future? In my talk I will discuss how technological developments and changes in the workplace inspired global changes in the goals of science education in the US and in the world and what we can do in our introductory physics courses to prepare our students for their success in the future. I will present a different approach to teaching introductory physics and its effects on student learning. The main idea of this approach, called Investigative Science Learning Environment or ISLE, is that students construct their physics knowledge using processes that mirror processes that physicists use while they are doing physics. I will also discuss history of physics, achievements of brain science and findings of physics education research that support ISLE. Finally, I will address the issues of professional development that help instructors master ISLE.$\backslash $f1$\backslash $pard-/abstract-$\backslash $\tex [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 3, 2017 1:36PM - 2:12PM |
A1.00002: Interrogating Physics Classroom Culture in an Active Learning Environment to Promote Inclusion Invited Speaker: Diane Jammula While active physics curricula have nearly doubled students' learning gains (Von Korff et al., 2016), gender and race gaps persist (Brewe et al., 2010; Kost, Pollock, {\&} Finkelstein, 2009). Kost-Smith, Pollock, {\&} Finkelstein (2010) refers to an elusive and pervasive ``smog of bias'' in the physics classroom that contributes to these disparities. This qualitative study takes place in an active learning physics classroom in an urban public college to answer the questions: 1) What subjectivities do students bring to the physics classroom? 2) How can the physics classroom culture be characterized? 3) What instructional practices help or hinder an inclusive physics classroom culture? Participants were 7 female and 16 male students of different race and ethnic backgrounds, and I was the course instructor. Field notes, students' journals, and classroom artifacts were analyzed using open coding. Results show a wide range of student identities that both align with and contradict gender, race, and class stereotypes. Some class activities were conducive of a patriarchal classroom culture described as elitist, competitive, and hierarchal. However, other class activities facilitated community, caring, and support. Findings suggest inclusive physics instruction must move beyond a binary ``physics for her'' and ``physics for him'' to accommodate intersectional identities and variation within gender categories. Patriarchal classroom culture worked to marginalize many students, especially women and students of color. To increase the participation and achievement of underrepresented students in physics, inclusion must be intentionally cultivated. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:12PM - 2:48PM |
A1.00003: Cultural and Institutional Challenges in Improving Undergraduate Physics Instruction Invited Speaker: Angela Kelly A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences (2013), \textit{Adapting to a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities in Undergraduate Physics Education, }examined the status of physics education and provided recommendations for improvement. One major challenge is that most students do not gain a genuine understanding of physics concepts, practices of inquiry, and scientific habits of mind used in the discipline. Also, important groups of students (women, underrepresented minorities, prospective high school teachers) remain underserved by the traditional dominant paradigm of physics teaching. However, the physics education research community has developed empirically supported strategies for improvements in physics learning. Students in introductory physics at Stony Brook University now have the option to learn in Studio Physics, with more hands-on activities, peer problem solving, and instructor support. The newly designed laboratory modules enable repeated trials and immediate data analysis. The classroom design facilitates frequent student interactions where physics knowledge is constructed socially, strengthening students' self-efficacy and performance. However, such novel pedagogical approaches often encounter resistance without sustained support. This research presentation addresses the cultural and institutional challenges associated with implementing reformed physics teaching practices, and recommendations for broadening support among key stakeholders. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:48PM - 3:00PM |
A1.00004: Facilitating and Assessing the Development of Scientific Abilities and Habits of Mind: Introductory E{\&}M and Modern Physics Course Transformation around ISLE Labs and Measurable Learning Objectives Charles Ruggieri, Debbie Andres, Eugenia Etkina, Suzanne White Brahmia Rutgers University has completed its second year of a transformation of the E{\&}M and Modern Physics portions of its introductory calculus-based physics sequence -- involving \textasciitilde 800 students per semester -- from a traditional structure to one that includes Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE)-based labs. The lab, which had previously been a separate course, is now central to the course structure, and this happened from a bottom up change strategy. Over 10 faculty and staff members worked together on the transformation. In this talk we discuss the process of developing learning objectives, from which emerged a shared recognition of the central role that ISLE laboratory experiences play in meeting the learning objectives the faculty articulated as being important. We outline the steps we undertook transforming the labs,~share student learning data, lessons learned, and future plans. We will discuss the essential features of transformation progress at Rutgers (1) administrative support and PER champion(s), (2) close collaboration of instructors and curriculum designers, (3) weekly professional development, and (4) a flexible grading system which encourages students to revise and resubmit work based on instructor feedback. [Preview Abstract] |
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