Bulletin of the American Physical Society
80th Annual Meeting of the APS Southeastern Section
Volume 58, Number 17
Wednesday–Saturday, November 20–23, 2013; Bowling Green, Kentucky
Session EB: Expectations and Mental Models: What Are Our Students Thinking? |
Hide Abstracts |
Chair: Laurie McNeil, University of North Carolina Room: 1 |
Friday, November 22, 2013 8:30AM - 9:06AM |
EB.00001: When physics class is not what students expect it to be Invited Speaker: Jon Gaffney Many inspired and effective instructional reforms in physics have emerged from Physics Education Research. Some of these reforms stress instruction that results in classroom experiences that are different from traditional approaches in striking ways. For example, many reforms require students to talk to each other, manipulate objects, and work on problems during class. However, students bring their own expectations regarding how class is going to proceed, based on their previous experiences in other science courses. Because those expectations are often so different from what actually happens in reformed classes, we need to understand how they interact with students' performance and attitudes regarding the course. Doing so may help us understand why some instructors trying to implement instructional reform feel pushback from students, and why some reforms are more successful in some environments than others. In this talk, I will discuss preliminary and ongoing investigations of student expectations and provide concrete implications for framing courses taught in reformed styles. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 22, 2013 9:06AM - 9:42AM |
EB.00002: Using Eye-Trackers to Study Student Attention in Physical Science Classes Invited Speaker: David Rosengrant This study investigates the gaze patterns of undergraduate college students attending a lecture-based physical science class to better understand the relationships between gaze and focus patterns and student attention during class. The investigators used a new eye-tracking product; Tobii Glasses. The glasses eliminate the need for subjects to focus on a computer screen or carry around a backpack-sized recording device, thus giving an investigator the ability to study a broader range of research questions. This investigation includes what students focus on in the classroom (i.e. demonstrations, instructor, notes, board work, and presentations) during a normal lecture, what diverts attention away from being on task as well as what keeps a subject on task. We report on the findings from 8 subjects during physical science lectures designed for future elementary school teachers. We found that students tended not to focus on the instructor for most parts of the lecture but rather the information, particularly new information presented on PowerPoint slides. Finally, we found that location in the classroom also impacted students' attention spans due to more distractors. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 22, 2013 9:42AM - 10:18AM |
EB.00003: Addressing Students' Mental Models of Sound Propagation: Overcoming the Hurdle of Hybrid Mental Models and the Real Time Elicitation Invited Speaker: Zdeslav Hrepic While constructing their understanding in various domains of physics, students go through transitional phases that may involve mental models uniquely composed of the most common initial alternative model and, simultaneously, of the elements of the scientifically accepted model. Such cognitive structures may be richly developed and consistently used and have been identified in various physics and science topics ranging from earth science, to electrostatics, Newtonian mechanics and optics. This talk addresses the nature of students' mental models of sound propagation with special considerations of such blend i.e. hybrid models. The nature of hybrid models complicates the process of determining students' mental models through multiple choice inventories. They may necessitate synchronized consideration of multiple questions to determine a student's model in a single context. In the case of sound propagation, three to four different questions (depending on the context) are needed for this purpose. We will show our solution to the problems of addressing and representing hybrid models of sound propagation using a classroom response system in real time. We will also discuss results collected through the developed inventory at high school and college levels. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 22, 2013 10:18AM - 10:54AM |
EB.00004: Engagement in and out of the physics classroom Invited Speaker: Brian Frank Interactive engagement classrooms have been shown to produce a variety of desirable outcomes, including increased learning gains, enhanced preparation for future course work, and improved recruitment of physics majors. The recruitment and preparation of future physicists are important goals, but introductory physics courses are still terminal for the majority of students enrolled. One way to investigate the broader impacts of physics instruction is to focus on how learning physics influences students' everyday lives: Do students think about physics outside of class? Do they talk about physics with friends and family? Do they notice examples in their everyday experience? I report on initial findings about the extent to which college students enrolled in science courses are actively engaged in doing, talking, or thinking about physics outside of the classroom. Using a variety of methods, we find significant differences among different courses. Implications for instruction and research are discussed. [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