New PTEC collection resources

Nothing makes sense in physics education except in light of poverty

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:44:36 EST

THE PREPARATION OF TEACHERS TAKES PLACE AMID OPPOSING FORCES. THE GREATEST SINGLE PROBLEM IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THE ABSENCE OF SUITABLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS, PARTICULARLY IN PHYSICS. YET NATIONAL ATTENTION HAS TURNED TO RAISING THE BAR ON ENTERING THE TEACHING PROFESSION. RESEARCH-BASED KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO TEACH PARTICULAR PHYSICS TOPICS IS FAR ADVANCED AND REQUIRES TIME AND EFFORT TO ACQUIRE. YET IN MOST STATES THE LABOR MARKET FAVORS TEACHERS WITH CREDENTIALS FOR BROAD FIELD SCIENCE. THE WEAK PERFORMANCE OF US STUDENTS SUGGESTS TEACHERS MUST HAVE ADVANCED CONTENT KNOWLEDGE. YET IN SCHOOLS WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POVERTY, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT MAY BE MORE IMPORTANT. I WILL DISCUSS HOW THESE OPPOSING FORCES ARE SHAPING THE TEACHER PREPARATION EFFORTS WITH WHICH I AM INVOLVED. Michael Marder is a member of the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, internationally known for its experiments on chaos and pattern formation. He specializes in the mechanics of solids, particularly the fracture of brittle materials. He has published a graduate textbook on condensed matter physics which is now in its second edition, and an undergraduate textbook on research methods for science. As Associate Dean for Science and Mathematics Education in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, Michael Marder is co-director of UTeach, the University program for preparation of secondary math and science teachers. He is working to introduce inquiry techniques into undergraduate teaching, is local director of the Siemens-Westinghouse Competition region 2 finals, and directs programs aimed at improving science education in Austin elementary schools. .

Where the rubber meets the road

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:12:02 EST

As professor of Physics and Education at City College of New York, I routinely work with recent high school graduates as well as with physics teachers in training. I was therefore compelled to spend a year as a full time physics teacher in an inner city public high school. I was empowered with knowledge of Physics Education Research, well-designed curricula shown to be effective, formal teacher education training, countless hours in high school classrooms, and cultural roots in New York City. Within one day I knew I was overmatched. In this presentation, I will share some of the challenges I encountered and some of what I learned about what works in this environment. Richard Steinberg is Professor in the School of Education and the Department of Physics and Program Director of Science Education at City College of New York since 1999. He received a Ph.D. in applied physics and a secondary teaching certificate from the Teacher Preparation Program from Yale University. For more than 20 years his scholarship has been on research and development of physics / science education, innovative instruction, teacher education, and outreach to local schools. He has published dozens of books, refereed articles, and curricula and has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the National Academy of Education, and the Eisenhower Higher Education Professional Development Program. Topics have ranged from elementary school science to quantum mechanics; from curriculum development to teacher education. He is a former Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow and CCNY Teacher of the Year. During sabbatical in 2007-08, he was a full time science teacher in a public high school in New York City.

Transforming the Preparation of Physics Teachers: A Call to Action - T-TEP Final Report

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:00:53 EST

Despite federal legislation mandating highly qualified teachers for every classroom, school districts confirm a considerable shortage of physics teachers year after year, greater than any other science discipline. Compounding this problem, the preparation of qualified physics teachers has failed to keep pace with a dramatic increase in the number of high-school students taking physics. The potential negative consequences of maintaining the status quo are far-reaching, both for physics as a discipline and for the U.S. economy and society as a whole. In response to the shortage of physics teachers in the U.S. and concerns about their effectiveness, the American Physical Society, American Association of Physics Teachers, and American Institute of Physics formed the Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics (T-TEP). T-TEP was charged with documenting the state of physics teacher preparation and with making recommendations for the development of exemplary physics teacher education programs. Except for a few excellent programs, T-TEP found that nationally, physics teacher preparation is inefficient, incoherent, and unprepared to deal with the current and future needs of the nation's students. An innovative national program is needed to develop new resources, expertise, and capacity in order to meet current and future national needs. Toward this end, T-TEP recommends establishing regional centers in physics education. These centers would be the main regional producers of well-qualified physics teachers and would be a nexus for scholarly work on physics education. In addition, the centers would help veteran science teachers at all levels deepen their knowledge and skills.

Training graduate teaching assistants to be better undergraduate physics educators

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 19:02:19 EST

Universities often depend on their graduate students to be undergraduate physics instructors. These novice teachers need to be trained to be effective in the physics teaching environment. This paper describes and documents the content and fiscal components of a successful graduate student teacher-training programme.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 19:00:59 EST

This report outlines a broad set of expectations for K-12 education in science and engineering. This framework will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. The framework is structured into three main areas: 1) cross-cutting concepts that unify science and engineering; 2) scientific and engineering practices; and 3) core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to be informed consumers of scientific and technological information and have the skills to enter the careers of their choice.

Making the Case: The role of data in supporting educational innovations.

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:27:02 EST

Presented by Noah Finkelstein and Steven Pollock at the 2012 Colorado Learning Assistant Workshop at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Colorado LA Program as a model for institutional change: critical elements, national impacts, local implications

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:20:36 EST

Presented by Valerie Otero at the 2012 Colorado Learning Assistant Workshop at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Wayne State University Action Plan

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:57:44 EST

Wayne State University's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

University of Texas at El Paso Action Plan

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:54:32 EST

University of Texas at El Paso's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

SUNY New Paltz Action Plan

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:48:37 EST

SUNY New Paltz's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

Minnesota State University Moorhead Action Plan

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:41:30 EST

Minnesota State University Moorhead's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

Howard University Action Plan

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:35:54 EST

Howard University's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

Colorado School of Mines Action Plan

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:26:50 EST

Colorado School of Mines action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

Seeing the Science in Children's Thinking: Case Studies of Student Inquiry and Physical Science.

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:25:24 EST

Observing and listening to children while they inquire into the physical sciences is difficult. There’s lots to see and hear, but unless you know what to look and listen for, you might only see a noisy blur of activity. Seeing the Science in Children’s Thinking is a field guide to the science classroom with authentic examples presented in written and video form. It’s a great way for staff developers to train teachers’ eyes and ears to pick up the analysis and ideas of students as they occur in the wild of classroom conversations. David Hammer and Emily Van Zee explain the scientific process, describe how research suggests students conceptualize inquiry, and offer ways to encourage scientific investigation in the elementary and middle grades. Then they offer six in-depth case studies of class discussion from grades 1 through 8, each keyed to clips of minimally edited in-the-classroom footage on the companion DVD-ROM. The case studies include not only a thorough description by each teacher, but also detailed facilitator’s notes for running effective staff-development workshops using the footage. The clips present up to thirty minutes of authentic, uninterrupted class discussions with optional subtitles. Additionally, full transcripts of the video clips are available as printable files on the DVD-ROM. Evidence of children’s scientific thinking is all around the classroom, but it takes a skilled teacher to locate it. With Seeing the Science in Children’s Thinking your teachers can sharpen their senses, discover a wealth of information about how their students approach science, and create instruction that’s individualized and responsive.

Resource Letter ALIP–1: Active-Learning Instruction in Physics

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:23:40 EST

This Resource Letter provides a guide to the literature on research-based active-learning instruction in physics. These are instructional methods that are based on, assessed by, and validated through research on the teaching and learning of physics. They involve students in their own learning more deeply and more intensely than does traditional instruction, particularly during class time. The instructional methods and supporting body of research reviewed here offer potential for significantly improved learning in comparison to traditional lecture-based methods of college and university physics instruction. We begin with an introduction to the history of active learning in physics in the United States, and then discuss some methods for and outcomes of assessing pedagogical effectiveness. We enumerate and describe common characteristics of successful active-learning instructional strategies in physics. We then discuss a range of methods for introducing active-learning instruction in physics and provide references to those methods for which there is published documentation of student learning gains.

Designing effective questions for classroom response system teaching

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:08:00 EST

Classroom response systems can be powerful tools for teaching physics. Their efficacy depends strongly on the quality of the questions. Creating effective questions is difficult and differs from creating exam and homework problems. Each classroom response system question should have an explicit pedagogic purpose consisting of a content goal, a process goal, and a metacognitive goal. Questions can be designed to fulfill their purpose through four complementary mechanisms: directing students’ attention, stimulating specific cognitive processes, communicating information to the instructor and students via classroom response system-tabulated answer counts, and facilitating the articulation and confrontation of ideas. We identify several tactics that are useful for designing potent questions and present four “makeovers” to show how these tactics can be used to convert traditional physics questions into more powerful questions for a classroom response system.

Preparing Students to Learn from Lecture: Creating a “Time for Telling” (Learning About Teaching Physics podcast)

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:06:20 EST

If interactive classrooms are the best way for students to learn, then is it bad to tell things to students? Not necessarily. In this podcast, we hear from researchers and instructors how we might prepare students to learn effectively from lecture. ----- Thanks to Daniel Schwarz of Stanford University, Doug Bonn and Jessica Lamb of the University of British Columbia, and Corinne Manogue of Oregon State University for their participation in this podcast. You can see the complete show notes, credits, cited studies, and subscribe to this podcast's RSS feed, at the PER User's Guide.

Action Plan: University of Toledo

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:32:41 EST

University of Toledo's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

Action Plan: University of the District of Columbia

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:26:28 EST

University of the District of Columbia's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.

Action Plan: University of Puerto Rico - Humacao

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:19:15 EST

University of Puerto Rico - Humacao's action plan to strengthen its physics program, developed at the June 10-12, 2012 workshop on Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program.