The Colorado Learning Assistant Programme Transforming undergraduate education and K12 teacher recruitment and preparation Noah Finkelstein Physics Department University of Colorado at Boulder Noah Finkelstein Physics Department University of Colorado at Boulder Using Student-Generated Content and Peer Support to Enhance Student Engagement and Learning University of Manchester 16th May

2 Physics Education Research group at CU-Boulder Funded by: National Science Foundation William and Flora Hewlett Foundation American Association of Physics Teachers Physics Teacher Education Coalition American Institute of Physics American Physical Society National Math & Science Initiative Howard Hughes Medical Institute And generous donors like you. Grad Students: Stephanie Barr Kara Gray May Lee Mike Ross Ben Spike Ben Van Dusen Bethany Wilcox Teachers / Partners / Staff: Shelly Belleau Jackie Elser, Trish Loeblein Molly Giulliano Susan M. Nicholson-Dykstra Sara Severance Emily Quinty Mindy Gratny, Kate Kidder John Blanco, Sam Reid Chris Malley, Jon Olson Oliver Nix, Nina Zabolotnaya Faculty : Melissa Dancy Michael Dubson Noah Finkelstein Valerie Otero Kathy Perkins Steven Pollock Carl Wieman (on leave) Postdocs/ Scientists: Charles Baily Danny Caballero Stephanie Chasteen Julia Chamberlain Katie Hinko Kelly Lancaster Emily Moore Ariel Paul Noah Podolefsky Benjamin Zwickl

What will 30m. get us? A bit of context on US education The Learning Assistant Model Outcomes / Measures / research Q&A A bit of context on US education The Learning Assistant Model Outcomes / Measures / research Q&A 3

How important is education? In March 2001, the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century …. on which I served warned that the crisis in scientific research and education is the second greatest threat facing American national security. In fact, the 14 bipartisan members unanimously agreed that the ‘inadequacies of our systems of research and education pose a greater threat to U.S. national security over the next quarter century than any potential conventional war that we might imagine.’ The Commission went on to assert that only a nuclear or biological weapon released in an American city [is] a greater threat -Newt Gingrich, AEI open letter to Congress, May Newt Gingrich, AEI open letter to Congress, May

Better education Grand Challenges in US Education 5

Better education More and better teachers Grand Challenges in US Education ~ 2/3 Physics Out of Field Less than 50% stay Physics Teachers with degrees in: 6

Better education More and better teachers More and better STEM grads Grand Challenges in US Education 1 Million more STEM grads needed by 2018 and growing 7

US surpassed by Europe and Asia in S&E PhD production Higher education & research Grand Challenges in US Education More and better teachers More and better STEM grads Better education 8

High Education & Disciplines: a key lever in education 9

Discipline-Based Education Research: Physics Education Research (PER) 10

Overview of PER Far more to our classes than what is traditionally evaluated –students are not learning what we want –learning some things we would not expect Physics education research –Tools for assessment –Models of student learning –curricula / approaches in class Far more to our classes than what is traditionally evaluated –students are not learning what we want –learning some things we would not expect Physics education research –Tools for assessment –Models of student learning –curricula / approaches in class 11

A possible “tipping” point Force Concept Inventory* Multiple choice survey, (pre/post) Experts (especially skeptics!) necessary (not sufficient) indicator of conceptual understanding. Force Concept Inventory* Multiple choice survey, (pre/post) Experts (especially skeptics!) necessary (not sufficient) indicator of conceptual understanding. * Hestenes, Wells, Swackhamer, Physics Teacher 20, (92)

Sample question Looking down at a track (flat on table), a ball enters at point 1 and exits at point 2. Which path does it follow as it exits (neglect all friction)? 13

R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, (‘98). = post-pre 100-pre traditional lecture FCI I Take home message: Students learn less than 25% of the most basic concepts (that they don’t already know). We are not teaching students 14

Attitudes & Beliefs: 15

Attitudes and Beliefs* Assessing the “hidden curriculum” - beliefs about physics and learning physics Examples: “I study physics to learn knowledge that will be useful in life.” “To learn physics, I only need to memorize solutions to sample problems” *Adams et al, (2006). Physical Review: Spec. Topics: PER,

Shift (%) (“reformed” class) (All ±2%) CLASS categories Real world connect... Personal interest Sense making/effort... Conceptual Math understanding... Problem Solving Confidence Nature of science

actively engaging students is important 18

Many PER curricular innovations 19

Teach by actively engaging students… based on what they know... 20

Pollock & Finkelstein, Physical Review, 4, (2008). = post-pre 100-pre traditional lecture Engagement Improves Learning interactive engagement learning gain 21

modest reframing of class context 22

Tutorials in Introductory Physics Reconceptualize Recitation Sections Materials Classroom format / interaction Instructional Role 23

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Pollock & Finkelstein, Physical Review, 4, (2008). = post-pre 100-pre traditional lecture Engagement in Learning interactive engagement CU - IE & Tutorials CU - IE & trad recitations learning gain 27

Teacher Recruitment & Preparation Curriculum and course transformation Institutional change Discipline-Based Education Research 28

Teacher Preparation Course Transformation Teacher Preparation Traditional Transformed Otero et al, Science

Content: Weekly planning sessions with math/science faculty member who is teaching the course (3 to 10) LAs per faculty member Pedagogy: LAs take a weekly course in science education theory and practice Techniques, theory, civic responsibility for education Practice: LAs lead weekly Learning Teams of 6 to 20 students Formative feedback for instructor to use in lecture The LAs’ learning is moved outside of the classroom; into the experience of serving as an LA The Learning is embodied in the Experience 30

Trad'l Recitation vs Tutorial 31

In the LA Model: Learning is distributed throughout the system Faculty and learning assistants recognize their role in educational change Enrolled students Learn the subject matter better Learning Assistants learn subject matter and become better teachers & learners University faculty become better teachers 32

Learning by Teaching: the LA Story 33

LA (pre)LA (post) V. Otero, N.D. Finkelstein, S.J. Pollock and R. McCray (2006). Science, 313, 445 LA Program Impact on Content Knowledge Gain 44% TA (pre)TA (post) 34

CLASS F06: Comparing students & LA’s Students in Phys 1120 F Overall Personal Interest LAs, F06 Overall Personal Interest 35

Lasting Impacts Longitudinal Studies 36

How Junior level E&M fair on BEMA? After completing Jr Level E/M (3310 or 3320) Only students who took Phys 2 (1120) without Tutorials 37

Impact of Tutorials Red bins: students who had taken Freshman physics (1120) with Tutorials (~2 years prior) 38

Impact of LA experience Beige: students who had been 1120 LAs (3.1 ±.1) (3.0 ±.1) (3.3 ±.1) (3.2) Grade in course 39

LA Program Impact on Teacher Recruitment 40

Participants ( ) Astronomy Dick McCray Doug Duncan Nick Schneider John Stocke Fran Bagenal Seth Hornstein Jack Burns Nils Halverson Physics Steve Pollock Noah Finklestein Kathy Perkins Mike Dubson Carl Wieman Ed Kinney Carl Rogers Jim Shepard Murray Holland James Nagle Thomas Schibli Valerie Otero Steve Iona David Webb Derek Briggs MCD Biology Bill Wood Jennifer Knight Nancy Guild Mike Klymkowsky Jia Shi Sylvia Fromherz Michelle Smith Christy Fillman Tom Blumenthal (chair) Applied Math Jim Curry (Chair) Mary Nelson Anne Dougherty Harvey Segur Tiejun Tong Adam Norris Silva Chang Sujeet Bhat Chemistry Tom Cech Susan Hendrickson Robert Parson Veronica Bierbaum Amy Palmer Margaret Asirvatham Joe Falke Laurie Langdon Dan Feldheim Tom Pentecost Graduate Students Kara Gray Bud Talbot Kim Geil Stephanie Barr Heidi Iverson Deb Morrison Chandra Turpen Ben Spike Mike Ross Ian HerManyHorses K-12 Teachers Steve Iona Mike Fuchs Roberta Tanner Craig Schneider Karen Germann Chancellor DiStefano, Provost Moore, Dean Shepard (Educ), Dean Gleeson (A&S) Mathematics Eric Stade (Chair) Rob Tubbs Evelyn Puaa Education John Cumulat (Chair) Paul Beale (Chair) Steve Wagner Shijie Zhong Stephanie Chasteen Engineering Derek Reamon Daria Kotes-Schwartz Michael Hannigan Geology Alexis Templeton 1058 LA positions filled! 41

University of Colorado at Boulder Auburn University Black Hills State University Boise State Boston University California Polytechnic State California State University - LB Cornell University Florida International University Indiana University (UTA Program) James Madison (Planned 11/12) Louisiana State University Marshall University (Planned 11/12) New Jersey Institute of Technology North Dakota State University Rutgers University Seattle Pacific University South Dakota State Towson University UNC Chapel Hill University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of Maine University of Maryland University of Minnesota - St Paul University of Oklahoma University of Texas - Austin University of Texas - El Paso Utah State University Virginia Tech Western Kentucky University V Otero, S Pollock, and N Finkelstein, “A physics department’s role in preparing physics teachers: The Colorado Learning Assistant model,” AJP, 78 (11),

Fin Much more at: per.colorado.edu And laprogram.colorado.edu 43