Physics Education Research in Action: or What’s all this fuss about clickers? Sat. Physics Series Feb Steven Pollock Physics Department University of Colorado, Boulder

Acknowledgements Physics faculty: Noah Finkelstein Carl Wieman Kathy Perkins Michael Dubson Postdocs: Sam McKagan Linda Koch Ph. D. students: Wendy Adams Jack Barbera Kara Gray Chris Keller Pat Kohl Noah Podolefsky Chandra Turpen School of Ed : Valerie Otero, Bud Talbott Danielle Harlow

CT metal ring A thick metal ring has a circular hole in the middle. If the ring is heated, the hole gets... A: larger B: smaller C: stays the same D: Not sure at all

How do you feel about physics? (Be honest, now, these clickers are anonymous!) A: Hate it/strong disinterest B: Fearful/mild disinterest C: Pretty neutral D: Like it/mild interest E: Love it, very enthusiastic

Who can learn physics? A: Only an elite minority born with natural talent B: A modest fraction of the population C: Most people, but for most of them only with lots of work D: Most people E: None of these really described my opinion well

Outline / Framing Why focus on education? Why physicists? Educational research, theory and practice

How important is education? U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century -- March 2001 the crisis in scientific research and education is the second greatest threat facing American national security. only a nuclear or biological weapon released in an American city [is] a greater threat

How important is education? U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century -- March 2001 the crisis in scientific research and education is the second greatest threat facing American national security. only a nuclear or biological weapon released in an American city [is] a greater threat

How are we doing: TIMSS

The best way to learn physics is A: To memorize facts and formulas B: To memorize the relationships between facts and formulas C: To make sense of facts and formulas and relate them to your experiences D: To understand conceptual ideas, which need not involve any (or many) facts or formulas E: None of these describes my opinion very well. CT memorize or make sense?

How are we doing: Harvard (University) Students fail to learn basic concepts in (introductory physics) classes. ~40% From: Mazur (1997) E.g. ~75%

Studying Science Education Scientifically Develop goals Measurement tools Theory Experiment Apply results (to classroom) Repeat (as necessary)

Physics Education Research What do our students learn? –Not all we expect them to –Some things we don't want!

FCI I Force Concept Inventory Research based Experts (especially skeptics!) => necessary (not sufficient) indicator of conceptual understanding. * Hestenes, Wells, Swackhamer, Physics Teacher 20, (92) 141

R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, (‘98). = post-pre 100-pre traditional lecture FCI I Force Concept Inventory

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). Force Concept Inventory

CT galileo A heavy steel ball and a much lighter (hollow) steel ball of similar size and shape are dropped from a large height. Which one hits the ground first? A: The heavier one B: The lighter one C: They both hit at about the same time D: I have no idea Depending on timing - could be reading quiz, fact recall - or concept/transfer/predict exp't…!

CT galileo II A heavy steel ball and a much lighter (hollow) steel ball of identical size and shape are dropped from a large height. Do not neglect air resistance. Which one hits the ground first? A: The heavier one (barely) B: The lighter one (barely) C: They both hit at exactly the same time D: Not enough information to decide

What else do students learn in our classrooms?

Do you think physics is... A: About the real world, and relevant to your life B: About the real world, but not especially relevant to your personal life C: Mostly abstract, mathematical: not especially about the real world we live in (Don’t vote D) E: None of these describes what I think very well CT physics is about real world?

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, “Measuring student beliefs about physics and learning physics: The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey” Physical Review Special Topics - PER, 2006

Shift (%) (“reformed” class) (All ±2%) CLASS categories Real world connect... Personal interest Sense making/effort... Conceptual Math understanding... Problem Solving Confidence Nature of science Engineers: -12 Phys Male: +1 Phys Female: -16

why does this happen?

Trad’l Model of Education Instruction via transmission Individual Content (e.g. circuits) transmissionist ©Watterson

Think about our teaching environments 2000 years ago Today Where does this come from?

I don't think you can teach physics very well anyway to people in that manner, by giving lectures on a big scale. I think it's hopeless. Richard Feynman, Feynman

Constructivism: actively engaging students…

Impact of peer instruction

actively engaging is important what people know affects what & how they learn…

A cognitive task… Try to memorize the following number (in order):

What was it? how many numbers did you get? G. Miller - magic number: 7 + /- 2

7 +/- 2 is that it? Now try the following:

How'd you do? Did anything change? What's the difference?

Does chunking work for anything? d l s k e l t y u x b m j o r o h k c a t d o g t a g g y m o a r l u g t h e b i g d o g r a n t o o f a r

Applied to the physics classroom: actively engaging is important what people know affects what they learn

= post-pre 100-pre CU Fa03/ Sp04 CU Fa98 red = trad, blue = interactive engagement F C I at C U Back to the FCI Finkelstein and Pollock (2005). Physical Review, ST:PER, 1,1 R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, (‘98).

= post-pre 100-pre red = trad, blue = interactive engagement Force Concept Inventory CU - w. Tutorials CU - w. trad recitations

actively engaging is important what people know affects what they learn contexts shape what students learn (content and beliefs)

Consider a class that… connects learning to real world focuses on concepts & problem solving … makes explicit the hidden curriculum

Homework from Phys 121

CT metal ring A thick metal ring has a circular hole in the middle. If the ring is heated, the hole gets... A: larger B: smaller C: stays the same D: Not sure at all

CT Cannon and basketball I launch the basketball (vertically!) from the cannon as the cart moves steadily across the room Where does the basketball land? A: Way behind the cannon B: Behind the cannon C: Hits the hole D: Ahead of the cannon E: No idea/ it’s totally random

Summary Build on solid research base We must know our audience. Student attitudes and beliefs are important Active learning works! Conceptual understanding doesn’t come along “for free”

Summary Build on solid research base We must know our audience. Student attitudes and beliefs are important Active learning works! Conceptual understanding doesn’t come along “for free” We’re still learning about learning! It’s not about our teaching, it’s about student learning

How has this presentation made you feel about the state of physics education? A: More optimistic/confident B: Pretty much the same as when I walked in today C: Somewhat more negative: I’m more concerned now than I was an hour ago D: I will not go/allow my child into a large lecture physics class E: I will not go/allow my child into a large lecture physics class (unless it is at CU Boulder) CT final poll

QUESTIONS? See: per.colorado.edu (for this talk and more)

estimation How many gas stations are there in the USA? A: 10,000 B: 100,000 C: 1,000,000 D: 10,000,000 E: There is no way to know this without looking it up Yet another kind of concept test - estimation, (broad compilation of logical tools, connect with personal experience)

Think fast! Meta: for goodness' sake, there could be CHILDREN in the other car! Think fast! You've just driven around a curve in a narrow, one-way street at 25 mph when you notice a car identical to yours coming straight toward you at 25 mph. You have only two options: hitting the other car head on or swerving into a massive concrete wall, also head on. In the split second before the impact, you decide to A) hit the other car B) hit the wall C) hit either one- it makes no difference. D) consult your lecture notes.

Concept Test (skiier) A skier on frictionless snow (so common in Colorado) is cruising gently along the flats, when she spots a symmetrical dip. She can go down and back up the dip, or ski horizontally across a bridge. Which path will get her to the far side faster? PINK: Bridge is faster BLUE: Dip is faster GREEN: Same PURPLE: Not sure

CT (eye) A bundle of parallel rays approaches the eye and some of the rays enter the eye's pupil, as shown below. No other rays enter the eye. What does the eye see? PINK: A single point of light, surrounded by blackness. GREEN: A uniformly illuminated wall of light, like a white wall. BLUE: Many scattered points of light, like stars in the night sky. YELLOW: None of these.