The Physics Education Technology Project: Introduction to Inquiry-Based Teaching and PhET's Web-Based Interactive Simulations Teacher’s Workshop Beacon of Hope College Soroti, Uganda Jan-Feb 2008 Sam McKagan University of Colorado at Boulder The Physics Education Research Group:

1.Become familiar with research-based teaching methods Inquiry-based teaching Interactive engagement 2.Become familiar with PhET simulations What makes PhET sims unique learning tools? How can they be used in class? (easy, effective) 3.Plan for sim use in your class Identify useful PhET sims Practice activities using sims Develop your own activity Workshop Goals

To help me get input from you, we will use colored cards to answer questions: A B C D E How long have you been teaching physics? A.1 year or less B.2-3 years C.4-5 years D.5-6 years E.7 years or more

What level do you teach? A.A levels only B.O levels only C.Both O levels and A levels D.Something else

What does research tell us about how to teach science? Traditional approach to teaching science: 1.Think very hard about subject, get it figured out very clearly. 2.Explain it to students, so they will understand with same clarity. Unfortunately, research shows traditional approach often doesn’t work!

What does research tell us about how to teach science? Research-based approach to teaching science: 1.Find out what your students are thinking. 2.Get them actively engaged in figuring things out for themselves. 3.Monitor and guiding their thinking. Research shows that there are effective ways to do this!

Data on effectiveness of traditional science teaching. -lectures, textbook homework problems, exams 1. Retention of information from lecture. 2. Conceptual understanding. 3. Beliefs about science and problem solving. Mostly intro university physics (best data), but other subjects and levels consistent.

I. Redish- students interviewed as came out of lecture. "What was the lecture about?" only vaguest generalities II. Rebello and Zollman- 18 students answer six questions. Then told to get answers to the 6 questions from 14 minute lecture. (Commercial video, highly polished) Most questions, less than one student able to get answer from lecture. Data 1. Retention of information from lecture III. Wieman and Perkins - test 15 minutes after told nonobvious fact in lecture. 10% remember

Why? Cognitive load-- best established, most ignored. Mr Anderson, May I be excused? My brain is full. Maximum ~7 items short term memory, process 4 ideas at once. MUCH less than in typical science lecture

Data 2. Conceptual understanding in traditional course (cont.) electricity Eric Mazur 70% can calculate currents and voltages in this circuit. 40% correctly predict change in brightness of bulbs when switch closed! How can this be? Solving test problems, but not understanding what they mean! 8 V 12 V 1  2  1  A B

On average learn <30% of concepts did not already know. Lecturer quality, class size, institution,...doesn't matter! R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, (‘98). Force Concept Inventory- Force Concept Inventory- basic concepts of force and motion 1 st semester physics Fraction of unknown basic concepts learned Traditional Lecture courses Data 2. Conceptual understanding in traditional course. Ask at start and end of semester-- 100’s of courses

Novice Expert Content: isolated pieces of information to be memorized. Handed down by an authority. Unrelated to world. Problem solving: pattern matching to memorized recipes. nearly all intro physics courses  more novice ref. Redish et al, CU work--Adams, Perkins, MD, NF, SP, CW Data 3. Beliefs about physics and problem solving Content: coherent structure of concepts. Describes nature, established by experiment. Prob. Solving: Systematic concept-based strategies. Widely applicable. *adapted from D. Hammer

Retention of information from lecture 10% after 15 minutes  >90 % after 2 days Conceptual understanding gain 25%  50-70% Beliefs about physics and problem solving significant drop  small improvement The good news: Using research-based teaching methods, we can get much better results Effective teaching = facilitate creation of understanding by engaging, then monitoring & guiding thinking.

Keys to Research-Based Teaching: Get students actively engaged, not just passively listening. Find out what students are thinking and address their preconceived ideas. Connect new material to what students already know and to everyday life. Focus on conceptual understanding, not just problem-solving. Reduce cognitive load by eliminating unnecessary details and jargon.

How do you know what your students are thinking? A.I know what they are having trouble with by listening to the questions they ask. B.I can see what they are having trouble with by looking at their homework. C.I can see what they are having trouble with by looking at their exams. D.More than one of the above. E.None of the above.

Technology can make possible. (when used properly) examples: a. student personal response systems (“clickers”) or colored cards b. interactive simulations Mentally engaging, monitoring, & guiding thinking. Many students at a time?!

a. “Clickers” or colored cards -- facilitate active thinking, probing student thinking, and useful guidance. individual # "Jane Doe picked B" (%) A B C D E When switch is closed, bulb 2 will a. stay same brightness, b. get brighter c. get dimmer, d. go out

Highly effective when use guided by how people learn-- improve engagement, communication, and feedback. Class designed around questions and follow-up-- Students actively engaged in figuring out. Student-student discussion ( consensus groups ) & enhanced student-instructor communication  rapid + targeted = effective feedback. clickers-

Physics Education Technology Project Suite of interactive simulations (~65) Covering intro physics, modern physics, bit of chemistry & math Design based on research Extensive user testing (usability, interpretation, learning) Free! Online or downloadable. (~50 Mbytes) Easy to use and incorporate in class Phet-based activities database on website show website, sim list, balloons and sweater, moving man, elctromag

Physics faculty: Michael Dubson Noah Finkelstein Kathy Perkins (manager) Carl Wieman Postdocs: Sam McKagan Archie Paulson Software Engineers: Sam Reid Chris Malley Michael Dubson Grad students: Wendy Adams Noah Podolefsky HS Teacher: Trish Loeblein ~6 full time equivalents Staff: Angie Jardine, Linda Wellmann PhET Staff

PhET Funding NSF Kavli Foundation Hewlett Foundation University of Colorado Alfred Nobel Our promise: PhET sims will always be free!

Physics Education Technology Website

Do you have internet access? A.Yes, at my school. B.Yes, somewhere else. C.Sometimes. D.No. What kind of access do you have to computers? A.There are no computers at my school. B.There is one computer at my school. C.There are 2-5 computers at my school. D.There are 5-10 computers at my school. E.There are more than 10 computers at my school.

If you don’t have internet access, please take a CD. CDs contain everything you need to install PhET on your computer: –PhET Installer –Java –Flash –Web Browser (Firefox) If you can get internet access sometimes, can also download PhET installer from website. Installer on website updated every day. Update frequently if you can: We are constantly making new sims and improving old ones. Searchable Activities Database online only. Some activities on your CD, but not all.

CCK: Group Input What learning goals does this sim support? (Any that are hard to reach with traditional approaches?) How could you use this sim or similar sims in a course?

Use of PhET sims in classLecture/classroom Visual Aid, Demo complement, Interactive Lecture Demos, & Concept tests Lab and Recitation Group activity, Exploration & discovery Homework Pre-class assignment – introduce new ideas Post instruction – develop robust understanding

Electrostatics – Traditional balloon demos - Charge transfer, Coulomb attraction, Polarization Lecture – Demo complement Show balloons Simple, but effective

When the string is in position B, instantaneously flat, the velocity of points of the string is... A: zero everywhere. B: positive everywhere. C: negative everywhere. D: depends on the position. A B C snapshots at different times. Violin string and harmonics: - Good visualization of a standing wave on a string Follow up question: At position C, the velocity of points of the string is... A: zero everywhere. B: positive everywhere. C: negative everywhere. D: depends on the position. Correct : 2002 demo: 27% 2003 sim: 71% Correct : 2002 demo: 23 % 2003 sim: 84% Lecture – Visual Aid Show wave on a string Follow-up Concept Test:

Lecture – Interactive Lecture Demos Demo 4: Sketch position vs time and velocity vs time graphs for when Moving Man: walks steadily towards the tree for 6 seconds, then stands still for 6 seconds, and then towards the house twice as fast as before for 6 seconds Position time Velocity time 5 s10 s20 s15 s Thornton and Sokoloff, 1997

Velocity time Position time 5 s10 s20 s15 s Velocity time Position time 5 s10 s20 s15 s Velocity time Position time 5 s10 s20 s15 s AB C Velocity time Position time 5 s10 s20 s15 s D Moving Man walks steadily towards the tree for 6 seconds, then stands still for 6 seconds, and then towards the house twice as fast as before for 6 seconds

Lab/Recitation: Small group activity Sims good because: Designed to help students to construct own conceptual understanding through exploration But best when activities: Guide students’ exploration to promote lines of inquiry that develop understanding of important concepts Number of well-suited sims: –Moving Man –Masses and Springs –Ideal Gas –Circuit Construction Kit

Homework Guide students work with the sim Homework questions: –Discover, explain, reason about important concepts –Explore cause-and-effect –Connect to their own experiences –True/false, multiple choice, numeric, essay

PhET Design CCK Masses and Springs: What makes these PhET sims particularly effective educational tools? (Activities should take advantage of these features!)

Design of PhET What makes these effective educational tools? Engaging, open-style play area Highly interactive Dynamic feedback. Interaction links to animation. Explore and discover (construct understanding) Connection to real world Explicit visual & conceptual models (that experts use) Productive constraints In folder: K.K. Perkins, et al, “PhET: Interactive Simulations for Teaching and Learning Physics”, Physics Teacher (Jan 2006)

Research Base Learning Goals Initial Design Design Process

Initial Design & General Approach Research Base Learning Goals Initial Design Research base: Ed. Psych / Cog. Sci: How people learn Educational Software Design Student Conceptions in Physics PhET research findings

Research Base Learning Goals Initial Design ~Final Design Redesign Interviews Classroom Use Design Process 

Research Base Redesign Interviews Assessment of Design: Usability – easy/intuitive Interpretation – correct/productive Engaged exploration Can students construct understanding of main ideas? Achieve learning goals? GeneralDesignGuidelines

Experts- - really like. Students--Watch without interacting. Don’t like. Misinterpret. Example- of what revealed by interview studies. Radio waves. Initial startup.

Start with curve view, manually move electron. Very different result. Later move to full field view, manipulate, like, and understand. Correctly interpret. Why do you think starting this way works so much better? briefly discuss with neighbors, then will collect ideas

Matches research on learning. Cognitive demand. Novices don’t know what to focus on. treat everything equally important. Much more than short-term working memory can handle, overwhelming Construction of understanding. Why starting this way works so much better? Other important features: Visual model-electrons in transmitting and receiving antennas, display of waves Interactivity

Research Base Classroom Use Use of Sims: Well honed tool for learning  Doesn’t guarantee its effectiveness: Effectiveness also depends on how it is used! Example paper on research on effectiveness (in folder): Perkins et al., Physics Teacher

Research Base Classroom Use Align Use of Sims with Research on Learning: Results of Research on How people learn? People learn by actively constructing their own understanding. People learn by building on their own prior knowledge and understanding. Experts build an organized structure of knowledge, and monitor and reflect on their own understanding.

Exploration Time! Find a partner and a computer Browse entire PhET website Match up topics/concepts you teach with sims Think a bit about how you might use each: –pre-class assignment? –in lecture concept test or interactive lecture demo? –in-class activity? –homework? –other? Use pink handout to keep track of how you could use sims in your classes. See blue handout for examples of how we use them in our classes.

PhET Team Approach to Curriculum Design: Guided Inquiry Approach GUIDELINES (purple handout): Does the activity … Address all of your learning goals? Require active thinking, sense making / reasoning? Build on prior knowledge? Connect to real world? Help students monitor their understanding?

Designing activities Compare 2 activities for masses & springs. gray handout Given general PhET sim design, What general characteristics/approaches would you use in making activity that maximizes effective learning experience?

So what’s in a design? What general characteristics/approaches would you use in making activity that maximizes effective learning experience?

So what’s in a design? PhET Team Approach to Curriculum Design: Guided Inquiry Approach Does the activity … Address all of your learning goals? Require active thinking? Require sense making / reasoning? Build on prior knowledge? Connect to real world? Help students monitor their understanding?

Evaluating an activity? Masses and Springs: Activity A Activity B 1.Which guidelines do you feel are applied in each activity? 2. How do you think aligning the activity with the guidelines will help students learn? Address all of your learning goals? Require active thinking? Require sense making / reasoning? Build on prior knowledge? Connect to real world? Help students monitor their understanding?

Circuits Activity Sample activity we use in our classes. Work through with your partner. Think about how it uses the guidelines. Think about how you could use this in your classes? –Does it need adaptation?

Please stay in touch! Search/post to database of activities! Suggestions welcome. To contact PhET: To contact me: