The University of Maryland Physics Education Research Group (UMD-PERG) takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying learning and teaching in physics, engineering, and in science more generally.
Our group prioritizes:
- designing learning environments and materials that build on the productive cognitive, social, and cultural resources students bring to bear
- building models of learning that integrate identity, emotions, conceptions, and views about learning
- modeling the role of culture in science learning and educational change
- designing & studying university faculty & Learning Assistant learning communities
- partnering with K-12 teachers to design and participate in inquiry-based science and socio-political discussions
Towards these purposes, we draw on:
- video based analysis of classroom and clinical interactions
- socio-cultural and cognitive models of learning
- tools and techniques from ethnographic traditions
Our group includes members from the departments of Physics (College of Math and Natural Sciences) and Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (College of Education) at the University of Maryland, College Park.