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What: The Physics Education Research Group in the Department of Physics hosts seminar speakers from diverse fields such as science education, psychology, cognitive science, and anthropology.
When: 3:30 PM on select Thursdays during the Spring 2010 Semester; to receive emails about upcoming talks, contact Renee Michelle Goertzen
Where: Physics Building 4208
Scheduled speakers for Spring 2010:
January 28th: no seminar
February 4th: no seminar
February 11th: Steve Pollock, Physics Department, University of Colorado, Boulder. - CANCELLED
Title: A research-based approach to transforming an upper-division electricity and magnetism course
Abstract: At most universities, including the University of Colorado, upper-division physics courses are taught using a traditional lecture approach that does not make use of many of the instructional techniques that have been found to improve student learning at the introductory level. We are transforming an upper-division E&M course using principles of active engagement and learning theory, guided by the results of observations, interviews, and analysis of student work at CU and elsewhere. In this informal talk I will outline these reforms – including consensus learning goals, “clicker” questions, tutorials, modified homeworks, and more – as an example of what a transformed upper-division course might look like. We have examined the effectiveness of these reforms relative to traditional courses, based on grades, interviews, and attitudinal and conceptual surveys. Our results suggest that it is valuable to further investigate how physics is taught at the upper-division, and how education research may be applied in this context.
February 18th: Sam McKagan, McKagan Enterprises
Title: Embodied Learning Activities: Using the body symbolically to solve a physics problem
I will present a video analysis of a pedagogical technique called an Embodied Learning Activity (ELA), in which students use their bodies symbolically to solve a physics problem. Our claim is that ELAs uniquely promote scientific reasoning. Using the body provides affordances for grappling with deep issues in ways that other instructional techniques do not. This claim is based on our video analysis, and on a theoretical framework grounded in Lakoff and Johnson’s work on embodied cognition and Ochs’ work on indeterminate grammatical constructions.
February 22nd: (SPECIAL TIME AND DAY): Andre Rupp, Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, University of Maryland, College Park
(1:15-2:45 pm)
Link to notes for Andre Rupp's talk on Monday, February 22nd.
Title: Developing, Modeling, and Representing Domain-specific Expertise via Epistemic Games: A Measurement Person's View
Abstract: Epistemic games have been promoted as innovative digital tools to promote the development of discipline-specific expertise in a particular domain such as scientific writing or urban planning. The data structures that arise from these games are reasonably complex in that they are of a longitudinal nature, collected from a relatively small number of learners, contain multiple contextual dependencies, arise from highly interactive tasks that require complex performance products, and are used to make inferences about association structures and intra-individual development. Even though many latent-variable methods exist to model individual aspects of such data, there is no single off-the-shelf method available that can be used to analyze these data reliably.
In this presentation, I describe some of the current thinking at the intersection of epistemic game development, evidence-centered design, and diagnostic measurement to characterize some of the modeling challenges that await creative solutions in this area. Moreover, I will discuss our own efforts to analyze the statistical properties of a particular non-parametric method called epistemic network analysis that has been proposed by researchers as a potential mechanism to represent developing expertise.
February 25th: no seminar
March 4th:
March 11th: Beth Lindsey, Physics Department, Georgetown University
Title: Work, Energy, and Systems: Investigating student thinking about energy in the context of mechanics
Abstract: The first law of thermodynamics states that doing work on an otherwise isolated system will cause its energy to change. In order to apply this law correctly, students need to be able to calculate the work done on a deformable system, and then relate the work to the change in energy of the system. I will describe an investigation into student reasoning about work, energy, and systems. Student performance on written questions suggests that traditional instruction is insufficient to help students develop a functional understanding of these concepts. Many difficulties arise that affect students’ ability to reason about the changes in energy of an extended system. The difficulties identified by research have implications for instruction at the introductory level and in subsequent courses. These findings have prompted revisions to existing curriculum1 and guided the development of new tutorials to address many of the difficulties identified by research. Results from two institutions will be presented to provide evidence for the effectiveness of the curriculum.
1 Tutorials in Introductory Physics, L.C. McDermott, P.S. Shaffer and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Prentice Hall (2002).
March 18th: Spring break (no seminar)
March 25th: no seminar
April 1st: Jessica Watkins, Applied Physics Department, Harvard University
Title: Gender, mental rotations, and introductory physics
In this talk we examine an often-cited claim for gender differences in STEM participation: cognitive differences on tests of spatial ability explain achievement differences in physics. We specifically investigate the role of mental rotations in physics achievement and problem-solving, viewing mental rotations as a tool that students can use on physics problems. We first look at student survey results for lower-level introductory students, finding a small, but significant correlation between performance on a mental rotations test and course achievement. In contrast, we find no such relationship for students enrolled in the honors introductory course. To understand the role that mental rotations plays in physics problem-solving, we examine how students use this tool on highly-spatial physics problems in student interviews and find that mental rotation is neither necessary nor sufficient. These results suggest that the robust sex differences on mental rotation tests are of little relevance for achievement in introductory physics.
April 8th: no seminar
April 15th: Chauncey Monte-Sano, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland, College Park
April 22nd: Andrew Brantlinger, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland, College Park
April 29th: Eric Anderson, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Click here for all Past Events (including seminars)
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