1 ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY MODELING CURRICULUM AND HARVARD PROJECT PHYSICS INTEGRATION AND APPLICABILITY by Jason J Lindley A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master s in Education State University of New York College at Buffalo 2010 Approved by Program Authorized to Offer Degree Date 2 State University of New York College at Buffalo Abstract Arizona State University Modeling Curriculum and Harvard Project Physics Integration and Applicability by Jason J Lindley Supervisory Faculty Assistant Professor Luanna S Gomez Physics Department ABSTRACT During the 1970 s Harvard Project Physics was a popular curriculum used in high school physics classrooms and sought to change the way physics was taught Today the Modeling curriculum developed at Arizona State University seeks to do the same through developing a sound conceptual understanding Jackson Dukerich Hestenes 2008 p 13 of physics However the Modeling curriculum is weaker at incorporating literacy and the historical significance of science than its predecessor The objective of this paper is to integrate the best of both curriculums in the topics of motion and forces in an effort to coherently incorporate literacy and historical context for use within a New York State high school Regents physics classroom Introduction 3 Harvard Project Physics was a widely used curriculum during the 1970 s and there was much care taken it its development 1 Similarly in the 1990 s the Modeling curriculum was developed and driven by advances in physics education research Yet these curriculums are not without their shortcomings This paper will explore the development of each curriculum and identify their strengths and weaknesses The best aspects of each will be integrated coherently so that it may be used by those currently teaching physics Since the original Harvard Project Physics materials are being used the paper will attempt to present the validity of using older materials within today s classrooms I Background A Harvard Project Physics Introduction to Harvard Project Physics Harvard Project Physics was arguably one of the most influential physics curriculums used in the United States Although this program is not in use today2 its impact is evident in the field of science education and its materials are still adaptable and useful in teaching high school physics to today s youth This project was not a small undertaking and through the foresight of F James Rutherford it became an amazing teaching tool that was tested and tweaked over several years during the 1960 s The Authors of Harvard Project Physics F James Rutherford was born in California in 1924 Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor he joined the Navy After the war ended Rutherford completed his bachelor s degree at Berkeley and then continued to obtain a master s in science education from Stanford After teaching high school physics for several years he went to 1 Another curriculum Physical Science Study Committee PSSC Physics was developed with similar goals It was used in the 1960s but failed because teachers did not have appropriate training and the typical high school teacher is not a surrogate scientist French 1986 2 The Harvard Project Physics materials are currently being revised by David Cassidy a professor at Hofstra University Holton 2003 p 785 4 Harvard where he received his doctorate in science education in 1961 Rutherford returned to teaching high school physics in California for a few years but departed for Harvard in 1964 to become a professor of science education Gerald Holton received his bachelor s degree from Wesleyan University in 1941 and a master s degree in 1942 before continuing on to obtain a doctorate in physics from Harvard in 1948 He was a professor of physics at a number of universities before he ended up at Harvard where he worked in both the physics and history of science departments Fletcher G Watson graduated in 1933 from Pomona College and went on to receive his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard in 1938 Fletcher did post graduate work in the Harvard observatory and served in the Navy during WWII After the war he returned to Harvard where he became a faculty member of the Science Education department Aims of Harvard Project Physics When the authors set out to create Project Physics they first put together a set of concise goals for the course They were 1 To help students increase their knowledge of the physical world by concentrating on ideas that characterize physics as a science best rather than concentrating on isolated bits of information 2 To help students see physics as the wonderfully many sided human activity that it really is This meant presenting the subject in historical and cultural perspective and showing that the ideas of physics have a tradition as well as ways of evolutionary adaptation and change 3 To increase the opportunity for each student to have immediately rewarding experiences in science even when gaining the knowledge and skill that will be useful in the long run 4 To make it possible for instructors to adapt the course to the wide range of interests and abilities of their students 5 To take into account the importance of the instructor in the educational process and the vast spectrum of teaching situations that prevail Rutherford Holton Watson Project Physics Text 1975 p vi 5 These aims contain many of the goals of the high school physics teacher but then go above and beyond The first item that jumps out after reading the aims is that the students are the focus This goes along with a student centered course which is now more commonplace in curriculum development in high school physics Arons 1997 However unlike most courses there are also aims that discuss the teacher and imply that they are skilled professionals that can shape the materials as they see fit3 The authors wanted to make sure that the course they were going to create could be adapted by any teacher to fit their students needs Every classroom of students is different and it is important that the teacher can easily adapt the materials to fit the students without interrupting the integrity of the course Beginning with these goals in mind would help the authors to focus their efforts to create the best course possible at that time Development of Harvard Project Physics The Harvard Project Physics curriculum was developed in three phases In the first phase t he three authors collaborated to lay out the main goals and topics
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