Physics 4810 / 7810 Teaching and Learning Physics Fall 2005 Finkelstein / Pollock A course on how people learn and understand key concepts in physics. Readings in physics, physics education research, education, psychology and cognitive science, plus opportunities for teaching and evaluating college and K-12 students. Useful for all students, especially for those interested in physics, teaching and education research. Nobody thinks clearly, no matter what they pretend. Thinking’s a dizzy business, a matter of catching as many of those foggy glimpses as you can and fitting them together the best you can. That’s why people hang on so tight to their opinions; because, compared to the haphazard way in which they’re arrived at, even the goofiest opinion seems wonderfully clear, sane, and self-evident. And if you let it get away from you, then you’ve got to dive back into that foggy muddle to wrangle yourself out another to take its place. --- Dashiell Hammett As we muddle along, this class is designed to be engaging, provocative, and enjoyable. The class will largely depend upon your input. You will help create and direct the class. Student responsibilities: • active participation • weekly homeworks (readings, reflections, physics problems, and fieldnotes • final project (project of your own design) My role, as instructor will be to facilitate your engagement with the material, provide resources for you, and give you feedback and direction. Please make use of my office hours Official Office Hours F1023 Gamow: Tu / Thurs 1p – 2pm 303 735 6082 [email protected] Texts: E.F. Redish, Teaching and Learning Physics Introductory Physics Text, preferably Halliday Resnick, Walker (6th ed) or Giancoli (5th) Weekly readings handed out or on e-reserve Course Website: http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys4810 Class Schedule: Week 1: 8/24 Introduction Week 2: 8/31 Identify fieldsite(s) Week 4: 9/14 Identify area of interest for project - Turn in 1 paragraph description Week 7: 10/5 Outline of project due Week 13: 11/16 Rough cut of final project due Finals week: project due.Student Work: There will be 3 forms of regular work in this course: (1) readings/reflections, (2) physics content/homework analysis, (3) teaching/ fieldnotes. Readings: (Tuesdays) Each week we’ll be discussing readings. The tentative schedule is on the following page. We’ll be reading both from Redish’s book Teaching Physics with Physics Suite and original sources that are on the course web page, electronic reserves or handed out a week in advance. Each week you are expected to write a paragraph summary of each paper/ reading, and to list out 3 questions, or points of interest that the paper brought up. These will be handed in and returned to you. While, I will lead the first week or two of readings, it will quickly be handed over to you to lead the discussions for the class. We will have students sign up to lead the discussion once or twice over the course of the term. These weeks you should be prepared to present a 5-10 min summary of the paper, and bring in some points of discussion for the class. Physics content: (Thursdays). We’ll be covering the introductory sequence of physics (E/M) at the same time we are reading about student learning. Our class will roughly parallel the 2nd semester of calc- based physics, 1120. (http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1120/). Our tentative schedule of topics is listed below. Each week you are expected to review the relevant sections in an introductory textbook, preferably from Halliday Resnick Walker or Giancoli. Each week you are expected to pick 3 problems from the CAPA assignment for 1120 (you will be given LON-CAPA access). For the homework, a) write a 1 paragraph / short outline of the physics content covered for the week. b) Select 3 of the homework problems from the LON-CAPA set for phys 1120 and: i. Solve the problem ii. Describe the solution process you used iii. Describe what physics content was needed from this section / other sections iv. Evaluate the problem: was this a good problem, mediocre problem, or a bad problem. Consider this problem both for content and pedagogical value. Physics homework is due Thursday in class. Teaching / Fieldwork (your choice): You are expected to spend a minimum of 2 hrs a week teaching in, working in, or studying educational environments. Possible environments are listed later. Each week you will be expected to send in ethnographic fieldnotes describing your experience. These should be no shorter than a page or a page and a half (and no more than a few pages). The format for these notes is described below. Final Project: a final project of your choosing will be due at the end of term. The format of the final project is described below Grading: This class will not emphasize grades, but rather learning, and formative feedback. Nonetheless I am obliged to provide you with grades in addition to credit. I anticipate everyone will be able to do well. In general, I emphasize effort and learning. 30% - readings / participation 30% physics content / participation 40% final project.Field sites: Below are a few options where you might consider doing your fieldwork. Of course, since you are designing this course you are encouraged to work in any environment suited for your examining educational practices in physics. See me about arranging for other placements of your design. There is now a binder of precollege fieldsites / instructions / directions and demographics. Please make use of this to find a site that is NOT at CU… Formal Settings: College / University: ** CU: 1120- Work with TA’s / LA’s in the Tutorials ** CU: 2020: Study student learning / help organize & run study of simulation use High School: * Boulder High - work with high school teacher on projects of interest * Evergreen High – work with high school teacher on projects of interest Middle School: Casey Middle School – working with middle school science. Elementary: BVSD – demonstrations / course partnerships – Kat White. Informal: Science Discovery – CU outreach – Help organize/ run afterschool classes at 30th St. campus Whittier Schools partnership – help revise Physics for Fun series Science from CU – revise / implement 1 hour traveling programs Saturday Wizards Program – design / run outreach activities (particularly for Spring) Fiske Planetarium