12/2/2008
PHYSICS BY INQUIRY AND THE
TUTORIALS: A GLIMPSE INTO THE
CURRICULUM MATERIALS BY THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Sytil Murphy
PER Seminar
December 2, 2008
OUTLINE
Basics of both materials
| My motivation…
motivation
| Physics By Inquiry
|
Background
y Content
y Implementation
y
|
The Tutorials in Introductory Physics
Background
y Content
y Implementation
y
|
Results
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12/2/2008
DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICS BY INQUIRY
AND THE TUTORIALS
|
Research-based
Individual interviews to identify conceptual and
reasoning difficulties
y Develop instructional strategies
y Design, test, modify instructional materials
y Iterate
y
Ellicit, Confront, Resolve
| Taught using the Socratic method
|
y
|
Instructors ask questions rather than tell answers
Physics By Inquiry initial development preceded
development of Tutorials
y
In the end – same body of research used for both
MY MOTIVATION…
Rank bulbs in order of
brightness. Explain.
| Rank voltages across bulbs.
Explain.
| Write an equation that
relates voltages across bulbs
3, 5, and 6 to the battery
voltage
voltage.
| Remove bulb 1. How does…
|
1
3
2
4
6
5
Brightness of bulb 2 change?
y Brightness of bulb 6 change?
y Brightness of bulb 3 change?
y
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12/2/2008
PHYSICS BY INQUIRY – BACKGROUND
Stand-alone
curriculum
| “… students gain
direct experience with
the process of science.”
| Hands-on activities
|
PHYSICS BY INQUIRY – CONTENT
Properties of Matter
| Heat and Temperature
| Light and Color
| Magnets
| Astronomy By Sight (x 2)
| Electric Circuits
| Electromagnets
| Light and Optics
| Kinematics
|
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12/2/2008
PBI– IMPLEMENTATION (MSU)
Pre-service Elementary Ed. Majors (typically
freshman or sophomore)
| 3 – 2 hr class periods/week
| 4 content modules/semester
|
Each covered for ~25% of semester
y None covered completely
y
~ 20 students/class
| 1 GTA and 1-2 peer instructors
| Training meetings: 2/week (only 1 would be
needed if all instructors experienced)
|
y
Worked through materials for that week – under
guidance of experienced instructor.
PBI – IMPLEMENTAION (MSU)
|
Typical class:
Announcements
y Any necessary “lecturing”
y Students work in groups
y TA’s wander around – try to give each group equal
time. Assist as needed.
y
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12/2/2008
PHYSICS BY INQUIRY – SAMPLE
To this point …
| Part A,
A Section 1:
Lighting a bulb given a battery, bulb, and wire
y Conductors vs. Insulators
y Circuit diagrams
y
PHYSICS BY INQUIRY – WHERE NEXT?
Part A, Section 3 – Further development of
current model
| Part A, Section 4 – Series and parallel networks
(voltage model)
| Part B: Measurements of current and resistance
(Kirchoff’s 1st law, equivalent resistance)
| Part C: Measurement of voltage (multiple
b tt i
batteries,
Ki
Kirchoff’s
h ff’ 2nd law,
l
series
i and
d parallel
ll l
decomposition, Ohm’s law)
| Part D: Batteries and bulbs in everyday life (real
batteries, energy and power)
|
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12/2/2008
AT THE END OF SECTION 3…
Predict the relative
brightness of the three
bulbs.
| What happens to the
brightness of bulbs A and B
if bulb C is unscrewed?
|
A
B
C
TUTORIALS– BACKGROUND
Supplemental to
traditional lecture
| Pre- or PostInstruction
| Pre-test, tutorial,
homework, post-test
| Students gain
conceptual
t l
understanding
| Typically are not
hands-on
|
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12/2/2008
TUTORIALS – CONTENT
Kinematics
| Newton
Newton’ss Laws
| Energy and Momentum
| Rotation
| Electrostatics
| Electric Circuits
| Magnetism
| Electromagnetism
| Waves
| Optics – Geometric and Physical
|
TUTORIALS – IMPLEMENTATION (MSU)
Take place of lab for Algebra-based introductory
sequence
| ~20 students/class
| 1 GTA and 1-2 peer instructors/class
| Training meetings: 1/week
|
y
|
Worked through both the tutorial and tutorial HW
under guidance of course instructor
M
Meet
for
f 2hrs/week
h /
k
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12/2/2008
TUTORIALS – IMPLEMENTATION (MSU)
|
Typical class
Announcements
Any “lecturing”
y Students work in groups
y TA’s wander around – try to give each group equal
time. Assist as needed.
y
y
TUTORIALS -- SAMPLE
To this point …
| This is the 1st tutorial on circuits.
circuits
| Possibly preceded by lecture on circuits.
| Most likely have had lectures, traditional
homework, tutorials and tutorial homework on
electrostatics
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12/2/2008
TUTORIALS – WHERE NEXT?
Tutorial HW – ranking tasks, current through
circuit elements
| Electric Circuits 2 – resolving issues with
combination parallel and series circuits
|
y
|
Tutorial HW – ranking tasks, potential
differences across circuit elements
y
|
Development of voltage model
E
Example
l ffrom b
beginning
i i off th
the presentation.
t ti
Additional tutorial and homework on RC circuits
USEFUL REFERENCES
L. C. McDermott, “Oersted medal lecture 2001:
physics education research – The key to student
learning,” AJP 69 (11), 1127-1137 (2001).
| L. C. McDermott and P. S. Shaffer, “Research as
a guide for curriculum development: An example
from introductory electricity. Part 1:
Investigation of student understanding,” AJP 60
(11), 994
994-1003
1003 (1992).
| P. S. Shaffer and L. C. McDermott, “Research as
a guide for curriculum development: An example
from introductory electricity. Part 2: Design of
instructional strategies,” AJP 60 (11), 1003-1013
(1992).
|
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