Teaching Introductory Physics
Courses at University of Minnesota
1
Outline
• Orientation goals, schedule and structure
•
•
•
•
What physics classes for
For whom?
What’s important to teach?
How should we teach it?
• What does a TA do within our course
structure?
2
Orientation: Goals and Structure
• Goals:
 To help you come up to speed in teaching/coaching
 To give you some ideas about our teaching/coaching
methods.
 And convince enough of you enough about soundness
of our approach so that you will do a good job and
contribute to our education mission.
• Structure:
 Typically 2.5 hours in morning/afternoon covering:
• Demonstration of how lab and discussion sections are
structured.
• Discussion about teaching/coaching methods
• Practice coaching aspects of teaching
 Reading and other assignments
• To get you think about teaching/coaching physics
3
History of TA orientation
• Pat and Ken Heller re-structured Introductory
Physics classes in terms of how the discussion
and lab sessions are run.
• Pat designed TA orientation so that TA’s know
what to do in the discussion and lab sessions.
• This is the first year that I am taking over the TA
orientation.
• I am not an expert in education, while Pat was.
• I probably need frequent feedback from you to
make the orientation as meaningful as possible.
4
A few big questions (mine)
• What do you want your students to take away
from your class.
• How do you feel about focusing on
teaching/coaching problem solving?
• Does it make sense to use a lot of Group
learning to teach/coach problem solving?
• What should you do as a TA to make the best
out of our course structure?
• Which Question do you most identify with?
• Are there any other questions you have?
5
What do you want your
students to take away from
your class?
6
How do you feel about
focusing on teaching/coaching
problem solving?
7
What did you find out on Monday
from your advisers?
• “thinking like physicists?”
• Importance/frequencies of “problem solving”
in professional physicist’s life.
8
Martinez Article – problem solving
• What did you find as his main points?
• What struck you as obvious?
• What was surprising to you, but you agree
with?
• What was surprising to you, and you are
skeptical about its truthfulness and/or
relevance.
• What part you did not understand?
9
OUR MODEL FOR LARGE INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Modeling
Fading
Coaching
Lecture
Discussion
Outside
Labs
Topics
Procedures
Reading
Team
Problem
Solving
Demos
Discussion
Questions
Exams
Homework
Office
Hours
Grading
Context
Rich
Problems
Cooperative
Groups
Lecturer
Lab Reports
Studying
Quizzes
Student
TAs
Orientation
Predictions
Seminars
Mentor TA
10
How do we teach/coach problem solving?
• Lectures (professor),
 Examples of good problem solving techniques.
 Explain physics concepts and
 Apply to simple situations to help students develop
physics intuition, etc.
• Discussion sessions,
＊
 Students solve a problem while the TA coaches* them.
- giving feedback to students,
- giving a little push or some hints, if needed, to get
students moving again when they are stuck.
- manage less-than-optimally operating groups:
• a group member not participating much, or
• a member too dominating and not utilizing the intellectual
resources within the group.
11
How do we teach/coach: Lab
• very similar to the discussion sessions (time for students to
solve problems.)
 NOT meant to have students confirm fundamental physics laws.
 Neither to teach students experimental techniques or details of
errors analysis
• Instead of the TA summarizing which groups’ solutions are
right and which are wrong, they do experiments to see
themselves if their solutions make sense against the
results of the experiments.
• TA’s role is very similar to that in the discussion session.
• Additionally, you need to be cognizant to
 Where the experiments tend to go wrong,
 How computers tend to misbehave,
 When and how you need to get help on malfunctioning equipment,
etc. so that
• students won’t justify wrong problem solutions with wrong
experimental results and
• avoid delay in their experiments due to equipment problems.
12
Students’ time use and
importance of TA’s work
Component
Lecture
Discussion/Labs
Study/Homework
hours/week
3
3
7-8
Mode
Individual
Collaborative groups
Individual
23% of course time spent in
cooperative groups with TA
13
Who are your students?
•
•
•
•
Algebra Based Physics – 300 students/term
Calculus Based Physics – 1200 students/term
Physics for Biology Majors – 500 students/term
Where are Physics majors?
• More details follow
14
Algebra-Based Physics
Pre-majors
Architecture
Paramedical
Physical therapy
dentistry
pharmacy
chiropractic
medical tech
veterinary
Agriculture / ecology
Others
Male
Had Calculus
Had HS Chemistry
Had HS Physics
45%
26%
9%
20%
~50%
50%
40%
50%
Freshman
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
30%
30%
30%
10%
15
Calculus Based Physics
Majors
Engineering
Physics/Astro
Chemistry
Mathematics
Biology
75%
5%
6%
5%
9%
Male
Had Calculus
Had HS Physics
79%
80%
87%
Freshman
64%
Sophomores 22%
Juniors
10%
Seniors/high school, etc.
Expect A
61%
Work for money
53%
Work more than 10 hrs/wk
25%
16
Physics for Biology Majors
Majors
Biological Science 49%
Allied Health
19%
Social Science
7%
Architecture
3%
Engineering
2%
Other
~20%
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
HS, etc
Pre-Med
37%
Male
Female
39%
61%
Had U. Calculus
71%
(Had HS Calculus)
50%
Expect A
Work for money
Had HS Physics
71%
Work more than 10 hrs/wk
7%
38%
19%
17%
48%
74%
50%
17
End
18
What do you think is a TA?
• What is your image of a teaching assistant (TA)?
• What does a TA do?
• What students does a TA work with?
Formulate an answer individually.
Share your answer with a partner.
Listen carefully to your partner's answer.
Create a new answer through discussion.
19
Response from previous year (2004)
• Work with groups of
students;
• work with professors to grade
and run course,
• make some decisions about
content
• Help, guide students,
• be there to answer questions
• Bridge between teacher and
student;
• help with homework
• One-on-one interaction with
student’
• explain to them
• Student more comfortable
interacting with TA
• Learning to teach; master
undergraduate material
• Share experience with
students
• Evaluate his/her own
education by reflecting on
how students react to
materials
• Work with students on
personal problems
20
Research-based Models for Teaching Introductory Courses
• Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite by E. Redish
• Recitations
 Tutorials in Introductory Physics (University of Washington
PER Group) page 146
 Activity Based Tutorials (University of Maryland PER Group)
page 152
 Cooperative Problem Solving (University of Minnesota PER
Group) page 158
• Labs
 RealTime Physics (Tuffs University) page 164
 Cooperative Problem Solving Labs
• Workshop and Studio Methods
 Workshop Physics (Dickinson College) page 176
All models are effective in improving students’
understanding of physics
21
Relative % Gain on FCI
Comparisons of effectiveness of various Models
UMd
RPI
OSU
DC
S/W
UMn
DC
Jeff Saul, Karen Cummings
22
More on our model
LECTURES
DISCUSSION
SECTION
LABORATORY
SECTION
TESTS
Three hours each week (Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday), sometimes with
informal cooperative groups.
One hour each Thursday -- groups
practice using a logical problem-solving
framework to solve problems.
Two hours each week -- same groups
practice using problem-solving framework
to solve experimental problems.
Friday -- usually a problem-solving
quiz every three weeks with some
multiple-choice conceptual questions.
23
Example Quiz Questions
SELECTED READING:
 True or False. Clear, oral presentation of a concept is
critical to overcoming alternative conceptions of
students.
 List 2 of the 3 sources of alternative conceptions as
given by Wandersee, Mintzes, & Novak (1994).
OTHER READING
 Short Answer: A 50% appointment as a TA entails
teaching how many discussion sessions and laboratory
sessions each week?
 Multiple Choice: About what percentage of the 1301
(calculus-based) students will be physics majors?
(a)50%
(d)5%
(b)25%
(e)0%
(c)10%
24
TA Orientation Course
(about 1.5 Education Credits)
Hours
in Class
1. Course structure, students & TA duties
2. Alternative Conceptions of Students
3. Teaching the Discussion Sessions
9
3
Demonstration Discussion Session
Student Difficulties with Problem Solving
Characteristics of Good Problems
3
3
3
4. Teaching the Problem-solving Labs
Demonstration Lab
Writing Intensive Requirement
5.
6.
7.
8.
Cooperative Groups and Problem Solving
Peer Teaching of Labs/Discussion sessions
Professionalism and Diversity Issues
First Week Lesson Plans
Total
3
3
3
6
3
3
42
25
Teaching Seminars
(about 1 education credit)
Fall and Spring Semester
Hours
in Class
1. Teaching Labs
18
2. Teaching Discussion Session
5
3. Grading and other Issues
5
28
You will sign up for 1 credit in the Fall and 2 credits in
the Spring semester.
Your grade for your work in this Orientation is counted
in your grade for Spring Semester.
26