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The Role of Colleges and Universities in Preparing Future Physics Teachers

Distance Learning and Master of Arts in Physics Education Richard A Lindgren Stephen T Thornton Department of Physics, University of Virginia. The Role of Colleges and Universities in Preparing Future Physics Teachers Cornel University, Ithaca, New York.

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The Role of Colleges and Universities in Preparing Future Physics Teachers

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  1. Distance Learning and Master of Arts in Physics Education Richard A Lindgren Stephen T Thornton Department of Physics, University of Virginia • The Role of Colleges and Universities in • Preparing Future Physics Teachers • Cornel University, Ithaca, New York

  2. Percent of High School Teachers with Physics Degrees

  3. Masters Degree Program (30 Cr.) • Master of Arts in Physics Education (MAPE) • Graduate degree in the College of Arts & Science • The students take 600 level graduate courses which are designed for teachers. Basically the content is undergraduate physics with emphasis on pedagogy. • Need – shortage of high school physics teachers is well documented.

  4. Targeted Teachers (mostly high school) • Do not have an undergraduate degree in physics and want to increase their content and teaching skills in physics. • Crossover from teaching chemistry, biology, or physical science to teaching physics. • Need certification/endorsement credits in physics. • Want to be better prepared to teach the material required by various national and state standards.

  5. Why Distance Learning? • It provides an educational delivery system for in-service science teachers to take science courses from home. • It allows teachers to advance themselves without giving up their teaching positions and are not handicapped because they live and teach in rural areas • The challenge here is how do we maintain the integrity of the graduate school educational system in this environment?

  6. Teaching Philosophy (MAPE) • Lecture courses are calculus-based Introductory Physics - Lectures emphasize conceptual understanding • - Show lots of demonstrations (100’s ) • Just-in-Time Teaching and Physlets • Cooperative problem solving study groups (100’s of problems) • Peer instruction (Utilize best H.S. teachers) • Laboratory Courses - Discovery oriented (sensors, probes) - Lots of data taking and analysis - Table top experiments • Distance Learning courses 16 cr. out of 30 cr. • Physics of things in everyday life. How Things Work I and II Everyday physics. Use to motivate students

  7. MAPE Requirements (30 Cr. Hrs.) Summer residence courses (14 Cr. Hrs.) • Two summers for 4 weeks each • PHYS 631, 635 Lecture/Lab (4,3) Motion, Heat, Fluids • PHYS 632, 636 Lecture/Lab (4,3) E/M, Waves, Optics Distance learning courses (16 Cr.Hrs.) • PHYS 605, 606 How Things Work I, II (3,3) • PHYS 609 Galileo to Einstein (3) • PHYS 633 Modern Physics (4) • PHYS 641 Teaching Physics Pedagogy (3)

  8. Let’s focus on the Distance Learning Courses. • To be successful with the teachers in distance learning courses, there are two simple important points. • You need lots of patience in almost every aspect • of delivering the course. • Never, never respond to an email with the first thoughts that come into your head. • To illustrate how we teach a distance learning course, • I will discuss Phys 606 a an example.

  9. Example Phys 606:How Things Work II • Emphasizes electricity, magnetism, light, radiation, and nuclear energy. • Examples: Electronic air cleaners, Copiers magnetically levitated trains, electrical power transmission, computers, radio/TV, tape recorders, CD-Roms, lasers nuclear weapons, and medical imaging.

  10. Typical Distance Learning Components • CD-ROMs • Home page • WebAssign • Blackboard • Horizon-Wimba • Patience

  11. Typical Homework Essay Problem Case Study Each electric outlet in a home is connected to the power company through a fuse or circuit breaker. When properly installed, current flows from the power company, through the fuse or circuit breaker, through the outlet and the appliances connected to it,and then back to the power company- a complete circuit.The fuse or circuit breaker limits the current that the circuit can carry.

  12. If you plug too many appliances into a socket that has nothing to limit the current it can supply, the outlet and home wiring will become hot. Why? b. A fuse contains a short wire with a relatively high electric resistance. Why will this wire melt first if too much current is drawn through this circuit? c. Why will current stop flowing through the appliances when the fuse melts and opens the circuit?

  13. Typical Exam Multiple Choice Question • The hot air created by the spark • is buoyed up by the cold air. • A fan is blowing the air • upwards. • None of these. • The ac voltage periodically fires and travels upwards. • The V-shaped wires create a • pressure differential. Why does the spark float upward in Jacobs Ladder?

  14. Typical Distance Learning Components • CD-ROMs • Home page • WebAssign • Blackboard • Horizon-Wimba • Patience

  15. Chat Room of “Pilot Physics Talk Radio” • Horizon-Wimba • Meets Wed. 8-9 • Help Session • Review last weeks • 3 Lectures • Power point slides • Polling Questions • Archive session • Administration • Requirements • Computer • Hardware/Software • Microphone/Speaker • Need fast Connection

  16. This is not an easy job. • Teachers demand daily responses to their questions • by email or list-serve. • Always a few that are not informed that require • considerable attention. • Require teachers to be computer savvy - hardware/software. • Very critical of grading and test questions. • Administration is very time consuming. • Evaluation based on about 20 • questions varies between 4 and 5 with 5 being excellent.

  17. Future Plans and Predictions • Use Physics Talk Radio as a weekly help session more effectively. • Include “video camera” for live video and demos in chat room and from home by the teachers. • Provide audio of all lectures on one CD in MP3 format • Eventually replace CDs with DVDs. • Appeal to a broader group of teachers. • Continue to improve meta tags for website search.

  18. MAPE Graduates per Year

  19. Growth of the Program

  20. Exponential Growth ?

  21. Typical Exam Multiple Choice Question • The 1 meter long ruler lands first • because it has a smaller moment of inertia. • The 1 meter long ruler lands first • because it has a larger moment of inertia. • They land at the same time because the • acceleration of gravity is constant • The 2 meter long ruler lands first • because it has a smaller moment of inertia. A 2 and a 1 meter long ruler are allowed to fall from rest. Which ruler lands first and why?

  22. Blackboard • Discussion Board • Digital Drop Box • Announcements • Email (Etiquette)

  23. Exponential Growth ?

  24. Master of Arts in Physics Education Current Status Active candidates 53 Recently admitted, few courses 10 (no summer residence courses) Denied admission (last year) 3 Dropped, not successful 3

  25. PHYS 631 Lecture Motion, Forces, Heat, and Fluids 2005

  26. Distance learning courses (16 Cr.Hrs.) • PHYS 605, 606 How Things Work I, II (3,3) • PHYS 609 Galileo to Einstein (3) • PHYS 633 Modern Physics (4) • PHYS 641 Teaching Physics Pedagogy (3)

  27. Possible Plan of Study -1st Year • Summer 2005 (in residence) • PHYS 631 Classical & Modern Physics I ( 4 cr.) • PHYS 635 (3 cr.) • Fall 2005 • PHYS 605 How Things Work I (3 cr.) • Spring 2006 • PHYS 606 How Things Work II (3 cr.)

  28. Possible Plan of Study – 2nd year • Summer 2006 (in residence) • PHYS 632 Classical & Modern Physics II (4cr.) • PHYS 636 (3 cr.) • Fall 2006 • PHYS 609 Galileo & Einstein (3cr.) • Spring 2007 • PHYS 641 Physics Pedagogy (3 cr.)

  29. Possible Plan of Study – Last year • Summer 2007 • PHYS 633 Modern Physics III (4cr.) • August graduation • Complete degree program in 2 1/4 years

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