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Workshop on Constructing Peer Instruction Questions Alan Slavin Department of Physics and Astronomy TRENT UNIVERSITY CAP Congress 2010. OUTLINE. - What is Peer Instruction? - Goals of Peer Instruction? - What makes a good question? - Group work on creating questions.
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Workshop on Constructing Peer Instruction Questions Alan Slavin Department of Physics and Astronomy TRENT UNIVERSITY CAP Congress 2010
OUTLINE - What is Peer Instruction? - Goals of Peer Instruction? - What makes a good question? - Group work on creating questions.
What is Peer Instruction? • Who use some form of Mazur's Peer Instructionapproach? • Who attended my JiTT talk yesterday? • Background on Peer Instruction (if necessary): • - Instructor presents a question that requires strong understanding of the concepts. For a first-year class, it usually does not require much mathematics but beyond proportionality. • - A series of multiple-choice answers are usually simultaneously presented. • -Students are asked to spend about a minute deciding which is the correct answer. They may be asked to vote at that point. • -Students discuss the question for ~ 5 minutes, and vote again. • -Voting: large display cards or electronic "clickers". Clickers show the voting pattern to the entire class; engages them. • - Instructor discusses the right and wrong answers.
Goals of Peer Instruction Physics Education Research has shown (McDermott) • Students must be actively involved in the process of constructing their mental models of how the world works if they are to have more than a superficial understanding. • The ability to solve standard end-of-chapter numerical problems is insufficient to develop a deep understanding. Qualitative and verbal facility with the concepts are required as well. • Most students do not develop analytical reasoning through traditional instruction. • the best time to correct a students' misconceptions is when they realize they are wrong.
Average amount of information retained through different learning methods Lecture = 5% Reading = 10% Audiovisual = 20% Demonstration = 30% Discussion Group = 50% Practice by doing = 75% Teach others / immediate use of learning = 90% Source: Brooks, J. and Brooks, M. (1993). In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms.
Types of Peer Instruction Questions Year -I - Definitions - Proportionality - Dimensional analysis - Purely conceptual - Graphical - Application of formulae (may be multiple questions) - Vote on the result of a classroom demonstration Upper-year: - Conceptual questions as used in year-1 - Simple calculations, and I rove class to check on progress.
Proportionality The gravitational force between two objects of mass m1 and m2 , separated by a distance r, is given by The weight of a person of mass m on the Earth’s surface is given by W = mg What would the weight of the person be at a height of REabove the Earth’s surface, where RE is the radius of the Earth? (a) mg (b) 2mg (c) mg/2 (d) mg/4 (e) zero
Definitions, dimensionality, algebra v slope = a v0 t Δt Which of the following expressions is the most correct? (why/why not?)
Application of formulae #1 P The magnetic field at P due to the current I in is (a) into the screen (b) out of the screen (c) up (d) down (e) zero
Application of formulae #2 The magnitude of the magnetic field contribution from the current element above is
Application of formulae #3 The total magnetic field at P from the current in the wire shown on the right is:
Workshop • What courses do you want to consider? (Poll) Year 1? Upper year? E&M, thermodynamics, mechanics, quantum, ... • Divide into groups of 2 – 3. • Decide what concepts to develop; decide on needed background; develop two or three questions. • At 16:10, discussion: insights, questions, …