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Replicating Physics Education Reforms:

Replicating Physics Education Reforms:. Steven Pollock Noah Finkelstein Physics Department University of Colorado, Boulder. How (and why) to keep a good thing going. APS Apr Meeting April 2006. Acknowledgements. Ph. D. students: Wendy Adams Jack Barbera Kara Gray Chris Keller

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Replicating Physics Education Reforms:

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  1. Replicating Physics Education Reforms: Steven Pollock Noah Finkelstein Physics Department University of Colorado, Boulder How (and why) to keep a good thing going APS Apr Meeting April 2006

  2. Acknowledgements Ph. D. students: Wendy Adams Jack Barbera Kara Gray Chris Keller Pat Kohl Noah Podolefsky Chandra Turpen School of Ed collaborators: Valerie Otero Derya Cobanoglu Danielle Harlow Physics faculty: Noah Finkelstein Carl Wieman Kathy Perkins Michael Dubson Postdocs: Sam McKagan Linda Koch

  3. Replicating successful curricula What does it mean to replicate? • What is necessary, sufficient? • What theoretical frameworks help us understand? What does it mean to sustain?

  4. CU Model of Course Transformation Building from traditional courses • Bottom up reform • Peer instruction, Tutorials in Introductory Physics • Learning Assistants

  5. Force Concept Inventory CU Fa98 CU Fa03/ Sp04 red = trad, blue = interactive engagement <g> = post-pre100-pre R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, 64-74 (‘98).

  6. A “frames of context” perspective Departmental level Course culture (Physics I) Situation (Tutorial) Task(2-D drawing) Student Concept Finkelstein and Pollock, (2005). Physical Review: ST PER, 1,1.

  7. Tasks Task • Tutorials in Introductory Physics (UW) • Reconceptualize Recitation Section • well documented, • easy to implement

  8. Proven Curricula D.E. Trowbridge and L. C. McDermott, "Investigation of student understanding of the concept of acceleration in one dimension," Am. J. Phys.49 (3), 242 (1981). D.E. Trowbridge and L. C. McDermott, "Investigation of student understanding of the concept of velocity in one dimension," Am. J. Phys.48 (12), 1020 (1980) R.A. Lawson and L.C. McDermott, "Student understanding of the work-energy and impulse-momentum theorems," Am. J. Phys.55 (9), 811 (1987) L.C. McDermott and P.S. Shaffer, "Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity, Part I: Investigation of student understanding." Am. J. Phys.60 (11), 994 (1992); Erratum to Part I, Am. J. Phys. 61 (1), 81 (1993). P.S. Shaffer and L.C. McDermott, "Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity, Part II: Design of instructional strategies." Am. J. Phys. 60 (11), 1003 (1992) L.C.McDermott, P.S. Shaffer and M. Somers, "Research as a guide for curriculum development: An illustration in the context of the Atwood's machine," Am. J. Phys.62 (1) 46-55 (1994). M.E. Loverude, C.H. Kautz, and P.R.L. Heron,ﾊ "Student understanding of the first law of thermodynamics”, Am.J. Phys. 70 (2) 137 (2002) www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg/pubsa.html

  9. Task data

  10. Task data

  11. Tasks Task Task alone insufficient (!)

  12. Situations Situat. • Interactions with other students/TA’s • Room/environment

  13. -- Tutorial Classroom: Trad

  14. Situations Situat. • Interactions with other students/TA’s • Room/environment • Grading norms

  15. Impact and Reproducibility Trowbridge and McDermott," Am. J. Phys.49 (3), 242 (1981). Finkelstein and Pollock, (2005). Phys Rev ST PER, 1,1.010101

  16. Culture Class Culture • Critical, subtle! • Ideas constructed by students • Answers are justified and reasoned • Tutorials connected to class (and world/your life) • Enculturation over time

  17. Depart. Broader layer(s) • Support of institution • $$$ • TA training • Reformed classes

  18. What does replication mean? • More than repeating activities/worksheets • Appropriate activity, surrounding structures: • tasks, situations, norms, practices, infrastructure… • New env’t => Adopt, adapt, reinvent (Henderson)

  19. intra-institutional replication

  20. 1120 BEMA pre/post F04 (N=319) Pretest: 26% S05 (N=232): 27%

  21. 1120 BEMA pre/post g(F04) = .44+/- .01 g(S05)=.43+/- .01 F04 (N=319) Post: 59% S05 (N=232): 59%

  22. TA (post) TA (pre) LA (pre) LA2 (post) LA (post) CU upper division (trad) 1120 BEMA LA’s

  23. Replication? yes…

  24. instructor effects?

  25. Handoff to non-PER faculty … everything looks the same…(except the instructor)

  26. Hand-Off Results Fall 2005: Pre: 25 Post 50 g(F04) = .44+/- .01 g(S05)=.43+/- .01 g(F05)=.33+/- .02

  27. Recitation (curriculum) effects?

  28. The impact of recitation/pedagogy Physics 1, 300+ students, using Peer Instruction in lecture, and: 1: “Tutorials” (Sp04) Tutorials 2: “Workbook” (Fa04)Knight Workbook 3: “Traditional” (Sp05) Mostly traditional

  29. Phys 1110 normalized gains gain <g> = .66 +/-.02 Tutorials

  30. Phys 1110 normalized gains gain <g> = .66 +/-.02 = .59 +/-.02 Tutorials Workbooks

  31. Phys 1110 normalized gains gain <g> = .66 +/-.02 = .59 +/-.02 = .45 +/-.02 Tutorials Workbooks Traditional

  32. -7 -14 -6 -10 Beyond the FMCE: Exam comparisons N.B. 12 points is roughly 1 letter grade.

  33. -7 -14 -6 -10 Beyond the FMCE: Exam comparisons N.B. 12 points is roughly 1 letter grade.

  34. Course (1) (2) (3) Impact on different pretest populations:"high starters" 50<pre<93% (% of class in this pool) Tut course Trad Recit

  35. Course (1) (2) (3) Impact on different pretest populations:"low starters" pretest <=12.5% (% of class in this pool) Tut course Trad Recit

  36. Ongoing studies Currently: 4 non PER faculty running Tutorials - data at AAPT/PERC

  37. Conclusions • Replicating & Sustaining reforms is possible • theoretical framing helpful • curriculum matters • context matters

  38. QUESTIONS Please! per.colorado.edu (for this talk and more)

  39. fin

  40. Beliefs (pre / post) vs. learning gain Low learning gain <---------> high learning gain A&B and learning gains Data from instructor attending (somewhat) to “hidden curriculum”) Adams et al. (2006) Physical Review, ST:PER, 010101 Perkins et al (to appear). Proceedings of PERC

  41. Connecting Tutorials to course as whole Remaining

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