Re: In-class Examples

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

> When you give lectures, do you do the examples problems already
> done in the book for the students?
>
> Usually I have been taking examples from different books that way
> the students have 2x the worked out examples but some of my
> former students complained.
>
> What I was thinking this time around was to do end of the chapter
> problems.  The book has like 60 problems.  I can only feasibly
> assign 10 or so leaving plenty of problems, some of them which
> are interesting.
>
> I was thinking about doing the ones that are interesting and the
> ones that I consider very good but too hard for my students as in
> class examples along with ones that look remarkably like homework
> problems.
>
> I want to try and make this semester go better.
> Ideas?
> Tina Fanetti
>
>
> Tina Fanetti
> Physics Instructor
> Western Iowa Technical Community College
> 4647 Stone Ave
> Sioux City IA 51102
> 712-274-8733 ext 1429

Unfortunately when you do the problems for the students, they invest minimal
effort and do not learn how to do concept based problem solving.  Instead,
look at the material at the Heller's web site.
http://www.physics.umn.edu/groups/physed/Research/CGPS/CGPSintro.htm
This material is specifically designed for a calculus based course, and is
free from their website.  They have fairly explicit instruction on how to
use the material.  It also produces improved gain on the FCI/FMCE.  The
method is actually was designed to be fairly traditional.  A paper in AJP
about the RPI program found this material to be effective.

Equivalent material for the algebra based course is the Minds on Physics
series from the UMass Amherst group.

Unfortunately most end of the chapter problems tend to reinforce formulaic
problem solving.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX