Re: [Phys-l] Any teaching tips

["Dr. Richard Tarara" <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "LaMontagne, Bob" <RLAMONT@providence.edu>


> I agree with what Rick has posted below. I have had considerable 
> difficulty, however, testing conceptual understanding. I have tried in the 
> past to get away from "plug and chug" problems on exams and use more essay 
> type questions meant to test conceptual understanding. Those efforts failed 
> miserably. I'm sure part of the problem was my inability to write good 
> coneptual questions. However, I found that a big part of the poor 
> performance was the students inability to read questions and to write 
> coherent answers. They do far better with textbook type problems where they 
> can organize material in a template and plug numbers into a formula. Most 
> can explain to me verbally how they attacked a problem - I can tell when 
> they come to my office for help that they really do understand the physics 
> and have gotten hung up on a minor detail - but they cannot give a written 
> explanation of the same concept they have just explained to me verbally.

Let me suggest that teaching (often) purely conceptual courses--our General 
Education Physics courses for example--is a good window into developing 
'good' conceptual questions.  You especially learn just how basic and 
fundamental the conceptual deficiencies are--and then learn your engineering 
students have the same problems.  I use the vertical motion of a ball thrown 
straight up and later caught at the same height from which it was thrown to 
focus almost all of the conceptual ideas from kinematics, dynamics, work, 
energy, momentum.  (I also always have a bowling ball with me--which can be 
dropped at any moment (or not for weeks), the best time being when a couple 
students have fallen asleep!)

For problem solving the Heller 'rich context'--I call them 'real world' 
problems are a good tool.  (These have been, probably are, available 
online--U of Minnesota)  You do have to modify them some--change local 
references--and you have to 'educate' the students as to who Super Dave is 
(but that's online too).

Rick