Re: [Phys-l] teaching physics conceptually

["Anthony Lapinski" <Anthony_Lapinski@pds.org>]

Great questions! Important questions. I've been teaching high school
physics (regular and honors) for about 20 years. My tests have conceptual
and mathematical components -- just like what I do in class. Our periods
are 50 minutes -- just enough for ten multiple choice questions (four
points each) and four math problems (15 points each). I also have
bonus/essay questions. I used to require these, but so few students would
get them correct. Grading is a whole other issue, with partial credit, etc.

To prepare my students, I do math problems in class, and assign similar
problems for homework (with answers provided). I regard homework as
practice work, so it is neither collected nor graded. For conceptual
questions, I first teach the concepts and do demos. Then I do peer
instruction. This is a technique where I have sample multiple choice
questions for each topic (usually 10 - 25, depending on the topic). I say
the question, give the students a short time to think, and they vote their
answers with fingers against their chest (1 for A, 2 for B, etc.). I get a
firsthand glimpse if their initial understanding of a topic, and nobody
really can see what anyone else is voting. If there is no consensus,
students pair up to share answers. It's non-threatening, gets them fully
engaged, helps them understand concepts, prepares them well for tests, and
ultimately makes them responsible for their learning. Win-win for everyone!

I learned this teaching technique several years ago (from an AAPT summer
astronomy workshop), and it has literally revolutionized both how I teach
and how my students learn physics. It takes a long time to prep good
questions, but makes teaching easier and more satisfying in the long run.
I have used Eric Mazur's book, Paul Hewitt's book, test banks, and some of
my own questions. Few textbooks have multiple choice questions. It's
mostly math problems. Students often can solve math problems but do not
understand the underlying concepts. They leave physics courses with good
grades, forgetting the formulas, and not comprehending much about everyday
phenomena. I believe that how you think is more important than what you
know.



Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu> writes:
> For my graduate class at UVa, I am working on an assignment that I will
> use with my high school students.  This assignment increases the amount
> of questions in tests and homework sets that are both qualitative and
> conceptual in nature .  I’ve always tried to incorporate some conceptual
> aspects to my labs, homework, and test questions, but I struggle with it
> in several areas.  Obviously, “plug and chug” is easier to teach than the
> conceptual nature of physics.  Show the students the pattern to a formula
> and they can find numbers to plug into an equation with very little
> effort.   Some areas that I would like to work on are:
> 1) I’d like to increase the conceptual nature of my class without losing
> the quantitative component. What is an appropriate balance to the number
> of conceptual type questions versus the number of quantitative problems
> found on a test (or even a homework assignment) for a high school physics
> class?
> 2)  Remaining objective in grading questions that are qualitative.  I
> don’t always have time to make out rubrics for every question.  What
> characteristics do you look for in short essay answers?  What about
> grammar and spelling issues?
> 3)  Preparing students for these types of test questions.  What
> techniques do you use to help them develop the skills necessary to think
> conceptually?
> 4)  Finding resources that show the conceptual nature of physics. 
> Typically, when I look for conceptual type questions, I either use
> Hewitt’s book or use <physicsclassroom.com>.  What other resources are
> available for this type of assessment?
> Any suggestions that you could offer would be most appreciated.  Thank
> you.
> Kirsten Manning
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