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Re: [Phys-l] teaching physics conceptually



Good advice.


Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
Retired Professor of Physics
Co-Director
Northern Indiana Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Collaborative
574-276-8294
inquirybellina@comcast.net




On Feb 12, 2011, at 5:09 PM, Paul Lulai wrote:

Hi.
Conceptual Questions:
McDermotts "Tutorials In Physics" are great.
Randall Knights Student Workbook for either the calc based or algebra based texts that he has written are VERY good.
Ranking Tasks are also very good.
InterActive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) are good, but very time-consuming. I use the ILD on Newton's Third Law. I try to convince myself that I must do more of them, but the timing becomes an issue.
I've been using Randall Knights workbook for quite a while. I'm just now trying McDermotts workbook, and i wish i'd have started using it long ago.
Conceptual questions don't need to be essay questions. I also recommend Mazur's Peer Instruction book (and website with conceptest questions). The conceptual questions that are included in Mazur's resources are challenging and go to the root of understanding the concept at hand. They are multiple choice, but not easy. Great Resource.
Any of these (save the ILDs) are FANTASTIC resources for clicker questions.

Quantitative Questions.
I HIGHLY recommend reading Alan Van Heuvelen's paper (1997 i think) on OverView Case Study Physics. I'd pair that reading with Patricia Heller's papers (same timeline). Both were published in AJP. I've tried following Alan Van Heuvelen's approach combined with tying in conceptual questions from a variety of sources.
The Heller paper discusses how the University of Minnesota grades homework questions. I like that they provide a lot of points for showing the setup, sketches, physics diagrams, planning the solution, and a couple of points for the correct answer. Emphasizing process, but not disregarding the final response.

Good luck.


Paul Lulai
Physics Teacher
St Anthony Village S.H.
3303 33rd Ave NE
St Anthony Village, MN 55418

612-706-1146
plulai@stanthony.k12.mn.us
http://www.stanthony.k12.mn.us/hsscience/

________________________________

From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu on behalf of Kirsten Manning
Sent: Sat 2/12/2011 2:55 PM
To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
Subject: [Phys-l] teaching physics conceptually



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
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l


_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l