Engaging Students in Basic Physics ProblemSolving Melanie L
Engaging Students in Basic Physics Problem-Solving Melanie L. Good
Background: How Do We Measure Student Engagement? • What are our goals for Basic Physics students? • Learning content (perhaps enjoying what they learn? ) • Attitude toward the subject • “Problem-solving” (but what does that mean? ) • Developing expertise—approaching problem-solving in a systematic way • To measure engagement, we can start by investigating students’ attitudes when solving problems, and how their approach to problem solving compares to an expertlike approach. 2
Background: Problem Solving Approaches and Attitudes • 1. Mason, Singh, EJP 37, 055704 (2010) 2. Good, Mason, Singh, EJP 39, 065702 (2018) 3. Good, Maries, Singh, Phys. Rev. (accepted 2019) 3
Improving Basic Physics via Lessons Learned from Intro Astronomy • Can introductory level physics instruction can be implemented in ways that engage students in the problem solving process? • Two ingredients astronomy students identified that can be made use of in physics: • Realistic representations and images • Astronomical context 4
Incorporating These Ingredients into Basic Physics: A Three-Pronged Approach • Homework • Thinking outside the textbook or traditional dry “online” homework sets • Recitation • Using engaging and realistic problems that encourage a systematic problem-solving approach • Lecture • Moving beyond cookie-cutter examples and incorporating astronomical content when appropriate 5
Implementing Transformation Requires TA Buy-in! • Proactively organizing and laying out expectations • • Shared Box Folder TA Handouts Examples of recitation problems Granting access and making sure TAs understand how to use Courseweb features (this empowers TAs!) • Ongoing weekly meetings • Reflecting on prior week • Rotating responsibilities for next tasks 6
Homework: Going back to the drawing board • Gradescope: Naturally lends itself to submission of more open-ended homework assignments, allowing the possibility of non-standard “textbook” problems. • Problem: Site-license renewal was in question until recently • Solution: Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst and find a way to create a similar capability using only Courseweb (created assignments could later be revised for use with Gradescope). 7
Homework: Realistic problems facilitated by Courseweb • https: //my. pitt. edu 8
Homework: Including select textbook problems • Some problems chosen based on realistic content or astronomical context • Example: Ch. 5 #88 “Imagine a landing craft approaching the surface of Callisto, one of Jupiter’s moons. If the engine provides an upward force (thrust) of 3260 N, the craft descends at constant speed; if the engine provides only 2200 N, the craft accelerates downward at 0. 39 m/s 2. What is the mass of the craft and magnitude of free-fall acceleration near the surface of Callisto? ” 9
Homework: Including select textbook problems • Example: Ch. 5 #88 “Imagine a landing craft approaching the surface of Callisto, one of Jupiter’s moons. If the engine provides an upward force (thrust) of 3260 N, the craft descends at constant speed; if the engine provides only 2200 N, the craft accelerates downward at 0. 39 m/s 2. What is the mass of the craft and magnitude of free-fall acceleration near the surface of Callisto? ” • Through Courseweb, most efficient grading tends towards completion for most problems/merit for select problems. More efficient grading via rubric through Gradescope (except for initial time investment)? • Is it sensible to feature select textbook problems or should such problems be created from scratch (again time investment)? • Solutions available • It has been found that students do not read or value textbooks (e. g. , 70% “never” or “rarely” read textbook and 69% found it to be “useless” or “not very useful” even when given pre-lecture questions about the textbook)4 4. Stelzer, Gladding, Mestre, Brooks, AJP 77, 184 (2009) 10
Recitation: Using Context-Rich Problems • Problems which are complex and lacking in structure, frequently provide redundant information or are missing information and have real-life contexts • Often require formulation of the question and inferences to be made, making a systematic problem-solving approach is more effective. This can facilitate progression towards expertlike problemsolving. 5 5. Reif, AJP 63, 17 (1995) 11
Recitation: Using Context-Rich Problems Example: You are reading a magazine article about pulsars. A few years ago, a satellite in orbit around the Earth detected X-rays coming from sources in outer space. The X-rays detected from one source, called Cygnus X-3, had an intensity which changed with a period of 4. 8 hours. This type of astronomical object emitting periodic signals is called a pulsar. One popular theory holds that the pulsar is a normal star (similar to our Sun) which is in orbit around a much more massive neutron star. The period of the X-ray signal is then the period of the orbit. In this theory, the distance between the normal star and the neutron star is approximately the same as the distance between the Earth and our Sun. You realize that if this theory is correct, you can determine how much more massive the neutron star is than our Sun. 12
Recitation: Using Context-Rich Problems Grading using Courseweb rubric 6: 6. https: //groups. physics. umn. edu/physed/Research/CRP/crintro. html 13
Lecture: Real-life examples, images, etc. • Making better and more frequent use of demos • Creating a truly interactive experience • Ask for prediction • Discuss in groups • Make explicit connections to concepts “I loved the demonstrations, they allowed me to understand how and why something works the way that it does. ” Phys 0175: “Classroom activities made a valuable contribution to my learning” 94 % Agree 6% Neutral 14
Lecture: Real-life examples, images, etc. • Connecting to current science stories • Incorporating astronomy context https: //www. sciencen ews. org/article/jupiterweird-core-may-haveresulted-earlycollision? tgt=nr • Use of video content when appropriate • https: //youtu. be/y. FRPhi 0 jh. Gc • Creating better “Lecture Notes” • Powerpoints • Summaries (for the future) 15
Chapter 1: Quantities, Units, and Scientific Notation SI Units: meter (m), kilogram (kg), second (s) Prefixes and scientific notation:
Unit 1: Motion in One and Two Dimensions Quantity Name Symbol Mass kilogram kg Length meter m Time Second s 1 m= 1 kg = 1 s= Two Steps
Lecture summaries for the future? Not only do students not read or value the textbook, but it has been found that multimedia presentations of lessons or scripts of multimedia presentations may yield better retention of material and higher final grades. 4 4. Stelzer, Gladding, Mestre, Brooks, AJP 77, 184 (2009) 18
Lecture summaries for the future? • 4. Stelzer, Gladding, Mestre, Brooks, AJP 77, 184 (2009) 19
Unit 1: Motion in One and Two Dimensions Quantity Name Symbol Mass kilogram kg Length meter m Time Second s 1 m= 1 kg = 1 s= Two Steps
Lecture Summaries for the future? 21
Lecture: Real-life examples, images, etc. • Making better and more frequent use of demos • Connecting to current science stories • Incorporating astronomy context • Use of video content when appropriate • Creating better lecture slides 22
How to measure success • Administer AAPS at the beginning and end of semester • Analyze final exam grades and FCI scores • Add additional questions to OMETs 23
Acknowledgements • d. B-SERC Course Transformation Award Committee • Danny Doucette • Chandralekha Singh • Andy Mason • Tara Meyer • Jennifer Laaser • And all of you for the ideas you are about to share with me! 24
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