2008 Fall Seminars on Physics Education

1. Joe Redish, U of Maryland, visiting Thursday and Friday, Sept 25 and 26.
   http://www2.physics.umd.edu/~redish/
   
   • Public Talk: Thursday, Sept. 25, 4:30pm, AP 200, "Problem Solving and the Use of Math in Physics Courses"
      [Stanford WebAuth users only:  MPEG Video and PDF handout]
     Mathematics is an essential element of physics problem solving, but as professionals, we often fail to appreciate exactly what we are doing with it. Math may be the language of science, but math-in-physics is a distinct dialect of that language that requires both more subtlety and more skills than are typically taught in math courses. Research with students in classes ranging from  algebra-based physics to graduate quantum mechanics indicates that (1) we sometimes don't appreciate the skills students need to solve the problems we assign, (2) student's problems are sometimes with their expectations about what they are supposed to be doing rather than with their math skills, and (3) advanced physics problem solving involves a blending of multiple epistemic tools. Implications for instruction will be discussed. 
   • Seminar: Friday, Sept 26, 10am, Cummings Art Building, Room 2 (across from the History corner of the quad), "Reinventing the Recitation:  Some Insights into Physics Teaching and Learning"
      [Stanford WebAuth users only:  MPEG Video and PDF handout]
     Physics education research (PER) has learned that students who are successful with traditional problem solving in introductory physics classes often do not have a correspondingly good conceptual understanding of the underlying physics.[1]  This results in their knowledge being both fragile and inappropriate, especially for students not going on to do further work in physics.  Lillian McDermott and her collaborators at the University of Washington[2] have developed a set of research-based instructional materials (Tutorials) that replaces the traditional recitation and focuses on helping students learn basic physics concepts, learn to reason qualitatively, and overcome common misconceptions.  At the University of Maryland, we have evaluated this model from a number of angles: using traditional concept tests (FCI, FMCE) before and after instruction and making extensive ethnographic observations of students working in actual Tutorial sessions.  As a result of these observations, we have modified the model to emphasize development of students’ physical intuition and understanding of scientific thinking.[3]  Good results are obtained, both for concept learning and the students’ attitudes and sense that physics makes sense.
     
     [1] E. Mazur, Peer Instruction (Prentice Hall, 1997)
     [2] L. C. McDermott et al., Tutorials in Introductory Physics (Prentice Hall, 2002).
     [3] E. F. Redish & D. Hammer, “Reinventing college physics for biologists: Explicating an epistemological curriculum,” http://arxiv.org/abs/0807.4436.
     
     
2. Gary Gladding, U of Illinois, visiting Friday, Oct 24.
   http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/people/Gladding/
   
   • Fri, Oct 24, 12:15 to 1:30 p.m, Room 102/103, Physics and Astrophysics Building -- Gary Gladding: Discussion of implementing guided-inquiry laboratories (predict -> measure -> analyze) in introductory physics courses. 
     
     
   • Fri, Oct 24, 4:00 p.m. (refreshments at 3:45), Room 102/103, Physics and Astrophysics Building -- Gary Gladding:  21st-Century Strategies for Teaching Introductory Physics Courses in a Research University
     
     About ten years ago the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois embarked on a program to systematically improve the pedagogy in all of the introductory courses in the calculus-based and algebra-based sequences. We have adopted a combination of strategies that include interactive lectures, web-based homeworks, and discussion and laboratory sections that feature collaborative learning, all with the intent of actively engaging the students in all aspects of the course.  Most recently we have introduced web-based multimedia learning modules as a prelecture activity, which significantly enhances the lecture experience.
     
     I will describe the motivation for undergoing these changes and the goals of the reform.  I will use our experiences as a case study of reform at research universities.  In particular, I will discuss the elements of our reform and how we measure "success".  I will offer some reflections on the challenges of establishing and sustaining these changes in the research university environment.
     
     
     
3. Eric Mazur, Harvard, visiting Thursday and Friday, Oct 30 and 31.
   
   • "Confessions of a Converted Lecturer"
     Hartley Conference Center, Mitchell Earth Sciences (Map)
     Thursday, October 30, 2008
     12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
     “I thought I was a good teacher until I discovered my students were just memorizing information rather than learning to understand the material. Who was to blame? The students? The material? I will explain how I came to the agonizing conclusion that the culprit was neither of these. It was my teaching that caused students to fail! I will show how I have adjusted my approach to teaching and how it has improved my students' performance significantly.”
     
     
   • Thursday, Oct 30, 2008, 4:30-6:30pm, Varian 355, Eric Mazur will also be meeting with graduate students and postdocs to discuss combining teaching and research in an academic career, 3rd floor conference room in Varian Physics Building. Contact Wells Wulsin for more information.
     
     
   • "The Make-Believe World of Real-World Physics"
     Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201 (Map)
     Thursday, October 30, 2008
     7:00pm - 8:00 pm
     "That physics describes the real world is a given for physicists. In spite of tireless efforts by instructors to connect physics to the real world, students walk away from physics courses believing physicists live in a world of their own. Are students clueless about the real world? Or are we perhaps deluding ourselves and misleading students about the real world?"
     
     
   http://mazur-www.harvard.edu/search-talks.php?function=recent
   -- co-sponsored by CTL, Office of Science Outreach, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Department of Physics

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