Not everything I try helps students learn physics. Sometimes I make mistakes, but I've learned from those mistakes. That's what this paper is about. I've taught at the same large, academically competitive suburban high school for enough years to notice trends in what students can do and how they can think. And no matter how much I lament changes, my job is to figure out how best to help my students learn. So when I noted a gradual deterioration in performance, I set out to do something about it.
Topics
Education
REFERENCES
1.
R.
Hake
, “Socratic pedagogy in the introductory physics laboratory
,” Phys. Teach.
30
, 546
–552
(Dec. 1992
).2.
L. C.
McDermott
and P. S.
Shaffer
, “Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity. Part I: Investigation of student understanding
,” Am. J. Phys.
60
, 994
–1003
(Nov. 1992
).3.
L. C.
McDermott
and P. S.
Shaffer
, “Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity. Part II: Design of instructional strategies
,” Am. J. Phys.
60
, 1003
–1013
(Nov. 1992
).4.
P.
Heller
, R.
Keith
, and S.
Anderson
, “Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 1: Group versus individual problem solving
,” Am. J. Phys.
60
, 627
–636
(July 1992
).5.
P.
Heller
and M.
Hollabaugh
, “Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups
,” Am. J. Phys.
60
, 637
–644
(July 1992
).6.
K. D. Pinkerton, “Enhanced conceptual learning through understanding levels of language-rich teaching,” EJSE (online) 3, http://unr.edu/homepage/jcannon/ejse/ejsev3n1.html, ISSN 1087-3430 vol. 3 no. 1, (September 1998).
7.
Haber-Schaim, PSSC Physics, 7th ed. (Kendall/Hunt, 1991), ISBN 0-8403-6025-8.
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2005
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.
