Concepts first—a small group approach to physics learning

We have been using Alan Van Heuvelen’s “Overview, Case Study: Physics” (OCS Physics) methodology in introductory physics courses since 1991 at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) with remarkable success. We present various comparisons showing the effectiveness of OCS instruction over traditional teaching. In particular, since the introduction of OCS physics into NJIT’s summer Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), which consists of mostly minority participants, EOP students have significantly outperformed non-EOP students in their fall physics courses. Interviews with students and observations suggest that “second teaching” takes place in small groups following “first teaching” by the instructor. Second teaching is based on ideas of Vygotsky.