Teaching Physics Better and Smarter to More (and More Diverse) Students
Three related themes —research on learning physics, applying that research in the physics classroom, and recruiting underrepresented populations to the physics classroom —will be addressed at Buffalo State College on April 16 and 17.
The college's Physics Department is hosting "What Physics Education Research Says to Physicists and Physics Educators," a spring symposium held jointly by the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers, New York State sections.
Dan L. MacIsaac, assistant professor of physics at Buffalo State, is one of the local organizers and a proponent of bringing new teaching methods into the physics classroom. MacIsaac, who is a nationally renowned physics education researcher, will also present a session on "Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol" (RTOP), which is a way to measure an instructor's use of so-called "reformed teaching" methods. Unlike traditional lecture-style instructors, teachers using these methods incorporate several innovations. "The research shows that many students, including women and minorities, do better when the professor or teacher uses different teaching methods," said MacIsaac. "If students aren't learning, it's usually because the teaching method isn't effective."
The traditional lecture/note-taking model is the least effective way of teaching physics. In interactive physics classrooms, students work in groups to develop a model of a particular physical phenomenon. Physics education research demonstrates that students who develop models are 40 times more likely to learn and understand the material than students who don't construct models.
"It doesn't make any difference if the model is right or wrong," says MacIsaac. "It's the approach to understanding the problem that lays the foundation for understanding the material."
Why this passion to bring more people into a physics classroom? Apart from their desire to share their love of the subject, physics educators point out that passing a high school physics course is a prerequisite for getting into certain colleges and degree programs.
Innovative physics education researchers believe that physics needs the new viewpoints that can be presented by students who have traditionally opted out of physics. As part of the symposium's first session, "Recruiting and Retaining Under-Represented Populations," representatives from both Xerox and Kodak will speak about how to attract and retain scientists from diverse backgrounds.
The keynote address, to be held at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society at 8:00 p.m. on Friday April 16, will be given by Michael Zeilik, Ph.D. of the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of New Mexico. His talk is titled, "True Confessions of a Reformed Practitioner." This event is free and open to the public.
The college's Physics Department is hosting "What Physics Education Research Says to Physicists and Physics Educators," a spring symposium held jointly by the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers, New York State sections.
Dan L. MacIsaac, assistant professor of physics at Buffalo State, is one of the local organizers and a proponent of bringing new teaching methods into the physics classroom. MacIsaac, who is a nationally renowned physics education researcher, will also present a session on "Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol" (RTOP), which is a way to measure an instructor's use of so-called "reformed teaching" methods. Unlike traditional lecture-style instructors, teachers using these methods incorporate several innovations. "The research shows that many students, including women and minorities, do better when the professor or teacher uses different teaching methods," said MacIsaac. "If students aren't learning, it's usually because the teaching method isn't effective."
The traditional lecture/note-taking model is the least effective way of teaching physics. In interactive physics classrooms, students work in groups to develop a model of a particular physical phenomenon. Physics education research demonstrates that students who develop models are 40 times more likely to learn and understand the material than students who don't construct models.
"It doesn't make any difference if the model is right or wrong," says MacIsaac. "It's the approach to understanding the problem that lays the foundation for understanding the material."
Why this passion to bring more people into a physics classroom? Apart from their desire to share their love of the subject, physics educators point out that passing a high school physics course is a prerequisite for getting into certain colleges and degree programs.
Innovative physics education researchers believe that physics needs the new viewpoints that can be presented by students who have traditionally opted out of physics. As part of the symposium's first session, "Recruiting and Retaining Under-Represented Populations," representatives from both Xerox and Kodak will speak about how to attract and retain scientists from diverse backgrounds.
The keynote address, to be held at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society at 8:00 p.m. on Friday April 16, will be given by Michael Zeilik, Ph.D. of the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of New Mexico. His talk is titled, "True Confessions of a Reformed Practitioner." This event is free and open to the public.
Media Contact:
Mary A. Durlak, Writer/Publicist | 7168783517 | durlakma@buffalostate.edu