Workshop Materials: Physics Teaching and the Development of Reasoning Copyright (c) 2013 University of Nebraska - Lincoln All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop Recent documents in Workshop Materials: Physics Teaching and the Development of Reasoning en-us Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:39:28 PST 3600 Workshop on Physics Teaching and the Development of Reasoning: Complete Set of Modules http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/13 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/13 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:38:58 PDT The titles of the eleven workshop modules are as follows:

I. How Students Think
2. Concrete and Formal Thought
3. Proportional Reasoning of College Students
4. "Formal Thought"
5. Analysis of Physics Problems
6. Analysis of Instructional Materials
7. Self-Regulation
8. Learning Activities for Self-Regulation
9. Analysis of Physics Concepts
10. Teaching Goals and Strategies
11. Suggested Reading

The work is 135 pages; the pdf file is 19 Mbytes.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 11: Suggested Reading http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/12 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/12 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:25:24 PDT This module contains reprints of several articles related to the ideas of stages of development and self-regulation and a bibliography of books and articles that you may wish to study after you complete the workshop.

This module contains the following materials:

1. Reading list of suggested books and articles.

2. Are Colleges Concerned with Intellectual Development?
Joe W. McKinnon, Oklahoma City University
John W. Renner, University of Oklahoma
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 39: 1047 (September 1971)


3. Piagetian Theory and Instruction in Physics
John W. Renner and Anton E. Lawson
THE PHYSICS TEACHER, 11: 165 (March 1973)

4. Promoting Intellectual Development Through Science Teaching
John W. Renner and Anton E. Lawson
THE PHYSICS TEACHER, 11: 265 (May 1973)

5. Development and Learning
Jean Piaget
JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, 2: 176-186 (1964)

6. Physics Problems and the Process of Self-Regulation
Anton E. Lawson and Warren T. Wollman
THE PHYSICS TEACHER, 13: 465 (November 1975)

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 10: Teaching Goals and Strategies http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/11 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/11 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:20:03 PDT Most physics classes include students who use concrete reasoning patterns on some occasions and formal reasoning patterns on others. Most likely their approach to a new kind of problem will Include a mixture of techniques derived from their previous learning, their awareness of their own reasoning, and their ability to engage in self-regulation. Obstacles to their success may stem from misconceptions they formed as a result of poorly assimilated prior learning experiences. So what? What does that tell me about the goals and strategies I might choose for my teaching? In this module we shall pursue the implications of the students’ needs to begin learning by using their existing mental structures, but to form new ones through self-regulation as part of their progress. The objectives are 1) to assist you in selecting teaching strategies that will encourage self-regulation on the part of your students, and 2) to assist you in balancing course goals aimed at content with those aimed at improved reasoning.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 9: Analysis of Physics Concepts http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/10 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/10 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:12:50 PDT Most physics teachers think about their courses in terms of topics covered, concepts explained, and principles applied. Our effort in this workshop has been to call your attention to another impartant dimension of physics teaching: your students' patterns of reasoning. By this time, you have probably concluded that most physics courses are addressed primarily to students who can use formal reasoning patterns with ease, and we would agree with that. Yet there are also the students who use formal reasoning patterns only with difficulty and in limited areas. To help you analyze course content and present it in a way that will be understandable to more of your students, we suggest that you classify physics concepts according to the reasoning patterns necessary to understand the meaning you wish to communicate. Concepts may then be called “concrete " or "formal," in analogy to the stages of reasoning. This module presents examples and explanations of "concrete" and "formal" concepts and is arranged in the form of a learning cycle built around that distinction.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 8: Learning Activities for Self-Regulation http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/9 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/9 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:06:43 PDT It is quite clear from the earlier modules in this workshop that a teacher's awareness of students' patterns of reasoning will influence his choice of subject matter, level of presentation, selection of text, and assignment of homework problems. We shall now describe some ways in which the learning activities can be planned so as to enhance the opportunities for self-regulation after a student is introduced to a new idea. On the basis of Piaget’s developmental theory, concrete learning activities play a central role in the improvement of a student's reasoning. The physics laboratory, therefore, is an especially important part of instruction. Does it make any difference what kind of laboratory exercise we ask a student to perform? We believe that the answer is yes, and we shall describe what we have learned from Piaget’s work that is applicable to labs and other aspects of teaching. We have called the resulting pattern of instruction a “learning cycle," since it may be used repeatedly for each successive topic or lab session in a course. This module provides for a laboratory investigation of physical pendula and two essays: on the learning cycle and on the physics laboratory.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 7: Self-Regulation http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/8 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/8 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:49:43 PDT How can students be made made aware of their own reasoning? This question identifies one aspect of formal thought. It must be answered if students are to proceed to formal thought by self-regulation, the process whereby an individual advances from one stage of reasoning to the next. We have alluded to self-regulation in several of the earlier modules, but concentrated on the characteristic reasoning patterns associated with each stage. In this module we shall describe self-regulation in detail.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 6: Analysis of Learning Materials http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/7 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/7 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:41:33 PDT Module 6 continues with the application of the concept of developmental stages in your physics teaching. The module concentrates on the analysis of physics texts and film loops, which provide important instructional inputs for students. As you read the excerpts we have selected for your review, keep in mind the characteristics of concrete and formal thought explained in Module 2. Also, remember that all students, regardless of their developmental stage, will find the text easier and will understand a new topic in a more broadly-based way if they can progress gradually from a concrete view of the subject. Of course, some students will progress further than others in grasping all the implications and subtleties contained in their reading. This module includes four text passages, two film loops and a review item to be analyzed for their demand on a student's reasoning patterns. We have highlighted certain features of these excerpts to indicate what makes a passage more or less accessible to the use of concrete reasoning only. In conclusion, we have listed criteria that you may use to evaluate physics texts or to help you prepare instructional materials of your own.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 5: Analysis of Physics Problems and Test Questions http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/6 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/6 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:35:46 PDT You may be wondering how to apply the concept of developmental stages in your physics teaching, To help you with this, we have prepared modules 5-11 dealing with differing aspects of instruction. Module 5 concentrates on the analysis and writing of physics problems and test questions. As you read the examples we have selected, keep in mind the characterisrtics of concrete and formal thought described in Module 2. A matter that we find difficult to resolve concerns how to give all students, regardless of the reasoning patterns they use initially, practice in problem solving. Furthermore, evaluation through tests should give all students an opportunity to show what they have learned in physics and with respect to formal reasoning patterns.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 4: Formal Thought http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/5 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/5 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:30:53 PDT In Piaget’s theory, concrete thought is characterized by serial ordering, simple classification, conservation logic and other operations applied to objects that a person is able to observe or manipulate directly. Formal thought includes these operations but goes beyond them to utilize other processes in situations where one does not deal with tangible objects. Formal processes often involve proportional reasoning, separation of variables, elimination of contradictions, and class inclusion or exclusion operations.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 3: Proportional Reasoning http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/4 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/4 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:26:58 PDT In Piaget' s theory, concrete operational thought is characterized by serial ordering , simple classification, and conservation logic applied directly to objects. A concrete thinker doing a Piagetian task must be able to observe objects and/or manipulate them. Formal operational thought involves proportional reasoning , separation of variables, elimination of contradictions, and class inclusion or exclusion operations. A formal thinker is able to work in situations where he does nor deal with tangible objects. The formal thinker can apply the operations used by a concrete thinker, but goes beyond these operations when solving problems.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 2: Concrete and Formal Thought http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/3 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/3 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:22:27 PDT Observations of many children and young people attempting to perform problem-solving tasks have led Jean Piaget and other psychologists to formulate theories concerning the mental processes an individual uses to deal with problem situations. In this module, we shall introduce you briefly to stages of reasoning, a feature of Piaget 's theory we consider important for physics teachers.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Module 1: How Students Think http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/2 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/2 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:17:26 PDT You have probably been curious at various times in your teaching career about the thinking strategies that students enrolled in physics appear to use to solve problems. It is difficult for most of us to understand that many students do not use reasoning patterns that seem to be obvious. Many students substitute numbers into a formula they remember, even though the formula may not be applicable to the problem at hand. This situation quite naturally leads us to wonder about the reasoning that students utilize when we would employ mental operations such as separating variables, excluding an irrelevant factor, or applying a mathematical relationship such as ratios.

This module Includes three puzzles : the Volume Puzzle, the Ratio Puzzle, and the Islands Puzzle. Each puzzle is followed by several typical student responses to the puzzle.

]]> Francis P. Collea et al. Introduction to Workshop on Physics Teaching and the Development of Reasoning http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/1 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/karplusworkshop/1 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:09:47 PDT Are physics teachers in high schools, colleges, and universities knowledgeable concerning the reasoning patterns their students use? The personal experiences of many instructors and research carried out during the last few years indicate that a substantial fraction of physics students have difficulty applying functional relationships among variables, considering all necessary combinations of experimental and theoretical conditions of a problem, and examining their own reasoning critically to locate possible errors. The theory of intellectual development formulated by the Swiss psychologist and epistemologist Jean Piaget deals with these matters and can therefore be of help to physics teachers. We have prepared these individualized workshop materials to present the two principal concepts of Piaget’s theory, stages of development and self- regulation, with background and illustrations that will make clear their relevance for physics teaching.

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