Physics Teaching  

Goals and Methods
* Tendencies: 2001, Inquiry-based teaching idea has been around for some time; e-learning is emerging.
@ General references: Morrison AJP(64)jun; Crane AJP(68)dec; Pflug pr(87); Berry ed-88; Schwartz AJP(90)nov; Romer AJP(90)dec; McDermott AJP(91)apr; Van Heuvelen AJP(91)oct, AJP(91)oct; Lochhead AJP(91)nov; Dresden 92; Jennison & Ogborn ed-94; Wolf PT(94)oct; Knight 03 [r AJP(04)mar]; Redish 03; Raine pw(04)jan; Ellse & Osborne pw(04)jan [for whom?]; Henderson AJP(05)aug [challenges]; Wieman & Perkins PT(05)nov; Grayson PT(06)feb; Griffiths pw(09)sep [role of teacher]; Aguilar et al PT(14)may [psychological insights]; Gavrin TPT(15)oct [respecting our students].
@ Physics education research: Hestenes AJP(98)jun; McDermott & Redish AJP(99)sep [RL]; Holcomb AJP(01)apr [comment]; Heron & Meltzer AJP(05)may; Henderson & Dancy AJP(08)jan, Henderson AJP(08)feb [vs implementation]; McDermott AJP(14)aug.
@ Philosophical perspectives: Blachowicz BJPS(09) [textbook treatment of the scientific method].
@ Interactive, active learning: Freedman in(96); Hake AJP(98)jan [vs traditional]; Coleman et al AJP(98)feb [IUPP evaluation]; Crouch & Mazur AJP(01)sep [Peer Instruction]; Meltzer & Manivannan AJP(02)jun; Meltzer & Thornton AJP(12)jun [RL]; Whitworth et al TPT(14)jan [kinesthetic investigations]; Franklin et al AJP(14)aug [vs traditional]; Sokoloff TPT(16)jan [light and optics]; Trout et al TPT(19)jan [with service learning].
@ Inquiry-based: Brouwer AJP(84)jul [problem posing]; Thacker et al AJP(94)jul; McDermott 95.
@ Strategies and methods: Grayson AJP(04)aug [concept substitution]; Fredlund et al EJP(12) [role of physics representations]; Brown & Covault TPT(15) [re-cycling method]; Mungan TPT(16)may [in defense of derivations]; Adams & Willis TPT(15)nov [student curiosity]; Burko TPT(16)oct [case study approach].
@ Physics majors: Abraham et al AJP(91)feb; Adelberger AJP(94)oct [research]; Ehrlich AJP(98)jan; Manogue et al AJP(01)sep [paradigms]; McDonnell AJP(05)jul [why so few]; McNeil & Heron PT(17)nov, Day editorial PT(17)nov [physics curriculum and careers].
@ Other majors: McCall AJP(01)sep [pre-pharmacy].
@ K-12 teaching: McDermott et al AJP(06)sep, Hodapp et al PT(09)feb [teacher preparation].

Theory of Physics Learning
* PER: (Physics Education Research) Two approaches, empirical (learning of specific topics), and theoretical (predicting learning outcomes).
* Goals for non-science majors: Scientific literacy is not very well defined nor realistic, but scientific awareness of what a theory or a scientific fact are, and how to distinguish experts from quacks ("evolution is just a theory") is important.
* Method: Demonstrate the scientific process, as opposed to putting all the emphasis on the products or facts.
@ And teaching: Swann AJP(51)mar [importance of concepts]; Strnad EJP(86) [using research into students' conceptions and physics of everyday life]; Hestenes AJP(87)may; Cromer 97 [philosophy]; Redish et al AJP(98)mar [attitudes]; Redish & Steinberg PT(99)jan; May & Etkina AJP(02)dec [conceptual learning]; Lising & Elby AJP(05)apr [and student epistemology]; news sn(17)sep.
@ Conceptual understanding: Kim & Pak AJP(02)jul [and traditional problem solving]; Aktan EJP(13) [DC electricity concepts]
@ Difficulties: Maloney AJP(81)aug [reasoning abilities]; Ford AJP(89)oct; von Baeyer ThSc(90)nov; Romer AJP(93)dec [editorial]; Camp & Clement 94; PW(95)jun, p17; Redish AJP(14)jun [how our students think].
@ Personal: Sommerfeld AJP(49)may.
@ Other topics: Brush TPT(69) [role of history]; Maloney AJP(87)apr [cognition]; Tobias & Abel AJP(90)sep [and humanities]; Tobias 92 [motivating students]; Redish AJP(94)sep [cognitive studies]; Stith PT(96)jul [ethnic diversity].

History and Specific Places
* Beginnings: Until the late Middle Ages "the" physics textbook was Aristotle's.
@ General references: Otero & Meltzer TPT(16) [100 years].
@ Italy: Sparavigna a1307 [problems from a book by Torricelli].
@ Spain: Vaquero & Santos S&E(01)phy/00 [XIX century].
@ UK: Ogborn pw(99)oct [IoP initiative]; news BBC(07)mar [re report].

In Everyday Life > s.a. physics teaching by subjects; light; technology.
* Remark: Some simple phenomena still have to be explained – but the Moon illusion (> see earth) is not a physical effect.
@ General references: Lente 87; Rees & Viney AJP(88)may [cooling tea and coffee]; de Mestre 90; Ingram 90; Walker 90; Ghose & Home 94; Jargodzki & Potter 01 [puzzles; r pw(01)jul]; Griffith & Brosing 11 [text, 7th ed]; Bloomfield 09 [e3 r pw(06)dec]; Jaffe & Taylor 18 [energy].
@ Related topics: insert NS(91)jan19 [quantum mechanics]; Nagel AJP(99)jan [breakfast table]; Tannenbaum a1006-talk [applications of fundamental research].

Applications > see physics teaching by subjects; practical aspects.


main pageabbreviationsjournalscommentsother sitesacknowledgements
send feedback and suggestions to bombelli at olemiss.edu – modified 20 feb 2019