Implementing Interactive Laboratory-Based Learning Techniques in Second-Semester Introductory Physics

斯图尔特研究表明，学生使用的以公式为中心的问题解决策略与经验丰富的科学家使用的策略不同，学生在入门物理学中获得的知识是一组随机组织的事实和方程，几乎没有概念理解和许多误解。已经开发了许多方法来克服这些问题，并在小型机构或特定教授中取得了一定的成功。这些方法往往过于昂贵或复杂，无法转移到大型综合性大学。此外，研究生，作为未来的科学导师，通常没有得到充分的教育训练。将开发一种旨在克服这些问题的教学系统，其方法既可以标准化，提供给较大的工程学校，也适用于较小的机构。该方法包括通过小组讨论引导学生从具体的“动手”例子到概念理解，先有想法，后有名字。定量实验结果提供了验证。概念与学生熟悉的日常现象有关。学生们被教导如何思考物理问题。强调合作学习，以提高女性和少数民族学生的保留率。研究生和高级本科生作为学徒进入教学过程，有材料让他们熟悉将要采用的教学策略。在一门以微积分为基础的物理入门课程（每年300名学生）中，这项技术将在三年的时间里得到完善，通过测试和访谈来确定最成功的策略。调查结果将以一种便于其他地方执行的格式提供。一个评价电磁学概念理解的标准，类似于Hestenes力学评价，将被开发出来。“动手”活动指南在非工程课程，特别是教育工作者的课程中很有用，也可以改编用于较低的教育。

9455732 Stewart Research shows that students use formula-centered problem-solving strategies that differ from those used by experienced scientists, and that the knowledge students gain in introductory physics is a randomly organized set of facts and equations, with little conceptual understanding and many misconceptions. Many approaches have been developed to overcome these problems, and have met with reasonable success in small institutions, or for a particular professor. These approaches are often too expensive or complicated to transfer to large comprehensive universities. Also, graduate students, the future instructors of science, are in general inadequately trained as educators. A teaching system designed to overcome these problems in a method that could be standardized and made available to larger engineering schools, as well as being appropriate for smaller institutions, will be developed. The method involves leading the student from concrete "hands-on" examples to conceptual understanding through group discussion, in the idea first, name afterward fashion. Quantitative experimental results provide verification. Concepts are related to everyday phenomena familiar to the student. Students are taught how to think about physics problems. Cooperative learning, found to improve retention of female and minority students, is emphasized. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are brought into the teaching process as apprentices, with materials to acquaint them with the teaching strategies to be employed. In a calculus-based introductory physics course (300 students annually), over a three year period, the technique will be refined, using testing and interviews to determine the most successful strategies. The results will be made available in a format designed to facilitate implementation elsewhere. A standard of evaluation for conceptual understanding for electromagnetism, similar to the Hestenes mechanics evaluati on, will be developed. The "hands-on" Activity Guide would be useful in non-engineering courses, particularly classes for educators, and could be adapted for use in lower education.