Improving teacher preparation and student learning through physics education research

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The Physics Education Research Group at the University of Washington continues to do research and develop resources and tools to facilitate the active involvement of college and university physics departments in the professional development of teachers of physics and physical science in K-12 school systems. Modules in two of the following topics - electrostatics, particulate nature of matter, energy, waves, and kinetics and dynamics - are added to the 10 modules already developed for Physics by Inquiry, the laboratory-based professional development curriculum for use by physics faculty. Tutorials in Physics, a new curriculum modeled after the Tutorials in Introductory Physics, is comprised of in-depth supplements to college courses or for use in awareness workshops that help teachers reflect on their own learning and become aware of the difficulties their student will have with the concepts. Instructor Guides are developed as a resource to help physics faculty implement the above curricula. Part I of a Learning Assessment Manual guides physics faculty in assessing progress in teacher learning; Part II helps teachers develop skills needed to monitor the progress of their students. Summer institutes in physics and physical science and associated academic year continuation courses provide the environment for carrying out the research, and developing and testing the modules. The research investigates how students and teachers learn specific content and reasoning skills for applying concepts to real world situations; how teachers can learn specific content in a way that helps them promote student learning; and how teachers can learn to assess student understanding in a way that guides them in promoting student learning. Strategies to overcome intellectual barriers to the adoption of inquiry-oriented instructional materials are developed.