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Session:
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Paper Type:
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Contributed
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Title:
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An Integrated Engineering/Physics Course for Elementary Education Majors
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Meeting:
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119th AAPT National Meeting: San Antonio, TX |
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Location:
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N/A |
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Date:
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Friday, August 6 |
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Time:
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9:00AM
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Author:
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Joseph A. Taylor, The Pennsylvania State Univ.
814-865-6565, ext. 39, jat178@psu.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Thomas M. Dana, Mehmet F. Tasar
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Abstract:
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An integrated engineering/physics course was designed for elementary education majors at a large, northeastern university. The aims of this course are to promote scientific inquiry and a conceptual understanding of engineering/physics concepts. The course consists of three modules: structures, simple machines, and electricity. Each module utilizes a teaching model where engineering/physics concepts are: introduced, referenced to the context of the module, and incorporated into a cumulative design project spanning the three modules. The instruction is student-centered with the instructor assuming the role of facilitator. The activities are exploratory in nature and projects of the course are open-ended. Results from pre and post-tests of students’ conceptual understanding are encouraging. These results have also been supported by qualitiative data.
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