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FA:
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PER: Investigating Classroom Strategies II
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:00AM - 9:50AM
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Presider:
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Warren Christensen,
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Co-Presiders(s):
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None
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Equipment:
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N/A
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FA01:
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Collaboration Among Local Colleges to Build a Community of Expertise
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:00AM - 8:10AM
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Author:
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Dedra Demaree, Oregon State University
541-207-4401, demareed@physics.oregonstate.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Sissi Li, Dennis Gilbert, Greg Mulder
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Abstract:
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In summer 2010, Oregon State University (OSU) received an NSF grant in collaboration with local community colleges (CC) to build pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The purpose of this project is three-fold: to better coordinate our introductory courses, to develop and share the best of our curricular activities, and to document the shared knowledge in a way that helps incoming/rotating instructors adopt the courses. There is a large number of students who transfer between OSU and the CC's, and there is terrific reformed teaching (with common reform goals) going on at all three institutions with documented success. However, the professors with the most expertise teach only a fraction of the students within the system. This talk will discuss how we are sharing and documenting instructional knowledge and course materials to build a community of expertise that can pass PCK more readily to new instructors.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA02:
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Developing Beliefs and Attitudes about Doing Physics in Introductory Classes
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:10AM - 8:20AM
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Author:
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Sissi L. Li, Oregon State University
541-737-1724, lisi@onid.orst.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Dedra N. Demaree
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Abstract:
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Learning to do physics is more than knowing the concepts and solving homework problems. Scientists know that doing science requires the conceptual understanding, problem solving, and critical thinking skills as tools; moreover, doing science is more than just using those tools, it also involves having appropriate attitudes and beliefs about doing science. These attitudes and beliefs include curiosity, skepticism, tenacity, creativity, and more. To examine how these attitudes are developed, we selected three teachers who teach calculus-based introductory college physics at a large research university and two community colleges. We observed their lecture classes, and conducted post-class interviews and student interviews. Through these three case studies, we will present how teachers build a learning community to support learners in developing beliefs and attitude for doing physics.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA03:
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Transforming Assessment to Achieve and Measure Preparation for Future Learning
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:20AM - 8:30AM
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Author:
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Yuhfen Lin, Florida International University
732-763-9929, fireflylin@gmail.com
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Co-Author(s):
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David T. Brookes
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Abstract:
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One way to measure transfer is through assessing preparation for future learning, but how many of us are brave enough to test our students' ability to learn by giving them an exam question on a topic we have not covered? At the same time, have our physics classes prepared them for their future learning? When we gave our students a question on a brand new topic as their final exam, we wanted to believe they could learn on their own. They demonstrated not only the ability to find the correct equation to solve the problem, but they also were not satisfied until they were able to achieve deeper understanding by making sense of the new knowledge in terms of their current understanding. In the next talk, we will provide more details of how we created a learning environment that encouraged students to take charge of their own learning.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA04:
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Building a Sustainable Learning Environment in a Physics Classroom
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:30AM - 8:40AM
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Author:
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David T. Brookes, Florida International University
848-391-0527, dbrookes@fiu.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Yuhfen Lin
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Abstract:
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In the words of Sugata Mitra, “Education is a self-organizing system, where learning is an emergent phenomenon.” If we take this to the extreme: good teaching has little to do with what we teach or how we teach it. What we should be concerned with is designing a learning environment that will encourage the spontaneous emergence of learning. In this talk I will present a) some initial ideas about how we can model a physics course as a self organizing system, and b) an ongoing two-year experiment to design a physics learning environment that promotes emergent learning. Our initial results show that students are learning the content at a level that is comparable to other reformed courses, developing positive attitudes toward physics, and developing their identities as learners, knowers, and physicists. Most importantly, students have developed the ability to learn on their own.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA05:
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Beyond the Standard Pedagogical Model
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:40AM - 8:50AM
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Author:
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Paul J. Camp, Spelman College
404-270-5864, pcamp@spelman.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Michael Burns-Kaurin, Derrick Hylton, Natarajan Ravi, Marta Dark-McNeese
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Abstract:
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For several years, the physics department at Spelman College has used project-based instruction as a central focus of our curriculum at all levels. This presentation will describe our work on the second-semester introductory course, in which we have moved all of the circuits material to a project-based investigation conducted entirely in the lab. There are several important differences between our implementation and similar efforts such as Workshop Physics, notably the use of complex, ill-formed problems as a central focus of the pedagogy, the use of distributed expertise to drive collaboration and communication, and the improvement of process skills through iterative refinement. We will describe the foundations of our pedagogical design in cognitive and learning science and previous similar efforts in other learning contexts, contrast it with other inquiry-based designs, and describe some of what we are observing in the test and comparison classes. Data collection and processing is currently ongoing so this presentation will necessarily focus more on the design rationale than on the results.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA06:
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Adopt, Adapt, or Abandon? Instructors' Decisions to Use Research-based Materials
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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8:50AM - 9:00AM
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Author:
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Stephanie V. Chasteen, University of Colorado - Boulder
3037753277, stephanie.chasteen@colorado.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Rachel E. Pepper, Steven J Pollock, Katherine K Perkins
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Abstract:
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Physics education researchers often develop materials for classroom use. Instructors then choose which of those materials they would like to implement. We present a case study of University of Colorado's transformed junior E&M course. After the transformation work in Sp/Fa 2008, four subsequent instructors of this course decided which materials -- such as tutorials, clicker questions, or use of documented student difficulties -- to use. Based on detailed interviews of those instructors, we examine what was and was not sustained, and discuss aspects of the course materials that enabled sustainability across instructors. We also present examples of less successful implementation that provide useful feedback on the use of PER-based resources -- both for educational researchers and for the instructors making use of these instructional techniques.
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Footnotes:
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All junior level resources are available at http://www.colorado.edu/sei/departments/physics_3310.htm. This work was funded by CU?s Science Education Initiative and the National Science Foundation Grant No. 0737118.
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FA07:
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Assessing the Algebra-based Electricity and Magnetism Studio: First Steps
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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9:00AM - 9:10AM
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Author:
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Jacquelyn J Chini, University of Central Florida
407-823-3607, jchini@physics.ucf.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Archana Dubey
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Abstract:
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The studio mode of learning combines the lecture, laboratory, and recitation components of a traditional course in an integrated, student-centered environment. Others have demonstrated the success of studio in introductory calculus-based physics. However, there have been fewer studies on the effectiveness of this strategy for algebra-based physics courses. In spring 2011, one instructor was assigned to teach both studio-mode and traditional sections of the second semester introductory algebra-based physics course at the University of Central Florida. We discuss the differences between the ways one instructor taught the same content in these two formats. Having the same instructor for both the studio and lecture courses allows for comparison between these formats without variations introduced by individual instructors. We begin to assess the effectiveness of our algebra-based studio by comparing the performance of students from these sections in common tasks, including the Survey of Electricity, Magnetism, Circuits and Optics (SEMCO) and quizzes.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA08:
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Implementation of Research-based Instructional Strategies: Report from a Longitudinal Study of 15 Junior Faculty
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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9:10AM - 9:20AM
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Author:
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Melissa Dancy, University of Colorado
704-763-0125, melissa.dancy@gmail.com
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Co-Author(s):
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Charles Henderson
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Abstract:
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As part of a continuing research program to better understand barriers and identify affordances toward increasing research-based teaching practices among university physics faculty, we have embarked on a five-semester study of 15 diverse faculty who recently participated in the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop. Data collected includes: pre- and post-semester interviews, periodic web-based surveys, and collection of teaching artifacts. In this talk we will share findings from the first year of the study focused on the experiences faculty had with the New Faculty Workshop, what aspects of the workshop they decided to integrate into their teaching, how they went about implementing new ideas, and the outcomes of their efforts.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA09:
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Teaching Mathematical Physics through Problem-based Learning
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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9:20AM - 9:30AM
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Author:
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Gintaras Duda, Creighton University
402-280-5730, gkduda@creighton.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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None
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Abstract:
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Problem-based and project-based learning (PBL) are two pedagogical techniques that have several clear advantages over traditional instructional methods: 1) both techniques are active and student centered, 2) students confront real-world and/or highly complex problems, and 3) such exercises model the way science and engineering are done professionally. This talk will present an experiment in project/problem-based learning in a mathematical physics course and an attempt (still in its infancy) to deliver an upper division physics course completely in the problem/project based format. More specifically, one group project in the course involved modeling a zombie outbreak of the type seen in AMC's ``The Walking Dead.'' Students researched, devised, and solved their mathematical models for the spread of zombie-like infection. Results of student interviews and surveys will be presented as well as an instructor's perspective on using PBL in upper division physics courses.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA10:
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'Implicit Action' -- Understanding Discourse Management in Modeling Instruction
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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9:30AM - 9:40AM
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Author:
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Jared L. Durden, Florida International University
417 988-1765, jdurd001@fiu.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Eric Brewe, Laird Kramer
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Abstract:
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We identify "Implicit Action," a discourse management tool, through a qualitative video analysis of a Florida International University Modeling Instruction Introductory Physics I class. Implicit Action in Modeling Instruction is where instructors deliberately create intellectual space in which students ideally see value and need for the construction of new classroom norms and tools that are productive in developing a learning community. This space is created by the implications expressed through the instructors' deliberate actions. Modeling Discourse Management is a technique to moderate student discussion in Modeling Instruction classes at the university level (Desbien, 2002). Implicit Action is one of eight Modeling Discourse Management tools that we have identified and, by means of qualitative analysis, have illustrated the effectiveness of its ability to implement Modeling Pedagogical Theory.
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Footnotes:
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None
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FA11:
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Increasing the Impact of PER: Recommendations from Typical Faculty
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Location:
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HC 3023 & 3023A |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug.03 |
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Time:
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9:40AM - 9:50AM
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Author:
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Charles R. Henderson, Western Michigan University
2693874951, charles.henderson@wmich.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Melissa H. Dancy, Chandra Turpen, Ramón Barthelemy
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Abstract:
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In previous work [1,2], we found that most physics faculty in the United States are familiar with and value instructional strategies based on Physics Education Research (PER). Yet, we also found that use of these strategies lags considerably behind knowledge. We have attempted to understand this gap between knowledge and use from several perspectives. In this talk we will explore this issue from the perspective of typical faculty. As part of a larger study, we conducted telephone interviews with 70 physics faculty who indicated that they had some exposure to PER. Based on these conversations, we describe the actions faculty recommended that the PER community might take in order to have more of an impact on the teaching practices of typical faculty.
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Footnotes:
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Supported, in part, by NSF Award No. 0715698.
1. Henderson, C. & Dancy, M. (2009) The Impact of Physics Education Research on the Teaching of Introductory Quantitative Physics in the United States, Physical Review Special Topics: Physics Education Research, 5 (2), 020107.
2. Dancy, M. & Henderson, C. (2010) Pedagogical Practices and Instructional Change of Physics Faculty, American Journal of Physics, Physics, 78 (10), 1056-1063.
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