1. I) Introduction: Modern importance of science education. II) Data on effectiveness of traditional science teaching. III) A better approach. IV) Some specific examples of things that work. (based on research, CU tested) Carl Wieman, Univ. of Colorado (CU physics & chem ed. research, W. Adams, K. Perkins, Kara Gray, Linda Koch, Jack Barbera, Sarah McCagan, N. Finkelstein, Steve Pollock,... $$ NSF, Kavli)

2. , eds Donovan and Bransford NAS Press 2005 3 fundamental and well-established guiding principles of effective teaching. How Students Learn, eds Donovan and Bransford NAS Press 2005 3 fundamental and well-established guiding principles of effective teaching. 1. Engaging prior understandings. 2. The essential role of factual knowledge and conceptual frameworks in understanding. 3. The importance of self monitoring. Tested case studies on implementation in math & science various grade levels CEW- large science education research group, Chair--new Board on Science Education National Academy of Sciences Nobel prize in physics = expert in sci. ed.???

3. Science education more important, different purpose than in the past. Need to make science education effective and relevant for large fraction of population! Survival of world. Wise decisions by citizenry on global (technical) issues. Workforce in High-Tech Economy. Not just for scientists

4. Essence of an "effective education". Think about science like a scientist. Transform how think about science-- “novice” attitudes and problem solving into “expert”.

5. II. Some data on effectiveness of traditional approach to science teaching. lecture homework exams (most data from physics but applies to most sciences) 1. Retention of information from lecture. 2. Conceptual understanding. 3. Beliefs about science.

6. 15 minutes later in the lecture Question to Class: The sound you hear from a violin is produced by: a)mostly by strings, b) mostly by wood in back, c) both equally, d) none of the above. What fraction gave the correct answer? a. 0%, b. 10 %, c. 30%, d. 50%, e. 80% Explain about sound & violin. Show class a violin Tell them that the strings cannot move enough air Point inside violin to show a sound post Tell them strings causes back of violin to move and back is what makes the sound 1. Lecturing and retention

7. responses (%) A B C D E 84% 10% 3% 0% "Sound you hear from a violin is produced …" a. mostly by strings, b. mostly by wood in back, c. both equally, d. none of above. ans. B. (students had been told 15 minutes earlier) later in talk-- how to do much better very typical for nonobvious fact (even with profs and grad students)

8. 2. Conceptual understanding. How well are physics concepts mastered by students who successfully complete traditional intro physics course? (Eric Mazur) Measuring conceptual understanding of physics students (Paired problems) Most students can calculate currents and voltages in complex circuit. BUT, most students cannot predict what happens to light bulbs when close switch. 8 V 12 V 1  2  1  A B

9.  traditional approach not effective for developing conceptual understanding.  Lecturer quality, class size, institution,...doesn't matter! Measure conceptual learning gain R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, 64-74 (‘98). Force Concept Inventory (FCI) Force Concept Inventory (FCI): Multiple choice conceptual content survey Given Pre/post instruction Fraction of unknown basic concepts learned Traditional Lecture (N=14) 1 semester intro. physics

10. Novice Expert Content: isolated pieces of information to be memorized. Handed down by an authority. Unrelated to world. Problem solving: pattern matching to memorized arcane recipes. (boring, useless) nearly all physics courses  more novice ref. Redish et al, CU work--Adams, Perkins, MD, NF, SP, CW 3. Beliefs about physics and problem solving (measured)* Content: coherent structure of concepts. Describes nature, established by experiment. Prob. Solving: Systematic concept-based strategies. Widely applicable. *adapted from D. Hammer

11. Physics Education Research Conclusions: Hard to know what students are (and are not) learning. Good measurements are essential. Most students "learning" rote memorization of facts and problem solving recipes, not understanding. Useful only to pass class. Teachers want students to learn with understanding, but misled by tradition.

12. How to improve? Use tools of science to teach science! Practices and principles based on research and data, not tradition. Disseminate and build upon proven methods. like science research, copy what works! Effective use of technology.

13. I. Use of research on how people learn. a. cognitive load *b. importance of attitudes and beliefs c. developing expert competence II. Effective use of technology *a. student personal response systems *b. interactive simulations A few illustrative specifics * work from Col. sci. ed. research group

14. examples-- using research on how people learn a. Cognitive load-- Implication for teaching: Is that technical term really 1/7 of what you want the students to learn from today's class? 7 2 items max. short term working memory.

15. b. Importance of student beliefs about physics (science) and science problem solving Beliefs  content learning Beliefs  content learning Beliefs  choice of major/retention Beliefs  choice of major/retention Teaching practices  students’ beliefs Teaching practices  students’ beliefs I think about the physics I experience in everyday life. After I study a topic in physics and feel that I understand it, I have difficulty solving problems on the same topic. Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5 5000 stds) 5000 stds) Score agree (% favorable) or disagree with expert view Score agree (% favorable) or disagree with expert view We developed and tested new beliefs survey.

16. pre-meds Alg-I phys maj Soph. Level Phys phys maj Calc-I (phys maj only) engineers/sci Calc-I (all) engineers/sci Calc-I (all) pre-meds Alg-I non-sci Non-Sci-I Dominant student population Course Type Beliefs and choice of major/retention Personal Interest correlates with choice of major possibly, most important factor 75%89% 71%86% 64%67% 64%72% 60%51% 56%49% 56%44% Pre OverallPersonal Interest Beliefs (%favorable)

17. 313pre-meds Alg-I # students w/ CLASS Dominant student population Course Type Beliefs and choice of major/retention Personal Interest correlates with choice of major Personal Interest correlates with choice of major Large gender gap in ‘Personal Interest’ Large gender gap in ‘Personal Interest’ 49% Pre Personal Interest Beliefs (%favorable) Men: 62% Women: 41% Want more students, including women and minorities, to go into science? Improve their beliefs (personal interest)! Possible with teaching??

18. 36pre-meds Alg-I 400engineers Calc-I (all) 416engineers Calc-I (all) 313pre-meds Alg-I 34non-sci Non-Sci-II 77non-sci Non-Sci-I # students w/ CLASS Dominant student population Course Type Teaching practices and beliefs 64% 60% 56% 71% 56% PostPre Overall Beliefs (%favorable) Decline in beliefs all intro phys courses (also in chem.) Decline in beliefs all intro phys courses (also in chem.) BUT can avoid decline if specifically address. BUT can avoid decline if specifically address. 58% 66% 51% 58% 73% 57% Implication for Teaching: Attend to beliefs in lecture, homework, exams (e.g. Why worth learning? Connection to real world.)

19. Actively construct new way of thinking. Organize and use those facts. or c. Expert competence = fact. knowledge + organizational structure  effective retrieval and application of facts Make them think, guide that thinking! c. Research on developing expert competence Can't just pour facts into passive student.

20. Some technology that can help. (research tested & when used properly) Personal electronic response systems--facilitate active thinking and useful guidance. PERS (“clickers”) individual # "Jane Doe picked B"

21. responses (%) responses A B C D E 84% 10% 3% 0% "Sound you hear from a violin is produced …" a. mostly by strings, b. mostly by wood in back, c. both equally, d. none of above. ans. B. (students had been told 15 minutes earlier) >90% if part of clicker question/discussion

22. The KEY to clicker effectiveness reflect on how people learn Questions - Focus students on processing physics ideas, starting to “organize and apply” ideas - Requires students to commit to an answer (accountability + peer anonymity) - Reflect on answer (group discussion, follow-up) Facilitate student-student discussion/debate - use groups, require consensus answers Provides feedback to instructor and student. - monitor learning, effective communication

23. CW results- using clickers heavily. Transform classroom. Much higher retention of information ( >90% after 2 days). Much better critical thinking and scientific discussion. Many more questions (~4  ~15/class),  women & minorities. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 great dealfair amountsomea littlenone Usefulness of “lecture” to your learning? Student opinion clickers and consensus groups traditional lecture textbook

24. Carl WiemanWendy Adams Noah FinkelsteinKrista Beck Ron LeMasterKathy Perkins Sam ReidMike Dubson Noah Podolefsky Linda Frueh supported by: Kavli Operating Inst., NSF, Univ. of Col., and A. Nobel http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/ Interactive simulations Reducing cognitive load for understanding and using expert models. (if well designed and tested) Physics Education Technology Project (PhET) Wide range of physics topics, extensive testing, free online moving man wave on string freq 33, tn max, damping.01 circuit const.

25. Bunch of research on design and effectiveness of sims. (Wendy Adams, Kathy Perkins, Noah F., et al) 1. Substantial improvement on concept questions when used in lecture vs real demos or static images. % right 100 Q1 Q2 real demo sim demo standing wave on string comparisons of sims vs. static images with explanation, also big gains

26. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 q1q2q3other quest’s Question Fraction Correct CCK Real Mean score on Q1-Q3: CCK = 0.59, TRAD = 0.48 Statistically different, p<0.001 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Time (min) CCKReal Time to build and evaluate real circuit Relevant final exam questions 2 months later 2. Research on sim as replacement. premed class: ½ did real DC circuits lab, half CCK sim.

27. Summary: Need new, more effective approach to science ed. Traditional lecture, textbooks, homework, exams often teach against true understanding and interest in science. Solution:teaching as a science use research on how people learn, measure results. use (& development) of technology copy what proven to work. Good Refs.: NAS Press “How people learn”, "How students learn" Redish, “Teaching Physics” (Phys. Ed. Res.) Mayer, “Learning and Instruction” (cog. sci. applied) CLASS belief survey: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/phet/survey/CLASS/ phet simulations: phet.colorado.edu

28. But what about content coverage, don't you have to give up a lot? Some-- typically perhaps about 1/3-1/4 of material, but if students are not learning it, what is the point of teaching it? also-- if students just memorizing facts and recipes, do about as well with less time spent on it than usual. Can also have them cover some material without going over it in class.

29. (FCI test) Ref. R. Haake 14 classes traditional lecture 48 classes (various approaches to get students actively thinking more) Fraction of unknown basic concepts learned traditional lectures and homework just don’t work for conceptual understanding. L ecturer quality, class size, institution,... doesn't matter!) 1 semester intro. physics

30. Conceptual Understanding 35 45 55 65 75 <0.25 Almost nothing 0.25 - 0.50.5 - 0.750.75 - 0.90.9 – 1 A lot Content Learning Gains CLASS (Beliefs) % Favorable Beliefs and learning Calc-based Phys I, Sp03: 416 students Content Learning: FMCE  normalized learning gain Pre Post

31. If lectures are so bad, why are you giving us a lecture? Lectures are not inherently bad. It is an issue of what happens in the lecture. passive listening vs “cognitively engaged” Does this make sense? How is this related to my experience. Could I use this? How? Requires suitable match to audience background and preparation. Also, lecture and slides incorporate many features based on cognitive research.

32. Student perspective on talk. How does this match my experience? Questions for your teachers: Why should I learn this? Why should I learn this? Why are you teaching like this? Why are you teaching like this? ("Wieman told me to ask.") ("Wieman told me to ask.")

33. Concept of research based teaching. Decide what students should learn. Make objective measurements of starting point and results. Conclusions and guiding principles based on data. Change practices to improve results. Save and build on past materials and results. Good References: How People Learn; Brain, mind, experience, and School, NAS press Learning and Understanding, NAS press Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite, Redish Learning and Instruction, Mayer (educ. psych.-cog. sci.) Others: Self-Theories, Dweck (student psychol.) Influence; science and practice, Cialdini (advertising psychol.) simulations--http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/

34. Ways in which we use: types of questions. Build class around clicker questions. 1. Start of class-- 3 question quizzes on reading. 2. Quick surveys on backgrounds, course issues, … 3. Students predict results for all demonstrations. 4. Check understanding of material covered. 5. Reveal prevailing misconception to confront/get attention leading into coverage of material. 8-10 substantial questions in 75 minute class assigned seats and groups, consensus answers

35. line--1010 (fall ‘01): lots of demos, colored cards feedback, no groups (text a bit lower than lect.) column--1020 (spr ’03): used clickers, assigned seats and groups 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 great dealfair amountsomea littlenone Usefulness of “lecture” to your learning? Does it work? 2. Student assessment. colored cards clickers

36. III. Combining research based innovations The context: 1020 Intro algebra-based physics for nonscientists. 2 nd term of 1010-1020 sequence. 1010 has 200 students, 1020 has 55 students (full 1010 grade spectrum except Fs) (enrollments have increased x 2-3 over 4 years) The challenge: Traditionally unpopular, Challenge to teach. 2 x 1.25 hour lectures, no recitations. The advantages: Largely overlooked by rest of dept. No constraints on curriculum or methods. Innovations (and success) based on general principles. Likely not class specific. Hard to do, easy to copy.

37. Examples of research-based teaching that works. Few topics, explore in depth. Collaborative problem solving/scientific discourse. long hard homework requiring explanation of process and reasoning, not just simple answer. “selling” students on collaboration Explicit focus on novice/expert attitudes and creative problem solving. Start with tie to real world, make reasoning explicit focus. Ask students questions in class, elicit multiple solution approaches: e. g. 1) compare with lab results, 2) use equations, 3) compare with real world observation, 4) application of basic concept, 5) reason from previous class discussions. Not trying to pour knowledge into passive student. Student actively engaged in constructing new way of thinking and solving problems. Discuss how all work, advantages of combining multiple approaches and viewpoints.

38. Testing the approach-transforming CU classes. The context: 1010/1020 Intro algebra-based physics for nonscientists. The challenge: Traditionally unpopular, 2 x 1.25 hour lectures, no recitations. The results: Time on homework and enrollment both up. Better expert-novice physics attitude results. Conceptual exam questions-- improve C  A Big increase in questions and comments (~ 20/class) Scientific reasoning and problem solving, enormous change! Innovations (and success) based on general principles. Likely not class specific. Recently seeing comparable results with 2nd intro course.

39. ---------------------- -------------------------- ----------------------- + + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + lightning rods +++++++++++++++ + ---- Lightning rods a. attract lightning to tip, prevent from hitting rest of building. b. prevent lightning from occurring. c. make it strike somewhere else. d. don’t actually do anything, are superstition. + + first asked-- 8% correct. Discuss reasoning, relate to concepts. Two days later, asked again. >90 % correct!! Lesson built around clicker question.

40. 1. Classroom atmosphere- BIG CHANGE in 1020 (35-40 students) ~ 20 questions and comments/75 min class from 1/3 of students. Visitors thought were physics majors. 2. Homework- work longer, do better. 3. Enrollments and attendance up. 4. Exam performance-- ~ 1 sigma increase = 2 letter grades on conceptual understanding/transfer questions. 5. Student assessments of value toward learning. 6. Problem solving session environment. 7. CLASS student attitude survey, even or +. Measures of success.