1. Corinne Manogue & the whole Paradigms Team
Interactive Engagement in Upper-Level Physics Lessons from the Paradigms Program
Corinne Manogue
& the whole
Paradigms Team
Paradigms in Physics
Revising the Upper-Division Curriculum
Paradigms in Physics is a project at Oregon State University to revise the entire upper-division curriculum for physics and engineering physics majors to make our program more modern, integrated, and flexible and to increase students’ success.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

2. Teaching Principle Suggestion
Students have little experience with geometric visualization.
Suggestion
Use kinesthetic activities and tangible metaphors to tap into students’ embodied cognition.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

3. Kinesthetic Activities
Stand up.
Each of you represents a point charge.
Make a linear charge density.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

4. Tangible Metaphors Raising Calculus (Physics) to the Surface
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

5. Tangible Metaphors Partial Derivatives Machine 11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

6. Teaching Principle Suggestion
It takes effort to bring information into working memory.
Suggestion
Use small whiteboards to help students activate the relevant information.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

7. Small Whiteboards
On your small whiteboard, write something you know about the dot product.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

8. Affordances of Small White Board Questions
Allow the instructor to see if everyone is on the same page.
“Quiet” members of the class are encouraged to participate.
Students vie to have their answers chosen.
Keep everyone engaged and awake.
Professional development: communication skills.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

9. Using Small Whiteboards
Make it safe to be wrong:
Insist that students answer, but allow a question mark.
Make answers anonymous at first.
Different types of questions:
Review, comparing multiple representations.
Bring out common problems.
Model professional problem-solving.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

10. Teaching Principle Suggestion
Don’t try to answer a question that students don’t yet have.
Suggestion
Use active engagement to prime “the teachable moment.”
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

11. Compare and Contrast Activities
On your medium whiteboards, construct a square grid of points, approximately two inches apart, at least 7 by 7.
I will draw an origin and a vector
on your grid.
For every point on your grid, imagine drawing the position vector
to that point, calculate
Connect the points with equal values of
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

12. Affordances of Medium Whiteboards
Provide the opportunity:
to develop and practice problem-solving strategies,
to compare and contrast answers,
for mini-presentations,
to discuss synthesis, evaluation, decision-making, etc.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

13. Plane Wave Representations
4/27/2012
Seoul National University

14. Effective Activities Are short, containing approximately 3 questions.
Ask different groups to apply the same technique to different examples.
Involve periodic lecture/discussion with the instructor.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

15. Teaching Principle Suggestions
Students are smarter than you think, but know far less.
Suggestions
Ask yourself when students would have learned something you expect them to know.
Keep a list of “surprising” things that students don’t know and use it to choose activities (PCK).
How to interpret the vertical axis.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

16. Quantum Ring
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

17. Rigid Rotor—Spherical Harmonics
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

18. Hydrogen Atom
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

19. Simulations Design experiences based on known student problems.
Choose thoughtfully:
“black box” (e.g. PhETs, OSP)
“open” (e.g. Mathematica/Maple)
“student code writing”
Avoid “Ooooh-Aaahh!!!” by asking students to answer specific questions.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop

20. Seoul National University
Active Engagement
Effective but Slow
Precious commodity
Use wisely
Special Needs of Upper-Division
Easily Over-Scheduled
Can Get Out-of-Synch
Short Activities Mid-Lecture
Moving Rooms: awkward but possible
Active Engagement.
We have found that these active-engagement strategies are effective, but very slow. As such, we consider them a precious commodity that must be used wisely. While the structures of some of our activities parallel those that have been employed successfully at the lower-division level, some are unique to the special needs of the upper-division.
We have discovered a number of important facets regarding the implementation of active engagement activities: they are easily overscheduled and can get out-of-synch with the natural alternating rhythm of one hour and two hour classes. Short activities that occur mid-lecture are more flexible in this sense than longer activities. Because our physical facilities are not (yet?!) ideal for our structure, some activities, particularly computer visualization require us to change rooms in the middle of class. We found that this situation is awkward, but possible.
4/27/2012
Seoul National University

21. How to Establish Norms Picking up someone else’s baby.
Restaurants and room constraints.
Tell students what you are doing and why.
Tell students what you expect and repeat.
Looming and rolling your eyes
Don’t whine or blame.
11/19/2016
New Faculty Workshop