Introduction to Inquiry-Based Teaching and PhET's Web-Based Interactive Simulations

The Physics Education Technology
Project: http://phet.colorado.edu
Introduction to Inquiry-Based Teaching and
PhET's Web-Based Interactive Simulations
Sam McKagan
University of Colorado at Boulder
Teacher’s Workshop
Beacon of Hope College
Soroti, Uganda
Jan-Feb 2008
The Physics Education Research
Group: http://per.colorado.edu
Workshop Goals
1. Become familiar with research-based teaching
methods
• Inquiry-based teaching
• Interactive engagement
2. Become familiar with PhET simulations
• What makes PhET sims unique learning tools?
• How can they be used in class? (easy, effective)
3. Plan for sim use in your class
• Identify useful PhET sims
• Practice activities using sims
• Develop your own activity
To help me get input from you, we will use
colored cards to answer questions:
A B C D E
How long have you been teaching physics?
A. 1 year or less
B. 2-3 years
C. 4-5 years
D. 5-6 years
E. 7 years or more
What level do you teach?
A. A levels only
B. O levels only
C. Both O levels and A levels
D. Something else
What does research tell us
about how to teach science?
Traditional approach to teaching science:
1.
2.
Think very hard about subject, get it figured
out very clearly.
Explain it to students, so they will
understand with same clarity.
Unfortunately, research shows traditional
approach often doesn’t work!
What does research tell us
about how to teach science?
Research-based approach to teaching
science:
1.
2.
3.
Find out what your students are thinking.
Get them actively engaged in figuring things
out for themselves.
Monitor and guiding their thinking.
Research shows that there are effective
ways to do this!
Data on effectiveness of traditional science
teaching.
-lectures, textbook homework problems, exams
1. Retention of information from lecture.
2. Conceptual understanding.
3. Beliefs about science and problem solving.
Mostly intro university physics (best data), but
other subjects and levels consistent.
Data 1. Retention of information from lecture
I. Redish- students interviewed as came out of
lecture.
"What was the lecture about?"
only vaguest generalities
II. Rebello and Zollman- 18 students answer six
questions. Then told to get answers to the
6 questions from 14 minute lecture.
(Commercial video, highly polished)
Most questions, less than one student able to get
answer from lecture.
III. Wieman and Perkins - test 15 minutes after told
nonobvious fact in lecture.
10% remember
Why?
Cognitive load-- best established, most ignored.
Maximum
~7 items short term memory,
process 4 ideas at once.
MUCH less than in
typical science lecture
Mr Anderson, May I be excused?
My brain is full.
Data 2. Conceptual understanding in traditional course (cont.)
electricity
1
Eric Mazur
70% can calculate currents and
voltages in this circuit.
40% correctly predict change in
brightness of bulbs when switch
closed!
How can this be?
Solving test problems, but not
understanding what they mean!
8V
A
12
V
2
1
B
Data 2. Conceptual understanding in traditional course.
• Force Concept Inventory- basic concepts of force and
motion 1st semester physics
Ask at start and end of semester-- 100’s of courses
Traditional Lecture
courses
Fraction of unknown basic concepts learned
On average learn <30% of concepts did not already know.
Lecturer quality, class size, institution,...doesn't matter!
R. Hake, ”…A six-thousand-student survey…” AJP 66, 64-74 (‘98).
Data 3. Beliefs about physics and problem solving
Novice
Expert
Content: isolated pieces of
information to be memorized.
Content: coherent structure
of concepts.
Handed down by an
authority. Unrelated to world.
Describes nature,
established by experiment.
Problem solving: pattern
matching to memorized
recipes.
Prob. Solving: Systematic
concept-based strategies.
Widely applicable.
nearly all intro physics courses  more novice
ref. Redish et al, CU work--Adams, Perkins, MD, NF, SP, CW
*adapted from D. Hammer
The good news:
Using research-based teaching methods,
we can get much better results
• Retention of information from lecture
10% after 15 minutes
 >90 % after 2 days
• Conceptual understanding gain
25%

50-70%
• Beliefs about physics and problem solving
significant drop

small improvement
Effective teaching = facilitate creation of understanding
by engaging, then monitoring & guiding thinking.
Keys to Research-Based Teaching:
• Get students actively engaged, not just
passively listening.
• Find out what students are thinking and
address their preconceived ideas.
• Connect new material to what students
already know and to everyday life.
• Focus on conceptual understanding, not just
problem-solving.
• Reduce cognitive load by eliminating
unnecessary details and jargon.
How do you know what your students are thinking?
A. I know what they are having trouble with by
listening to the questions they ask.
B. I can see what they are having trouble with by
looking at their homework.
C. I can see what they are having trouble with by
looking at their exams.
D. More than one of the above.
E. None of the above.
Mentally engaging, monitoring, & guiding
thinking.
Many students at a time?!
Technology can make possible. (when used properly)
examples:
a. student personal response systems (“clickers”)
or colored cards
b. interactive simulations
1
2
3
When switch is closed,
bulb 2 will
a. stay same brightness,
b. get brighter
c. get dimmer,
d. go out.
(%)
a. “Clickers” or colored cards -- facilitate active
thinking, probing student thinking, and useful guidance.
"Jane Doe
picked B"
individual #
A
B
C
D
E
clickersHighly effective when use guided by how people
learn-- improve engagement, communication, and
feedback.
Class designed around questions and follow-up-Students actively engaged in figuring out.
Student-student discussion (consensus groups)
& enhanced student-instructor communication
 rapid + targeted = effective feedback.
show website, sim list, balloons and sweater, moving man, elctromag
Physics Education Techno
Project
• Suite of interactive simulations (~65)
• Covering intro physics, modern physics, bit of chemistry & math
• Design based on research
• Extensive user testing (usability, interpretation, learning)
• Free! Online or downloadable. (~50 Mbytes)
• Easy to use and incorporate in class
• Phet-based activities database on website
http://phet.colorado.edu
Physics faculty:
Michael Dubson
Noah Finkelstein
Kathy Perkins (manager)
Carl Wieman
PhET Staff
Postdocs:
Sam McKagan
Archie Paulson
Software Engineers:
Sam Reid
Chris Malley
Michael Dubson
Grad students:
Wendy Adams
Noah Podolefsky
HS Teacher:
Trish Loeblein
~6 full time equivalents
Staff:
Angie Jardine, Linda Wellmann
PhET Funding
NSF
Kavli Foundation
Hewlett Foundation
University of Colorado
Alfred Nobel
Our promise: PhET sims will always be free!
Physics Education Technology Website
What kind of access do you have to computers?
A. There are no computers at my school.
B. There is one computer at my school.
C. There are 2-5 computers at my school.
D. There are 5-10 computers at my school.
E. There are more than 10 computers at my school.
Do you have internet access?
A. Yes, at my school.
B. Yes, somewhere else.
C. Sometimes.
D. No.
• If you don’t have internet access, please take a CD.
• CDs contain everything you need to install PhET on
your computer:
–
–
–
–
PhET Installer
Java
Flash
Web Browser (Firefox)
• If you can get internet access sometimes, can also
download PhET installer from website.
• Installer on website updated every day.
• Update frequently if you can: We are constantly
making new sims and improving old ones.
• Searchable Activities Database online only. Some
activities on your CD, but not all.
CCK: Group Input
What learning goals does this sim support?
(Any that are hard to reach with traditional approaches?)
How could you use this sim or similar sims
in a course?
Use of PhET sims in class
Lecture/classroom
Visual Aid, Demo complement,
Interactive Lecture Demos, & Concept tests
Lab and Recitation
Group activity,
Exploration & discovery
Homework
Pre-class assignment –
introduce new ideas
Post instruction –
develop robust understanding
Lecture – Demo complement
Show
balloons
Electrostatics – Traditional balloon demos
- Charge transfer, Coulomb attraction, Polarization
Simple,
but effective
Lecture – Visual Aid
Show wave
on a string
Violin string and harmonics:
- Good visualization of a standing wave on a string
Follow-up Concept Test:
A
B
C
snapshots at
different times.
When the string is in position B, instantaneously flat, the
velocity of points of the string is...
Correct :
A: zero everywhere.
B: positive everywhere.
2002 demo: 27%
C: negative everywhere. D: depends on the position.
2003 sim: 71%
Follow up question: At position C, the velocity of points of
the string is...
Correct :
A: zero everywhere.
B: positive everywhere.
C: negative everywhere. D: depends on the position. 2002 demo: 23 %
2003 sim: 84%
+
0
time
-
Velocity
Demo 4:
Sketch position vs time and
velocity vs time graphs for
when Moving Man:
walks steadily towards the
tree for 6 seconds,
then stands still for 6
seconds, and
then towards the house twice
as fast as before for 6
seconds.
Position
Lecture – Interactive Lecture Demos
Thornton and Sokoloff, 1997
+
0
-
time
0
time
Position
+
A
0
time
15 s
20 s
+ C
time
+
0
Position
10 s
0
time
+
0
-
time
5s
10 s
15 s
20 s
+ D
0
time
-
time
Velocity
Velocity
Position
5s
0
+
B
-
+
Velocity
Velocity
Position
Moving Man walks steadily towards the tree for 6 seconds, then stands still for
6 seconds, and then towards the house twice as fast as before for 6 seconds
+
0
time
Lab/Recitation: Small group activity
Sims good because:
Designed to help students to construct own conceptual
understanding through exploration
But best when activities:
Guide students’ exploration to promote lines of inquiry that
develop understanding of important concepts
Number of well-suited sims:
– Moving Man
– Masses and Springs
– Ideal Gas
– Circuit Construction Kit
Homework
• Guide students work with the sim
• Homework questions:
– Discover, explain, reason about important concepts
– Explore cause-and-effect
– Connect to their own experiences
– True/false, multiple choice, numeric, essay
PhET Design
CCK
Masses and
Springs:
What makes these PhET sims particularly
effective educational tools?
(Activities should take advantage of these features!)
Design of PhET
What makes these effective educational tools?
• Engaging, open-style play area
• Highly interactive
• Dynamic feedback. Interaction links to animation.
• Explore and discover (construct understanding)
• Connection to real world
• Explicit visual & conceptual models (that experts use)
• Productive constraints
In folder: K.K. Perkins, et al, “PhET: Interactive Simulations for
Teaching and Learning Physics”, Physics Teacher (Jan 2006)
Design Process
Learning
Goals
Initial Design
Research Base
Learning
Goals
Initial Design
Initial Design &
General Approach
Research Base
Research base:
• Ed. Psych / Cog. Sci: How people learn
• Educational Software Design
• Student Conceptions in Physics
• PhET research findings
Design Process
Learning
Goals
Initial Design
~Final Design
Research Base
Classroom
Use
Interviews
Redesign
b
Interviews
Research Base
Interviews
Assessment
of Design:
Redesign
Interviews
• Usability – easy/intuitive
• Interpretation – correct/productive
• Engaged exploration
• Can students construct understanding of
main ideas? Achieve learning goals?
General
Design
Guidelines
Example- of what
revealed by interview
studies.
Radio waves.
Initial startup.
Experts- - really like.
Students--Watch without interacting. Don’t like.
Misinterpret.
Start with curve view, manually move electron.
Very different result.
Later move to full field view, manipulate, like, and understand.
Correctly interpret.
Why do you think starting this way works so much better?
briefly discuss with neighbors, then will collect ideas
Why starting this way works
so much better?
Matches research on learning.
•Cognitive demand. Novices don’t know what to focus on.
treat everything equally important. Much more than short-term
working memory can handle, overwhelming
• Construction of understanding.
Other important features:
Visual model-electrons in transmitting and receiving antennas,
display of waves
Interactivity
Research Base
Use of Sims:
Classroom
Use
 Well honed tool for learning
 Doesn’t guarantee its effectiveness:
Effectiveness also depends on how it is used!
Example paper on research on effectiveness (in folder):
Perkins et al., Physics Teacher
Research Base
Align Use of
Sims with
Classroom
Use
Research on
Learning:
Results of Research on How people learn?
 People learn by actively constructing their own
understanding.
 People learn by building on their own prior
knowledge and understanding.
 Experts build an organized structure of knowledge,
and monitor and reflect on their own understanding.
Exploration Time!
•
•
•
•
Find a partner and a computer
Browse entire PhET website
Match up topics/concepts you teach with sims
Think a bit about how you might use each:
–
–
–
–
–
pre-class assignment?
in lecture concept test or interactive lecture demo?
in-class activity?
homework?
other?
• Use pink handout to keep track of how you
could use sims in your classes.
• See blue handout for examples of how we
use them in our classes.
PhET Team Approach to Curriculum Design:
Guided Inquiry Approach
GUIDELINES (purple handout): Does the activity …
• Address all of your learning goals?
• Require active thinking, sense making / reasoning?
• Build on prior knowledge?
• Connect to real world?
• Help students monitor their understanding?
Designing activities
• Compare 2 activities for masses & springs.
gray handout
• Given general PhET sim design,
What general characteristics/approaches
would you use in making activity that
maximizes effective learning experience?
So what’s in a design?
What general characteristics/approaches
would you use in making activity that
maximizes effective learning experience?
So what’s in a design?
PhET Team Approach to Curriculum Design:
Guided Inquiry Approach
Does the activity …
• Address all of your learning goals?
• Require active thinking?
• Require sense making / reasoning?
• Build on prior knowledge?
• Connect to real world?
• Help students monitor their understanding?
Evaluating an activity?
Activity A
Masses and Springs:
Activity B
1. Which guidelines do you feel are applied in each
activity?
2. How do you think aligning the activity with the
guidelines will help students learn?
• Address all of your learning goals? • Build on prior knowledge?
• Connect to real world?
• Require active thinking?
• Require sense making / reasoning? • Help students monitor their
understanding?
Circuits Activity
•
•
•
•
Sample activity we use in our classes.
Work through with your partner.
Think about how it uses the guidelines.
Think about how you could use this in
your classes?
– Does it need adaptation?
Please stay in touch!
•
•
•
•
•
http://phet.colorado.edu
Search/post to database of activities!
Suggestions welcome.
To contact PhET: phethelp@colorado.edu
To contact me: mckagan@colorado.edu