Active Learning in the Sciences

(and in the humanities, too!)Time out for LunchDecember 5, 2008Gintaras K. Duda

Critical Questions • What are your beliefs about teaching and learning that

guide your instruction?

• How do YOU want your students to be different as a result of the experiences you design?

• What do we know about how STUDENTS learn?

• What are some strategies and resources to actively engage students in learning?

• What evidence would you accept that students are learning?

Tim Slater and Ed Prather, ASU

Physics Education Research

• Involves studying the learning of science in a scientific way

develop curricula

test materials

in the classroom

revise and adapt curricular

materials

Collect data in the classroom

pre/post tests conceptual surveys attitudinal surveys

Develop theoretical frameworks

What do we know about students?

Many (if not most) students:

• develop weak qualitative understanding of concepts– don’t use qualitative analysis in problem solving– can’t reason “physically”

• lack a “functional” understanding of concepts

David Meltzer

But some students learn efficiently …

• Highly successful students are “active learners”– they continuously probe their own understanding– Identify areas of confusion and confront them

• Majority of students can’t do this– Don’t know which questions to ask– Need help from instructors

David Meltzer

Novice vs. Expert(S.J. Pollock)

• Students and instructors see the same material in very different terms

Novice ExpertPieces ← structure → Coherence

Formulasplug & chug

← content → Concepts &Problem Solving

By Authority ← learning → Independent(experiment)

Concrete vs. Abstract

Students see these as two separate problems

Student Reactions

• Instructor: “So, what did you think about the test?”• Student: “It was impossible!”• Instructor: “What do you mean?”• Student: “All those normal force problems …”• Instructor: “Didn’t we do a lot of normal force

examples in class?”• Student: “Yeah, but on the test the normal force was

coming from the wall!”

A common misperception of teaching and student’s previous knowledge

What students already know influences how students learn!

CLOSE MEANS MORE It’s hotter in the summer because we are closer to the

SunINTERFERENCE I can’t see all of the Moon

because the Earth is in the way

HOT = CLOSE All bright stars must be very hotSOMETHING FOR

NOTHING?Current gets used up in an

electric circuit

INTRINSIC FORCES An inanimate “motive power” that keeps objects moving

VICTORY BELONGS TO THE STRONGER

Objects that are “bigger” exert larger forces than

“smaller” objects

Ed Prather and Tim Slater, AAS Workshop

Key Results from Research in Education and Cognition → PER

1) Knowledge is associative/linked to prior models and cognitive structures

2) Learning is productive/constructive – learning requires mental effort

3) The cognitive response is context dependent

4) Most people require some social interaction to learn deeply and effectively.

Ed Prather and Tim Slater, AAS Workshop

Active Learning

• I want to focus on one key result:

“Learning is productive/constructive and requires mental effort”

• But how we we get students active, engaged, and thinking in class?• Does it work?

The Evidence

• Richard Hake1 conducted a study of 62 courses with 6,542 students nation-wide– Looked at Force Concept Inventory Scores

• Split the sample into:– 14 Traditional Courses: N=2084– 48 Interactive Engagement Courses: N=4458

1Am. J. Phys. 66 (1), (1998) 64-74.

Interactive engagement

leads to measurably

higher normalized

gains on standard

assessment exams

Am. J. Phys. 66 (1), (1998) 64-74.

How do I incorporate “active learning”?

• Lectures are effective at conveying facts, but …– Passive!– Facts ≠ understanding!

• But given a classroom of > 35 students, how can a “lecture” be active?

• We’ll explore some ideas …

Even at Harvard …

• Eric Mazur found his students could to problems like this

• But not like this

Find the currents flowing in each branch of the circuit

What happens to the brightness of the three bulbs, A, B, and C, when the switch S is closed.

1. Peer Instruction

• The basic idea: Stop periodically in lecture and ask questions

• Questions are asked of the whole class and the ENTIRE class is forced to respond

• Students then interact with each other to try and figure the answer out– Help the students teach themselves!

The ConceptTest

1) Pose a question2) Students given time to think3) Students individual answers recorded4) Students convince their neighbors 5) Students record individual revised answers6) Instructor explains correct answer

ConcepTest

• Galileo was put under house arrest by the church due primarily to:

1.Defense of the heliocentric model2.Personal attacks on the pope and his overall

abrasive personality3.Politics of the 30 years war4.He was a secret Protestant

ConceptTest

One last test …

http://sciencegeekgirl.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/the-make-believe-world-of-real-world-physics-eric-mazur/

Peer Instruction Resources

• Peer Instruction by Eric Mazur is a great resource– Describes the motivation

and method– Physics targeted, but

applicable to any field

galileo.harvard.edu

2. Interactive Lecture Demos (ILDs)

• Studies have shown classroom demos have zero effect on student learning without mandatory student participation

• Thornton and Sokoloff1 developed the ILD procedure to incorporate active participation

1The Physics Teacher 35, (1997) 340-348.

ILD Procedure

1. Instructor describes demo2. Students record a formal prediction3. Instructor performs demo4. Students discuss results in groups and record

the outcome5. Instructor generalizes to related

phenomenon

Racing Balls• Two pool balls are

released with the same velocity.– Ball 1 follows a

straight track– Ball 2 follows a

track with a dip in in.

• Which ball arrives at the end first?

Physics IQ Test, University of Maryland

Racing Balls

• Make your prediction:

1.Ball 1 (straight track) arrives first

2.Ball 2 (curved track) arrives first

3.Both balls arrive at the same time.

Physics IQ Test, University of Maryland

Racing Balls

Physics IQ Test, University of Maryland

3. Just in Time Teaching (JITT)

• Philosophy: Don’t waste class time on what students can do themselves!

• Warmups posted on the web which are due before the start of class– Cover assigned readings in the text– Solicit what the students know and don’t know– Allows the instructor to focus on student

difficulties

Mechanics of JITT

• JITT uses web-resources to encourage active learning and participation

1.Warmups online2.Puzzles3.Good-fors4.Weekly news

Sample Physics Warmups

• A good, professional baseball pitcher throws a ball straight up in the air. Estimate how high the ball will go? ( A good throw can reach 90 mph.)

• Suppose the shuttle were launched from a launch pad on the Moon. What changes would we observe?

Sample Biology Warmup

What characteristic determines whetherorganisms belong to the same species? Why are, for instance, are Rottweilers, bulldogs, and poodles – phenotypically very different - considered to be members of the same species - dogs? Why are all humans, despite our numerous phenotypic differences, considered to be one species?

JITT Puzzles

• Challenging synthesis-type problems at the end of a section.

• Provide closure and a way to integrate material.

• Very effective in encouraging classroom discussion and participation

JITT Puzzle Example

Where (what x) should one sit in the movie theater to maximize the angle theta?

What’s the best seat in the house?

JITT Good-Fors

• A “Good-for” provides an example of what physics or biology or mathematics is good for.

• http://jittdl.physics.iupui.edu/jitt/Examples/speakerGF.html

JITT Resources

• Just-in-time Teaching by Novak, Patterson, Gavrin, and Christian is a great place to start

• Website at IUPUI is also a great resource:

http://jittdl.physics.iupui.edu/jitt/

JITT Resources Continued

• JITT Digital library– http://jittdl.physics.iupui.edu

• JITT in Economics– http://www.ncat.edu/~simkinss/jittecon/– Links to other discipline-specific resources

• JITT in psychology– http://psychweb.cisat.jmu.edu/jitt/pcqsite.htm

4. Problem Based Learning

• Typical end-of-chapter problems aren’t ideal for student learning– Students solve them by memorization, pattern-

match, or plug-and-chug techniques

• Good problems should require students to make assumptions and estimates, develop models, and work through the model.

Typical Physics ProblemsCart A, which is moving with a constant velocity of 3 m/s, has an inelastic collision with cart B, which is initially at rest as shown in Figure 8.3. After the collision, the carts move together up an inclined plane. Neglecting friction, determine the vertical height h of the carts before they reverse direction.

Problems with this approach

• Unreal objects that do not tie physics to the real world.

• Physics is clearly spelled out for the students hence robbing the group of an important decision.

• Assumptions are clearly spelled out again robbing the groups of a decision.

• A picture is included which denies the group a decision

• Variables are pre-defined for the students.

4. Problem Based Learning …

• In an extreme form, PBL does away with lectures entirely– Students learn by working out complex, real-life

problems– Students must collect outside information– Decide how and what physics/theory to use

Advantages of PBL

1. Flips the instructor/student roles and dynamic

2. Students take charge of their own learning3. Students get excited and take ownership of

their learning4. Students learn how to learn5. Students are actively engaged in learning

PBL ExampleBouncing Balls:

• If two balls, one on top of the other, are dropped to the ground, the smaller upper ball can bounce much higher than the lower larger ball in a quite dramatic way. A school teacher, wants to use this trick to wake up his high school class.

• Is this effect possible? If so what types/sizes of balls should be used? How high can the small ball bounce?

PBL Resources• PBL Clearinghouse

– https://chico.nss.udel.edu/Pbl/

• Project LEAP (Physics and Astronomy)– http://www.le.ac.uk/leap/

The Power of Problem-Based Learning by Dutch et al. is a great place to start

Context Rich ProblemsYou are helping your friend prepare for her next skate board exhibition. For her program, she plans to take a running start and then jump onto her heavy duty 15-lb stationary skateboard. She and the skateboard will glide in a straight line along a short, level section of track, then up a sloped concrete wall. She wants to reach a height of at least 10 feet above where she started before she turns to come back down the slope. She has measured her maximum running speed to safely jump on the skateboard at 7 feet/second. She knows you have taken physics, so she wants you to determine if she can carry out her program as planned. She tells you that she weighs 100 lbs.

http://groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/Research/CRP/crintro.html

5. Concept Maps

• A 2D hierarchical node-link diagram that depicts the structure of knowledge within a scientific discipline as viewed by a student.

• Why use them?1. Gain insight into how students view a topic.2. Determine valid understandings and

misconceptions3. Assess student’s big picture knowledge and

integration of material

Concept Map Example

Concept Map Theory

• Based on David P. Ausubel's Assimilation Theory of meaningful verbal learning (Ausubel, Novak, and Hanesian, 1978).

• Basic idea is that new learning takes place when new knowledge is linked to prior structures in a purposeful way

Concept Maps pros

1. Students focus on the big picture2. Students make connections between

concepts3. Low-tech and cheap!4. Helps students develop theoretical

framework5. Can help students learn to learn!

Concept Map Cons

1. Intensive training is required to create a concept map

2. Student maps will reflect their own individual ways of learning and seeing

3. Grading maps can be difficult

• http://www.flaguide.org

• Contains a list of assessment instruments and active learning strategies– Addresses pros and cons– Basically a users manual

The CAT book by Angelo and Cross is a wonderful resource

More applicable to the arts side on the surface

6. Other active Learning Techniques

1. Physics Tutorials2. Ranking Tasks and TIPERs3. Workshop/Studio Physics4. Blogs, Wikis, and Discussion Boards

Resource Letter in PER:http://www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg/rl.htm

E&M TIPERs Problem

E&M TIPERs Problem

Conclusion

• Most students require active engagement in the classroom to learn– Also need interaction with other students

• Many active learning techniques have been developed and tested– PER results can be applied to other fields

• Try something and see how it goes!

Thank you for coming!