Bridging the Concerns of Yesterday and the Challenges of Tomorrow by Using Multimedia KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR SMILE 2001, June 12, 2001 UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL

Bridging the Concerns of Yesterday and the

Challenges of Tomorrow by Using Multimedia

KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR SMILE 2001, June 12, 2001SMILE 2001, June 12, 2001

UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONALUNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001QUOTEQUOTESS

“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think” - Socrates.

“I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn’ - Einstein.

“Education consists mainly in what we have unlearned” - Mark Twain.

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001

Recall the difficulties you encountered:

Kindergarten - learn and play.

Primary School - formal passive learning.

Secondary School - passive learning, lots of formulas and memorization.

College -more formulas and memorization.

Postgraduate - highly mathematical .

Down Memory Down Memory LaneLane


Paul G. Hewitt, Conceptual Physics

“…. Physics is about the rules of nature - so beautifully elegant that it can be neatly described mathematically. That’s why many physics courses are treated as applied math…..”


Paul G. Hewitt, Conceptual Physics

“…. But introductory physics that emphasizes computation misses something essential - comprehensioncomprehension - a gut feeling for the concepts…..”


Most Students taking physics or otherwise; Hewitt, Rigden, Hobart


French, 1988

“..Memorization is not only useless but counterproductive..” Whitaker, 1985

“..Introductory physics courses have been structured to cover so much content to be covered in a very short period..”


Physics students at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania

“…. Taking (conventional) physics…. is like trying to drink from a fire hose. There are far too many topics presented… too many abstract theories which relates to reality… insufficient concrete experiences with everyday phenomena to comprehend the math representation of them……”


Behaviorist View with the following characteristics:

Break up a complex process into component parts.

Teach students each component.

Teach students how to tie together the components until desired behavior is achieved.

Behavior displaying competence indicates process is learned.

Views on Views on LearningLearning

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001Not considered by the behaviorist view:

Cognitive mechanism to learn a complex process.

An interest on whether the process learned makes sense

Implications:

New knowledge cannot be learned in a meaningful sense due to conflicts with existing knowledge. Hence, students will resort to memorization.


Is this approach considered as training or Is this approach considered as training or educating?educating?


Constructivist view:Constructivist view:

Students actively construct the knowledge they possess.

Construction of knowledge is a life long process.

Effortful process requiring significant mental engagement.

Existing knowledge affects ability to learn new knowledge.



Constructivist Principle:Constructivist Principle:

Students “construct” their ideas and observations - pulling together what they see and hear into a “mental model” (MM).


SMILE 2001SMILE 2001Constructivist Constructivist Principle:Principle:

Students “construct” their ideas and observations - pulling together what they see and hear into a “mental model”.


A picture of an animal: “Some (mental) assembly required”.

Can you recall how it looks like before the image “construction”?


Constructivist Principle:Constructivist Principle:

Students “construct” their ideas and observations - pulling together what they see and hear into a “mental model”.

Features of MMFeatures of MM:

Propositions, images, rules of procedures and statements as to the context in which it is being used.


Students will accept ideas within a classroom boundary but will not view its implications to the real world events or their personal experience.

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001Views on Views on LearningLearningContext Principle:

It is reasonably easy to learn something that matches or extends an existing mental model..

It’s hard to learn something we don’t almost already know. What’s this?

How sure are you?Taken from a greeting card by artist Jay Palefsky. Kutzkies Artworks, Garrison NY, 1995.

Everything we learn is Everything we learn is learned within a learned within a “context”.“context”.

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001Views on Views on LearningLearningContext PrincipleContext Principle: Interpretation of

information in a physics class includes not just the classroom & labs but also the context of all previous learning experience. Most important context is state of mind when information is presented. When the

card is opened up.Taken from a greeting card by artist Jay Palefsky. Kutzkies Artworks, Garrison NY, 1995.


Change Principle:

It is very difficult to change an established mental model substantially.


Drawing of an old woman. Or is it a young one? From Harvard-Radcliffe Cognitive Science Society, Caly Budin, Pres.

Reading & listening to lectures, for most students, are ineffective ways to change their mental models. or removing misinterpretation..


Change Principle:Change Principle:

It is very difficult to change an established mental model substantially.

Removing misinterpretation?

An effective way? Cognitive conflict.

Provide environment to elicit and confront existing mental models.



“Distribution Function” Principle:

Since students construct their own mental structures based on their own experiences, different students have different learning styles and responses.



“Distribution Function” Principle:

Hence,

No unique way to address the question : “What is the best way to teach a subject?”

Our individual experiences (transmittalist instruction) may have little relevance to how to best teach our students.



Acknowledge that students “have” materials and they “make sense” of it before coming to our physics class.

Help students confront their incorrect beliefs to induce significant learning.

Ways to help students comprehend concepts that they cannot naturally build.

Ways to actively engage students who learn differently than us, the so-called experts.

Concerns on Learning: Concerns on Learning: Missing LinksMissing Links

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001Lack of research to observe indigeneous students & interpret their behavior in a classroom setting.

Lack of reliable instruments to probe beliefs.

Not willing to use results from physics education research.

Not willing to sacrifice on the “syllabus” or breadth of study.

Limited avenues to source funding and arena (peer-reviewed journals) for educators to meet and exchange ideas.

Concerns on Concerns on LearningLearning


ConfuciousConfucious

I hear and I forget

QuotesQuotes

I see and I rememberI do and I understand


Verbal Reasoning:Verbal Reasoning:

Physical meaning of 5 multiply by 2 and 2 multiply by 5.

Dividing 100 to 5 (ratio of the numbers).

Ratio of 100 grams to 10 cubic centimeter.

Ratio of 10 cubic centimeter to 100 grams.

Concerns on Learning - Concerns on Learning - RealitiesRealities

SMILE 2001SMILE 2001Concerns on Learning - Concerns on Learning - RealitiesRealitiesVerbal Reasoning:Verbal Reasoning:

Ratio of RM20.00 to 5 kilogram of vegetable.

Ratio of 5 kg of vegetable to RM20.00 purchase cost.

Meaning of area & volume.

Changes in area or volume due to increase of the linear dimensions..


Research on Malaysian students:Research on Malaysian students:

Probing beliefs of students about force and motion.

Identifying change in beliefs after instruction.

Use the Force Concept Inventorythe Force Concept Inventory to probe conceptual beliefs.

Use the Mechanics Baseline Testthe Mechanics Baseline Test to probe quantitative ability.

Concerns on Learning Concerns on Learning - Instructional Failure- Instructional Failure


Instrument: FCI & MBTInstrument: FCI & MBT FCI (30 items multiple-choice)

– designed to be meaningful to students without formal training in mechanics

– probes beliefs over a wide range of Newtonian concepts on force & motion

MBT (26 items multiple-choice)– designed to emphasize concepts that

cannot be grasped without formal knowledge of mechanics


Desc. Statistics (UiTM) - GenderDesc. Statistics (UiTM) - Gender

Gender Frequency Percent

Male 117 65.7

Female 61 34.3

Total 178 100


Results & DiscussionResults & Discussion

Focus on the gains

Average Gain , G

G = %Posttest, Sf - %Pretest, Si

Standardized Average gain <g>

<g> = G / Max G

where max G = 100 - %Si


Gender FCIpre

FCIpost

MBTpre

MBTpost

MaleN = 117

19.3(7.9)

23.4(11.2)

21.5(7.9)

27.2(10.4)

FemaleN = 61

19.1(8.1)

19.7(6.8)

22.3(7.8)

22.1(8.4)

TotalN = 178

19.2(8.0)

22.1(10.1)

21.8(7.9)

25.(10.0)

FCI & MBT - GenderFCI & MBT - Gender


FCI - ComparedFCI - Compared Hake’sScore UiTM UKM Trad

(14)IE

(48)Pre 20 23 23 23Post 22 29 na na

N 178 (Pre)323 (Post)

96 2084 4458

this work Collaboration with Prof. Khalijah Salleh, Jabatan Fizik,

UKM, unpublished Hake, R.R., “ A six-thousand -student survey of

mechanics test data for introductory physics courses”, AJP, 66, 64-74 (1998)


FCI - ComparedFCI - Compared

this work Collaboration with Prof. Khalijah Salleh, Jabatan Fizik,

UKM, unpublished Hake, R.R., “ A six-thousand -student survey of

mechanics test data for introductory physics courses”, AJP, 66, 64-74 (1998)

Hake’sScore UiTM UKM Trad (14) IE (48)

Gain 2 6 na na<g> 0.025 0.08 0.23 0.48SD na na 0.04 0.14

SMILE 2001 % of wrong SMILE 2001 % of wrong answersanswers

Comparing the FCI scores (Q1 - 10) for the Pre & Post test wrong choices for UKM students

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Pretes FCI Posttest FCI

Comparing the FCI scores (Q1 - 10) for the Pre & Post test wrong choices for UiTM students

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Comparing the FCI scores (Q20 - 30 ) for the Pre & Post test wrong choices for UKM students

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Pretes FCI Posttest FCI


Comparing the FCI scores (Q20 - 30 ) for the Pre & Post test wrong choices for UiTM students

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Pretest FCI Posttest FCI Postonly


Instrument: FCI - Q1Instrument: FCI - Q1

1. Dua biji bola A dan B mempunyai saiz yang sama tetapi bola A beratnya dua kali ganda berat B. Bola-bola tersebut dijatuhkan serentak daripada bumbung sebuah bangunan dua tingkat. Masa yang diambil untuk bola-bola tersebut sampai ke tanah ialah:


Instrument: FCI - Q1Instrument: FCI - Q1(A) bola A mengambil masa separuh sahaja masa

yang diambil oleh bola B.

(B) bola B mengambil masa separuh sahaja masa yang diambil oleh bola A.

(C) lebih kurang sama.

(D) bola A lebih cepat sampai tetapi tak semestinya separuh masa yang diambil oleh bola B.

(E) bola B lebih cepat sampai tetapi tak semestinya separuh masa yang diambil oleh bola A.


SMILE 2001 SMILE 2001 Samples FCI (UKM) Samples FCI (UKM) - Q1- Q1

Comparing Pre & Posttest FCI change in scores for question 1 UKM students. Answer is C.

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Pre A Post A Pre B Post B Pre C Post C Pre D Post D Pre E Post E

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Pre B

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Pre C

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Pre D

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Pre E

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SMILE 2001 SMILE 2001 Samples FCI Samples FCI (UiTM) - Q1(UiTM) - Q1

Comparing Pre & Posttest FCI change in scores for question 1 UiTM students. Answer is C.

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Answer Options for Pre & Post Test

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Pre A

Post APre B

Post B

Pre CPost C

Pre D

Post D

Pre EPost E

Documents

Bridging the Concerns of Yesterday and the Challenges of Tomorrow by Using Multimedia KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR SMILE 2001, June 12, 2001 UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL