Clicker Questions for NEXUS/Physics

Negotiating the Epistemological Frame: I

A note on usage:The clicker slides in this booklet are meant to be used as stimuli to encourage class discussion. They are intended for use in a class that attempts to help students develop a coherent and sophisticated understanding of scientific thinking.They are NOT intended as items to test whether students are “right or wrong” or “know” the correct answer by one-step recall if enough cues are given. This has a number of instructional implications that are reviewed in general on the next four slides. The individual slides also contain annotations discussing their intended use.

Usage: 1• Feedback

One of the most important values of a clicker-response system is to provide instructors with some understanding of what students are thinking. Good clicker questions can be highly revealing (and surprising). But the critical fact is not that the students make mistakes but to use those mistakes to probe their thinking and find out why.This raises the importance of a rich subsequent discussion well above “letting the students know what the right answer is.”

Usage 2:• Student-student interactions

The critical value for student learning occurs in what happens after a clicker question has obtained a mixed response from the students. The standard next cue is, “Find someone who disagreed with the answer you chose and see if you can convince them.”After a minute or two of discussion, a second click may show students having moved dramatically towards the correct answer. A brief call for who changed their answer and why can lead to a useful exchange. When they have not moved significantly, more discussion is called for.

Usage: 3• Incompletely specified questions

Some items have questions that are simple if idealized assumptions are made, subtler if they are not. Part of the discussion of these items are intended to include issues of modeling, idealizations, and hidden assumptions.

• Questions where answers are not provided.In these items, the intent is to have students come up with potential answers and have the instructor collect them and write them on the board.

Occasionally, especially at the beginning of a class, it may take some time before students are willing to contribute answers. It can help if you have some prepared answers ready, walk around the class, and put up the answers as if they came from the students. This can help students get more comfortable with contributing.

Usage: 4• Cluster questions

Some questions are meant to be used as part of a group of questions. In this case, resolving the answers to individual questions is better left until the entire group is completed. The value of the questions are often in the comparison of the different items and in having students think about what changes lead to what differences and why.

• Problem solving itemsIn these items (indicated by a pencil cluster logo), the intent is to have students work together to solve some small problem. After a few minutes, ask the groups to share their answers, vote on the different answers obtained, and have a discussion.

Memorize these numbers

3 5 2 9 7 4 3 1 0 4 8 5

3 5 2 9 7 4 3 1 0 4 8 5

1 4 9 2 1 7 7 6 2 0 x x

1 4 9 2 1 7 7 6 2 0 x x

Thread Thimble

Pin Haystack

Eye Knitting

Sewing Cloth

Sharp Injection

Point Syringe

Bed Rest

Awake Tired

Dream Snooze

Blanket Doze

Slumber Snore

Nap Yawn

Experiment 1: How good is your memory?

Roediger & McDermott J. Exp. Psych: Learning, Memory, & Cognition. 21 (1995) 803-814.

How many words did you remember?

1. 02. 1-53. 5-8 4. 9-125. 13-166. 17-207. 21-24

Did you remember that the words “needle” and “sleep” were on the list?

1. I didn’t remember either of those.2. I remembered “needle” but not “sleep”.3. I remembered “sleep” but not “needle”.4. I remembered both of them.

Thread Thimble

Pin Haystack

Eye Knitting

Sewing Cloth

Sharp Injection

Point Syringe

Bed Rest

Awake Tired

Dream Snooze

Blanket Doze

Slumber Snore

Nap Yawn

Experiment 2: Count the passes

Simons & Chabris (1999) Perception. 28:9, 1059-1074.

How many passes did you see?

A. 14 or fewerB. 15C. 16D. 17 or more

How many gorillas did you see?

A. None! (You’re kidding, right?)

B. OneC. More than one

Was the color of the drapes the same at the beginning of the video and the end?

A. YesB. No

15

8/29

/12

Experiment 3: Which line is longer on the paper you have been given?(Ignore the arrowheads)

A. Line (a) B. Line (b) C. they are the same length

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

• Although as a professional scientist or health care professional, I expect to have to understand the science I have learned deeply, for this class, I only expect to have to learn facts.

• 1. Strongly disagree• 2. Disagree• 3. Neutral or don’t know• 4. Agree• 5. Strongly agree

Reading Scientific Text:Which of the following are valuable ways for reading complex scientific text (a research paper, an advanced textbook,...)1. Read it quickly (scan) to get

a sense of it.2. Read it multiple times3. Highlight important ideas of

results.4. Read it carefully (line-by-

line) making sense of difficult ideas.

5. Try to identify specific elements you don’t understand.

6. Try to see how the text might relate to other things you know.

7. Try to see what might be “the next step”.

A. One or more from {1,2,3}

B. One or more from {4,5}

C. One or more from {6,7}

D. A and BE. A and CF. B and CG. A, B, and C.

Reading Scientific Text:Which of the following are ways you actually usefor reading complex scientific text (a research paper, an advanced textbook,...)1. Read it quickly (scan) to get

a sense of it.2. Read it multiple times3. Highlight important ideas of

results.4. Read it carefully (line-by-

line) making sense of difficult ideas.

5. Try to identify specific elements you don’t understand.

6. Try to see how the text might relate to other things you know.

7. Try to see what might be “the next step”.

A. One or more from {1,2,3}

B. One or more from {4,5}

C. One or more from {6,7}

D. A and BE. A and CF. B and CG. A, B, and C.H. I don’t read them.

Mathematical equations:What are they good for in your science?

1. For carrying out calculations.

2. For solving for unknowns.

3. For understanding concepts

4. For understanding qualitative relationships

5. For making models of real world systems

6. For thinking about real world systems

A. One or more from {1,2}

B. One or more from {3,4}

C. One or more from {5,6}

D. A and BE. A and CF. B and CG. A, B, and C.H. Not much

Mathematical equations:What do you feel you can you use them for now?

1. For carrying out calculations.

2. For solving for unknowns.

3. For understanding concepts

4. For understanding qualitative relationships

5. For making models of real world systems

6. For thinking about real world systems

A. One or more from {1,2}

B. One or more from {3,4}

C. One or more from {5,6}

D. A and BE. A and CF. B and CG. A, B, and C.H. Not much