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Susanne Hambrusch (CS)and colleagues in CS and Physics
http://secant.cs.purdue.edu/hhs
1
RET experience in“Science Education in
Computational Thinking”
What we built on …
2
1. Design of a CS course for science majorsTeach computational thinking and problem solving
2. The Physics Department offers a course based on the Matter&Interaction CurriculumUses Python in the lab for simulation and understanding physical principles
RET Teachers
3
Craig SmileyTeaches three levels of physics (I, II, AP)Programming experience: intro
programming course and Python in the M&I physics course
David WrightTeaches various science coursesCoach of the high school’s Robotics teamGood understanding of computation
What the HS teachers wanted
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Use computationto better understand physicsto blend calculus and physics
Write programs to model, simulate, analyze and visualize physical systems
Willing to allocate 3+ weeks (15+ classes) to learning basic Python and VPythonAP course (students had Physics I)
What we were hoping for
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Interest high school students in computation and computer science
Teach computational thinking through abstractiontranslating physical properties into computational processes
problem solvingUse visualization and allow for
creativity
Software
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Use Python 2.5 or 2.6 and VPython 3.2Science Lab did not have Python installedCS Lab had Python, but not VPython installedSoftware installation is a nightmare
Use Portable Python installed on a memory stick
http://www.portablepython.com/Worked well; students liked having their own
stickRET supplement pad for them
Preparation during the summer (1)
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Teachers suggested topicsVectors, collision, projectile motion,
gravitational forceWorked out programming concepts and
toolsBasic Python, visualization with
VPython, graphing, numerical issues Problem driven approachAre for-loops needed? How much to
cover on lists? What can be understood by seeing/using an example?
Preparation during the summer (2)
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Prepared a sequence of simple programs related to the physics tasksTeachers would write some and work
with CS students to generate better code
CS students (re)-implemented all of itPrepared labs for students to work
throughAdded “exploration” problems
students could choose from
Feedback from students (1)
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AP CourseResponses of 18 students to a survey after
Python module; 25% females2 students had prior programming
experience:Scale from 1 to 5 (strongly disagree to
strongly agree)Comfortable using computers: 4Enjoyed writing programs: 4Comfortable writing more programs: 3Consider taking a programming class:
3.95
Feedback from students (2)
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What students likedCreating and moving VPython objectsBouncing balls off the wall, moving blocks
on a trackAnything visual
What students found hard varied considerably
What a few students did not likeDid not see what programming had to do
with physicsDoes not prepare me for the AP exam
Challenges
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Keeping in touch with the teachers during the school yearPlanned all-year effort was scaled back to first semester
Understanding what teachers feel comfortable with
Understanding where students struggle How to incorporate computation into tests Current budget situation in school system
results in uncertainty for next year
What we learned
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Have undergraduates helping out in schoolHas benefits beyond understanding the material
Have almost all material prepared in the summerHS teachers have few free cycles
Meet with teachers informally during the yearThey may not quite know how to interact with you (they live in a much more formal world)