Eleanor W. Close

Using The Algebra Project Method To Regiment Discourse In An Energy Course for Teachers

The Algebra Project, led by R. Moses, provides access to understanding of algebra for middle school students and their teachers by guiding them to participate actively and communally in the construction of regimented symbolic systems. We have extended this work by applying it to the professional development of science teachers (K‐12) in energy. As we apply the Algebra Project method, the focus of instruction shifts from the learning of specific concepts within the broad theme of energy to the gradual regimentation of the interplay between learners’ observation, thinking, graphic representation, and communication. This approach is suitable for teaching energy, which by its transcendence can seem to defy a linear instructional sequence. The learning of specific energy content thus becomes more learner‐directed and unpredictable, though at no apparent cost to its extent. Meanwhile, teachers seem empowered by this method to see beginners as legitimate participants in the scientific process.

Criteria for creating and categorizing forms of energy

Traditional instruction on energy often presents forms of energy as a seemingly arbitrary list to be memorized, with little discussion of the meaning or purpose of these forms. Learners often struggle to make sense of these forms, and neither physicists nor physics educators are explicit about the criteria used to create these lists. This article presents our understanding of the meaning and purpose of forms, based on (1) our understanding of how physicists have used forms and (2) our observations of how elementary teachers create new forms and categorize existing forms in order to understand real-world problems. We propose that explicitly articulating the criteria used to identify forms of energy can empower teachers and students and help them to understand both the concept of energy and the nature of science.

“Energy Theater”: Using The Body Symbolically To Understand Energy

In what we call “embodied learning activities,” instructors deliberately arrange for human bodies, or parts of the body, to stand in for entities in the description or explanation of a phenomenon. Embodied learning activities (ELAs) are intended to promote and externalize conceptual understanding in physics, for the benefit of the learner, the instructor, and the researcher. We describe an example of an embodied learning activity called “Energy Theater,” in which each participant identifies as a unit of energy that has one and only one form. Objects in the scenario correspond to regions on the floor, and as energy moves and changes form in the scenario, participants move to different locations on the floor. This representation models energy as a substance‐like quantity, a model that promotes concepts of conservation, storage, transfer, and flow. The activity becomes a richly featured disciplined symbolic workspace, supporting future studies for both description and analysis.

Development of proximal formative assessment skills in video-based teacher professional development

Developing skills for proximal formative assessment is a primary goal of the academic-year professional development course offered by the Energy Project at SPU. We have adapted a video club model (Sherin & Han, 2004) in which groups of teachers watch and discuss video of classroom interactions. In this paper, we use a framework developed by Sherin & Han to analyze teacher reasoning about student understanding in an episode of video from our course. Teachers in the video use evidence from student interactions to propose general models of student thinking about energy. Our analysis suggests that the video-based professional development supports teachers in developing their professional vision for teaching: practicing the selective attention to and reasoning about evidence of student understanding that is required for proximal formative assessment.

Understanding the learning assistant experience with physics identity

Learning Assistants (LAs) have been shown to have better conceptual understanding and more favorable beliefs about science than non-LAs, and are more likely to choose a career in K-12 science teaching [1]. We propose that connections between elements of identity, persistence, and participation in an LA program can be explained using the concept of the community of practice and its intimate relationship to identity [2]. In separate work, Hazari et al. found that physics identity was highly correlated to expressed career plans in physics [3]. We hypothesize that a thriving LA program has many features of a well-functioning community of practice and contributes to all four elements of physics identity: personal interest, student performance, competence, and recognition by others. We explore how this analysis of the LA experience might shape decisions and influence outcomes of adoption and adaptations of the LA model.

In-class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories and Attitudinal Assessments

This study investigates differences in student responses to in-class and online administrations of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). Close to 700 physics students from 12 sections of three different courses were instructed to complete the concept inventory relevant to their course, either the FCI or CSEM, and the CLASS. Each student was randomly assigned to take one of the surveys in class and the other survey online using the LA Supported Student Outcomes (LASSO) system hosted by the Learning Assistant Alliance (LAA). We examine how testing environments and instructor practices affect participation rates and identify best practices for future use.

Participation and performance on paper- and computer-based low-stakes assessments

BackgroundHigh-stakes assessments, such the Graduate Records Examination, have transitioned from paper to computer administration. Low-stakes research-based assessments (RBAs), such as the Force Concept Inventory, have only recently begun this transition to computer administration with online services. These online services can simplify administering, scoring, and interpreting assessments, thereby reducing barriers to instructors’ use of RBAs. By supporting instructors’ objective assessment of the efficacy of their courses, these services can stimulate instructors to transform their courses to improve student outcomes. We investigate the extent to which RBAs administered outside of class with the online Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform provide equivalent data to tests administered on paper in class, in terms of both student participation and performance. We use an experimental design to investigate the differences between these two assessment conditions with 1310 students in 25 sections of 3 college physics courses spanning 2 semesters.ResultsAnalysis conducted using hierarchical linear models indicates that student performance on low-stakes RBAs is equivalent for online (out-of-class) and paper-and-pencil (in-class) administrations. The models also show differences in participation rates across assessment conditions and student grades, but that instructors can achieve participation rates with online assessments equivalent to paper assessments by offering students credit for participating and by providing multiple reminders to complete the assessment.ConclusionsWe conclude that online out-of-class administration of RBAs can save class and instructor time while providing participation rates and performance results equivalent to in-class paper-and-pencil tests.

Participation rates of in-class vs. online administration of low-stakes research-based assessments

This study investigates differences in student participation rates between in-class and online administrations of research-based assessments. A sample of 1,310 students from 25 sections of 3 different introductory physics courses over two semesters were instructed to complete the CLASS attitudinal survey and the concept inventory relevant to their course, either the FCI or the CSEM. Each student was randomly assigned to take one of the surveys in class and the other survey online at home using the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform. Results indicate large variations in participation rates across both test conditions (online and in class). A hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) of the student data utilizing logistic regression indicates that student grades in the course and faculty assessment administration practices were both significant predictors of student participation. When the recommended online assessments administration practices were implemented, participation rates were similar across test conditions. Implications for student and course assessment methodologies will be discussed.

Comparison of normalized gain and Cohen’s d for Force Concept Inventory results in an introductory mechanics course

At Texas State University, we have been using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) to assess our introductory mechanics course since the Spring 2011 semester. This provides us with a large data set (N=1,626) on which to perform detailed statistical analysis of student learning. Recent research has found conflicting results in the relationships between normalized gain 〈g〉, Cohens d, and pretest mean, which might lead to different interpretations of student learning. Specifically, in one study 〈g〉 was found to positively correlate with both pretest mean and pretest standard deviation, whereas Cohens d did not; in another study, ANOVA showed no connection between 〈g〉 and pretest mean. We will present a comparison of 〈g〉 and Cohen’s d for our data set, and will specifically use these measures to look at performance gaps related to gender and race/ethnicity.

Learning Assistant Identity Development: Is One Semester Enough?

The physics department at Texas State University has completed five semesters with a Learning Assistant (LA) program and reform-based instructional changes in our introductory course sequences. We are interested in how participation in the LA program influences LAs’ identity both as physics students and as physics teachers; we have previously reported trends in increased community involvement and a shift in experienced LAs’ concepts of what it means to be competent. Our interview data now include first-semester LAs, and we see a significant difference in physics identity development between these LAs and those with more experience. LAs near the end of their first semester seem to be experiencing a state of unease with respect to teaching and learning. We explain this discomfort in terms of Piagetian disequilibrium: their conceptions of competence in teaching and learning have been challenged, and they have not yet constructed a new model.