Teresa L. Larkin

Learning styles in the classroom: approaches to enhance student motivation and learning

A growing body of research suggests that increased learning gains can be achieved with college students when instruction is designed with learning styles in mind. In addition, several practitioners within the domains of science and engineering education have noted the importance of embedding a learning style approach within a variety of teaching strategies. Furthermore, attention to learning styles and learner diversity has been shown to increase student motivation to learn. In this interactive workshop, the research base on teaching and learning styles was outlined. Emphasis was placed on specific applications of teaching and learning styles in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) education. Additional emphasis was placed on the critical role that a learning style approach can play in terms of SMET education. This workshop begins with an overview of several available learning style models and instruments. Information regarding how to choose the right assessment tool(s) for use with science, mathematics, engineering and technology students was shared. In addition, a description of some of the highlights of reported studies and programs involving learning styles in SMET education were given.

Give it a “TWIST!”: Turning writing into student thinking

A number of studies have shown that the active process of writing can promote deeper and more meaningful student learning. Writing can also serve as a motivator to learn, and lead to longer term retention of the material under study. However, for the instructor, adopting a writing approach in the classroom often means additional time spent grading. This paper offers a “twist” on more traditional classroom writing strategies. The “twist” comes in the form of free-writing activities. This paper will describe what free-writing activities are and how they can be effectively and efficiently used in the classroom - even in a large classroom. The free-writing activities to be described are used with introductory level physics students at American University. These short activities are designed to help students confront and elicit their conceptions regarding a given topic or concept in physics. Misconceptions in student thinking can be teased out using free-writing activities, before they can turn into a more serious problem and significantly hinder student learning. Strategies for implementing free-writing activities in the physics classroom will be described. In addition, samples of student writing will be shared. Finally, techniques for quickly and efficiently providing students with effective feedback will be shared. The usefulness of these techniques in terms of enhancement of student understanding will also be discussed.

A global approach to learning styles

This paper provides an international and interdisciplinary look at how research on learning styles can be utilized in science and engineering classrooms. An overview of learning style and learning style assessment is provided. Particular emphasis is placed on a description of the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model. The Dunn model is used at American University and at the University of Buenos Aires to improve the quality of teaching and learning in science and engineering classes. Specific examples of teaching strategies and techniques are provided that link to the assessment of individual learning styles. One strategy that has been particularly successful at both institutions is the use of writing as an assessment and learning tool. The writing strategies used at each institution is summarized and information regarding assessment of student learning and learning styles is shared. Finally, a discussion of how writing strategies, in general, can be used to accommodate a diversity of student learning styles is presented.

Field-based technology education: teaching teachers

This paper outlines the current status of technology integration in schools from the perspective of researchers and policy makers. The focus of the paper then turned to how teacher education programs in the U.S. have been preparing future teachers to use technology. In order to illustrate the complex issues that must be addressed when preparing teachers to use technology, this paper reports on and summarized the past seven years of an intensive field-based course given at American University in Washington, DC. This course has provided students with an opportunity to experience technology within a real-life school setting while providing local teachers with knowledge and practical skills on integrating technology into their classrooms.

What research says to the science and engineering educator

SMET educators have been inundated with pedagogical buzzwords such as constructivism, authentic assessment, active learning, etc. These terms are the outgrowth of various educational theories that suggest that learning can be enhanced if these approaches are adopted for use in the classroom. However, there often seems to be a divide between the theory and its practical application and implementation. How can SMET educators best begin to bridge this gap? To respond to this question, we provide a brief overview of educational research literature in science and engineering. We share some successful pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning that have been developed at our own institutions and that demonstrate how to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Successful practices include the use of case studies, active and cooperative learning, and writing/reflection activities. In addition, we highlight successful assessment practices as they relate to the enhancement of student learning.

Breaking with tradition: Using the conference paper as a case for alternative assessment in physics

This paper will provide an overview of an alternative model for assessment of student learning in introductory physics. A synopsis of how assessment methods can be designed to better capture what students are actually learning will be shared. This synopsis will include a general discussion of assessment, assessment methods, and the “language of assessment.” Following this synopsis one model of non-traditional assessment will be highlighted. The assessment model described makes use of student writing as a mechanism for assessment of learning. A second-level physics course entitled Physics for a New Millennium (PNM) at American University provides the setting for this work. Following a description of the course curriculum, the specific structure for the writing activity will be outlined as it relates to the learning outcomes for the course. Following the presentation of the course-specific learning outcomes, a description of the strategies used to uncover student learning will be shared. These strategies provide an opportunity for multiple assessment “snapshots” to be made throughout various phases of the learning process. These strategies can be used as an alternative, or as a supplement to more traditional pencil and paper examinations, quizzes, and homework assignments. Whether used as a stand-alone assessment tool or coupled with more traditional measures, alternative assessment strategies can provide an enhanced and more realistic way to capture what students are actually learning.

Authentic assessment using a research conference format

This paper will provide an overview of a student research conference activity in a second-level physics course entitled Physics for a New Millennium (PNM) at American University. Following a description of the course curriculum, the specific structure for the conference paper activity will be outlined and highlights of student work will be shared with a focus on the spring 2012 PNM class. One focus of this paper will be to address authentic assessment methods as they relate to uncovering what and how students are learning throughout all phases of the paper writing process. These methods can be used as an alternative, or as a supplement to more traditional pencil and paper examinations, quizzes, and homework assignments. Feedback from students relating to the paper writing experience will also be shared.

A gender analysis of student learning in physics

Assessment of student learning is an important vehicle for understanding the effectiveness of various pedagogical approaches. There are a number of assessment tools currently available within the domain of STEM education. Perhaps most notable are those that are a direct result of Physics Education Research (PER). One assessment tool that is widely used in PER is the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). This paper reports on a research study that involved the assessment of student learning of basic concepts in mechanics within an introductory physics course. Both qualitative and quantitative assessment strategies were employed. To qualitatively assess student learning, a variety of free-writing activities were used at a number of stages throughout the learning process. To quantitatively address the question of whether deeper student understanding was achieved, numerical results from the FCI will be presented. Data analysis will include a presentation of pre- and post-test FCI gains. Results of this study reveal that the FCI gains are significantly lower for the female students as compared to their male counterparts. Other studies in PER have noted similar results when a gender analysis of the data is considered. A discussion of the significance of these results will be presented and issues related to this apparent gender discrepancy as they relate to student learning in physics will be provided.

Probing a deeper understanding of modern physics concepts

A variety of assessment tools have become more prevalent in introductory physics courses as a way to enhance and assess conceptual learning. At the interface of modern physics and quantum mechanics, these tools are not presently as widely used. The Modern Physics course at American University presents an ideal opportunity for conceptual assessment given its somewhat atypical student composition. In this study both qualitative and quantitative measures of student understanding of a key concept in modern physics, the photoelectric effect are utilized. As a quantitative overall baseline for gain, the Quantum Physics Conceptual Survey (QPCS) was implemented [1]. A set of questions on the photoelectric effect that required both a quantitative and qualitative understanding of the photoelectric effect were then given on both the midterm and final exams. The results of the QPCS, and a subset of QPCS questions solely on the photoelectric effect, are statistically compared to the more focused approach for assessing the photoelectric effect. Additionally, correlations between subsets of the student population and their gains on the various assessments were investigated. The results from these assessment methods will be discussed in the larger context of how assessment measures can be maximized to enhance student understanding in a modern physics course. In particular this study shows how there may be a correlation between a students background preparation, and their gain on different types of assessments.

Work in progress - peer review from a student perspective

Writing can be a unique way for students to learn topics in physics and engineering. A unique writing activity for students in a second-level physics course at American University and a freshman engineering course at the University of Pittsburgh involves having students prepare a formal research paper for presentation at a student conference. The activity began with submission of an abstract followed by the preparation of a draft paper which went through a formal peer review process. Following the peer review, students prepared a final paper which was then presented at a formal conference held at the end of the semester. In this paper we look at the peer review process and its value as a learning tool in physics and engineering. The current paper will focus specifically on studentspsila perception of the peer review process. To this end, a discussion of survey data collected from both past and present students will be shared.