Education for the 21 Century

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Education for the 21 Century
A scientific approach to teaching science
Carl Wieman
Colorado physics chem education research group
W. Adams, K. Perkins, K. Gray, L. Koch, J.
Barbera, S. McKagan, N. Finkelstein, S. Pollock,
R. Lemaster, S. Reid, C. Malley, M. Dubson...
NSF, Kavli, Hewlett)
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Science Education in the 21 Century
I) Purpose of science education. II) What does
research tell us about learning science. III)
What does research say about how to teach science
more effectively. IV) Some technology that
can help.
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Purpose of science education historically--
training next generation of scientists (lt 1)

• Scientifically-literate populace--wise decisions
• Workforce in modern economy.

Need science education effective and relevant for
large fraction of population! Unprecedented
educational challenge!
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Effective education
Transform how think--
Think about and use science like a
scientist.
Possible for most students??
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Hypothesis-- Yes, if approach teaching of science
like a science--

• Practices based on good data
• Utilize research on how people learn
• Disseminate results in scholarly manner,
• copy what works
• Utilize modern technology

? improve effectiveness and efficiency
Supporting the hypothesis.....
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II) What does research tell us about learning
science.
How to teach science (I used) 1. Think very
hard about subject, get it figured out very
clearly. 2. Explain it to students, so they will
understand with same clarity.
grad students
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17 yrs of success in classes. Come into lab
clueless about physics?
2-4 years later ? expert physicists!
??????

• Research on how people learn, particularly
  science.
• above actually makes sense.
• ? ideas for improving teaching.

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Data on effectiveness of traditional science
teaching. -lectures, textbook homework problems,
exams 1. Retention of information from
lecture. 2. Conceptual understanding. 3.
Beliefs about science and problem solving.
Mostly intro college physics (best data), but
other subjects and levels consistent.
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Data 1. Retention of information from lecture
I. Redish- students interviewed as came out of
lecture. "What was the lecture about?"
only vaguest generalities
II. Rebello and Zollman- 18 students answer
six questions. Then told to get answers to the 6
questions from 14 minute lecture. (Commercial
video, highly polished)
Most questions, less than one student able to
get answer from lecture.
III. Wieman and Perkins - test 15 minutes after
told nonobvious fact in lecture. 10 remember
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Does this make sense? Can it possibly be generic?
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Cognitive science says yes.
a. Cognitive load-- best established, most
ignored.
Maximum 7 items short term memory, process 4
ideas at once.
MUCH less than in typical science lecture
Mr Anderson, May I be excused? My brain is full.
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Data 2. Conceptual understanding in traditional
course.

• Force Concept Inventory- basic concepts of force
  and motion 1st semester physics

Ask at start and end of semester-- 100s of
courses
On average learn lt30 of concepts did not already
know. Lecturer quality, class size,
institution,...doesn't matter!
R. Hake, A six-thousand-student survey AJP
66, 64-74 (98).
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Data 3. Beliefs about physics and problem
solving
Expert
Novice
Content isolated pieces of information to be
memorized. Handed down by an authority.
Unrelated to world. Problem solving pattern
matching to memorized recipes.
Content coherent structure of
concepts. Describes nature, established by
experiment. Prob. Solving Systematic
concept-based strategies. Widely applicable.
nearly all intro physics courses ? more novice
ref. Redish et al, CU work--Adams, Perkins,
MD, NF, SP, CW
adapted from D. Hammer
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Instruction built around concepts delivered by
experts, but.. not learning concepts? learning
novice beliefs? Cognitive science explains.
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Expert competence

• Expert competence
• factual knowledge
• Organizational structure? effective retrieval and
  use of facts

• Ability to monitor own thinking
• ("Do I understand this? How can I check?")

• New ways of thinking--require extended focused
  mental effort to construct.
• Built on prior thinking.
• (long-term memory development)

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• Cognitive science matches classroom results
• Most students passing courses by learning
  memorization of facts and problem solving
  recipes.
• Not thinking like experts.
• Not learning concepts.
• (how experts organize and use scientific
  knowledge)
• Not learning expert-like beliefs problem
  solving.

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17 yrs of success in classes. Come into lab
clueless about physics?
2-4 years later ? expert physicists!
??????
Makes sense! Traditional science course poor at
developing expert-like thinking. Principle ?
people learn by creating own understanding.
Effective teaching facilitate creation, by
engaging, then monitoring guiding
thinking. Exactly what is happening continually
in research lab!
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III. Using research to teach science more
effectively in classes.
Results when develop/copy research-based pedagogy
looking a lot like science!
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Research guided pedagogy-- a few examples

1. Reducing cognitive load improves learning.
(slow down, organization, figures, reduce
jargon,...)
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2. Importance of student beliefs about science
and science problem solving

• Beliefs ?? content learning
• Beliefs ?? choice of major/retention
• Teaching practices ? students beliefs
• typical significant decline (phys and chem)

Avoid decline if explicitly address beliefs.
( ? increased motivation)
Why is this worth learning? How does it connect
to real world? Why does this make sense? How
connects to things student already knows?
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Effective teaching facilitate creation of
understanding by engaging, then monitoring
guiding thinking.

• 3. Actively engage students and guide their
  learning.
• Know where students are starting from.
• Get actively processing ideas, then probe and
  guide thinking.
• Extended effortful study (homework) focusing
  on developing expert-thinking and skills.
• (Develop long term memory)

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Mentally engaging, monitoring, guiding
thinking. 5-200 students at a time?!
Technology can make possible. (when used
properly) examples a. student personal
response systems (clickers) b.
interactive simulations
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a. Clickers--facilitate active thinking,
probing student thinking, and useful guidance.
When switch is closed, bulb 2 will a. stay same
brightness, b. get brighter c. get dimmer, d.
go out.
"Jane Doe picked B"
individual
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clickers-
Used properly transforms classroom. Dramatically
improved engagement, discourse, number (x4) and
distribution of questions.
Not automatically helpful-- Only provides
accountability peer anonymity fast feedback
Used/perceived as expensive attendance and
testing device? little benefit, student
resentment.
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clickers-
Highly effective when use guided by how people
learn-- improve engagement, communication, and
feedback.
Class designed around questions and
follow-up-- Students actively engaged in figuring
out. Student-student discussion (consensus
groups) enhanced student-instructor
communication ? rapid targeted effective
feedback.
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b. Interactive simulations
phet.colorado.edu
Physics Education Technology Project (PhET) gt50
simulations Wide range of physics ( chem)
topics. Run in regular web-browser.
laser
balloon and sweater
supported by Hewlett Found., NSF, Univ. of
Col., and A. Nobel
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examples balloon and sweater moving man circuit
construction kit
Simulation testing ? educational microcosm.

• Students think/perceive differently from experts
• (not just uninformed)
• Student creates/discovers understanding,
• with immediate targeted feedback and
  encouragement
• Build into simulation design, test with students
  to ensure

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Summary Need new, more effective approach to
science ed. Solution Approach teaching as we do
science

• Practices based on good data
• Utilize research on how people learn
• Disseminate results copy what works
• Utilize modern technology

and teaching is more fun!
Good Refs. NAS Press How people learn , "How
students learn" Mayer, Learning and Instruction
(ed. psych. applied) Redish, Teaching Physics
(Phys. Ed. Res.) Wieman and Perkins, Physics
Today (Nov. 2005) CLASS belief survey
CLASS.colorado.edu phet simulations
phet.colorado.edu
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Data 2. Conceptual understanding in traditional
course (cont.)
electricity Eric Mazur
70 can calculate currents and voltages in this
circuit.
40 correctly predict change in brightness of
bulbs when switch closed! How can this
be? Solving test problems, but not thinking like
expert!
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V. Issues in structural change (my assertions)
Necessary requirement--become part of culture in
major research university science departments
set the science education norms ? produce the
college teachers, who teach the k-12 teachers.

• Challenges in changing science department
  cultures--
• no coupling between support/incentives
• and student learning.
• very few authentic assessments of student
  learning
• investment required for development of assessment
  tools, pedagogically effective materials,
  supporting technology, training
• no (not considered important)