Development of PCK for novice and experienced university physics instructors: a case study

The current study assessed and compared university students' perceptions' of a novice and an experienced physics instructor's Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Two college physics instructors and 116 students voluntarily participated in this study. The research model comprised three workshops, mid-term and final evaluations and instructor interviews. The results showed that each instructor's PCK performance in four categories was slightly improved, though the difference was not statistically significant and only the category of Instructional Representation and Strategies (IRS) was found to be statistically different by students' evaluations of their instructor's PCK. The experienced instructor emphasized life examples and experiments, whereas, the novice instructor emphasized explanations and quizzes. Furthermore, the PCK questionnaire provided university instructors with adequate information so the instructors could receive students' feedback as available sources to reflect on their teaching to improve their quality of teaching. Research implications of this study are provided along with suggestions for future research.     

如何在物理探究教学中培养学生的问题意识

问题意识既是探究教学所必需的，同时又可以在探究教学中进行培养，本文从心理认知规律和教学过程规律两个方面，探讨在物理探究教学中培养学生问题意识的一些方法．     

Predicting student ratings: the relationship between actual student ratings and instructors’ predictions

This study examined the relationship between student ratings and instructors’ predictions of these ratings, taking into account other instructor, student, and course characteristics. Participants in the study were 198 instructors in the School of Education at a major teacher training college in Israel. Data corresponding to one randomly selected course per instructor were collected using student and instructor questionnaires and college records. Results indicate a systematic positive relationship between instructors’ predictions and actual student ratings with respect to overall ratings and the ratings of three dimensions of teaching. Results also demonstrate a systematic trend whereby low‐rated instructors tend to overestimate their student ratings, high‐rated instructors underestimated ratings, and moderately rated instructors gave accurate predictions. Results have implications for using predictions to motivate teaching improvement.     

大学物理教学过程中几个问题的思考

在大学物理课教学过程中,“物理思维”、“思想政治工作”对大学生学习大学物理课的兴趣起着不可磨灭的贡献,通过四种途径可以提高大学物理课程的教学质量,从而提高学生自身素质。这四种途径分别是：（1）激发学生学习物理学的兴趣;（2）提高教师队伍的专业素质;（3）根据物理课的特点及学生特点因材施教：（4）发挥思想工作的重要作用。     

Dialogue in a distance education physics course

This study investigated the kinds of dialogues utilized by Open University students while studying an intermediate level physics course. Research objectives were twofold: to document what dialogue types, mediated through which resources, were (1) generally utilized by students as they learned; and (2) were specifically utilized by students to overcome conceptual difficulties. It was found that all students initially chose individual study characterized by intrapersonal dialogue. Only when individual study failed did students opt for interpersonal dialogue. This finding conflicts with the assumed importance often ascribed to interpersonal dialogue by some distance education theorists.     

The influence of student and course characteristics on monotonic response patterns in student evaluation of teaching in South Korea

Using multilevel models, this study examined the effects of student- and course-level variables on monotonic response patterns in student evaluation of teaching (SET). In total, 11,203 ratings taken from 343 general education courses in a Korean four-year private university in 2011 were analyzed. The results indicated that 96 % of variance of monotonic response patterns could be explained by student characteristics, such as gender, academic year, major, grade point average, SET score, and perceptions about course difficulty, while controlling for course-level variables. Furthermore, 4 % of variance of monotonic response patterns was derived from course characteristics, including faculty age and class size, while controlling for student-level variables. The findings suggest that Korean higher education institutions need to take proper measures to encourage students to participate more actively and sincerely in SET for the best and proper use of the evaluation’s outcomes.     

Girls,boys and conceptual physics: An evaluation of a senior secondary physics course

This paper reports an evaluation of the physics course at Dickson College (ACT) looking at students' high school experience, their expectations before beginning and their impressions and feelings during the course. In general, students seem to have a fairly negative approach to physics, enrolling for a variety of often vague utilitarian reasons but with little expectation of enjoyment or interest. These opinions were most prevalent in girls who tend to find the content difficult and the course as a whole uninteresting. There is also a significant difference between girls and boys in their response to different types of assessment items. In an attempt to enhance the level of interest and enjoyment in students we have been phasing in a more ‘conceptual’ approach to the teaching of physics. Specializations: senior Physics, Chemistry and Biology.     

Philosophy,thought experiments and large context problems in the secondary school physics course

In this paper it is argued that scientific thinking in physics involves the progressive clarification of the relationship between mathematics and physics, as well as the clarification of scientific induction and deduction. Furthermore, the framing of theories and the working out of their consequences involve the exercise of the imagination. One locus of scientific imagination is the thought experiment, primarily understood as a mental device that helps explicate concepts and principles, and unravel paradoxes.

A sound curriculum in physics, however, must also be based on broad principles of education. These principles are first stated and then it is argued that in conjunction with what we have said about scientific thinking we should teach physics in terms of contexts of inquiry. These contexts relate to questions, method, problems, experiments, history, and the large context problem itself. Here we find the clarification of induction and deduction, as well as the proper placing of the thought experiment.

In the appendix it is shown how this contextual approach can be used for the teaching of kinematics. It is claimed that when we teach within the contexts of inquiry, physics is liberated from a specifiable method, and becomes historical, relevant, alive, human and exciting.     

The generalizability of student ratings of instructors: Item specificity and section effects

A number of recent studies have used generalizability theory to examine the dependability of student ratings of instruction. This study extends this line of research by examining the consistency of ratings between different sections of a course taught in a given semester by the same instructor, and by comparing the performance of global- and attribute-type instructor rating items. Five samples of physics instructors, varying in size from 5 to 12 instructors, were rated by their students on a form containing two global and eight attribute items. Each instructor taught two sections of a course. The study found that the section effect was small (ratings of instructors were consistent across different sections of the same course), and that the generalizability of ratings was substantially influenced by item specificity. For summary purposes, one global item seemed sufficient.     

Encouraging student engagement in a blended learning environment: the use of contemporary learning spaces

Research shows that some non‐traditional students find the university environment alienating, impersonal and unsupportive. The ‘Quickstart’ project combines traditional lectures and seminars with a sequence of carefully designed online tasks, aimed at lessening the impact of the start of year uncertainties for new students. One thousand students across two geographic locations participated in the programme. The project was evaluated by considering three sources of data: data generated by server statistics of 40,358 successful requests for pages in the first four weeks of teaching; student anonymous responses to an online end of course questionnaire as well as extracts from their reflective journals; and the student experience as viewed through the eyes of a researcher in the classroom. Findings offer insights into how the students blend classroom time with their own time; and student perceptions of their own learning experiences. A collaborative learning experience involving travel to a contemporary learning space (the Tate Modern Art Gallery) mitigated the possible isolating effect of the use of technology; instead the technology enhanced the discussion and participation in activities. The students visited the Tate Modern and then facilitated their discussions by sending each other SMS text messages; they bonded very quickly in the seminar groups, where weekly online tasks that had been prepared individually ‘outside’ the classroom were the focus of group discussion and debate ‘inside the classroom’; their end of semester reflective writing showed very clearly how valuable the early ‘friendship’ groups had been for them settling into university life.     

Changes in a preservice elementary teachers physics course

Conclusion Preservice elementary teachers demonstrated the ability to read and interpret distance-time graphs before instruction. Posttest results suggested the new motion curriculum materials greatly improved students’ abilities to read and interpret velocity-time graphs. Despite conducting only one activity with acceleration, students also showed improvement with acceleration-time graphs. The instruction, which included MBL activities, improved the preservice teachers’ general conceptual understanding of these kinematic topics. Future research might include a means to better measure the cause for the conceptual change. Multiple factors played a role, including positive student attitudes toward using the computers, ability to make abstract concepts measurable and describable, and opportunities for frequent experimentation. The capabilities of MBLs changed the focus of the motion curriculum. An MBL’s capacity to quickly gather data and display it opens the door for a rich variety of activities. Developing new motion curriculum was enhanced with opportunities for experimentation and exploration made possible by this technology. The revision of the curriculum was rewarding and exciting for both the instructors and students. The students learned the content, saw an appropriate use of technology, and enjoyed using the computer. The instructors enjoyed exploring the topics using MBLs and became excited with the possibilities of further usage of MBLs. Using MBLs as the powerful tool they are, motion curriculum will continue to be revised, and the instructors will explore more effective ways of structuring the lessons with ways to better teach. This material is based upon work supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant No. TPE-9050039). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.     

试谈物理教学中学生问题意识的培养

随着我国基础教育改革的不断深化,现代学习方式认为没有强烈的问题意识,就不可能激发学生认识的冲动性和思维的活跃性,更不能激发学生的求异思维和创造思维.那么如何在物理教学中培养学生的问题意识呢?本文仅就培养学生问题意识的途径和方法作一探讨.