Workshops | Physics and Astronomy Education Research Group

How to Implement Collaborative Learning Activities in an IPLS Classroom, American Association of Physics Teachers Summer 2016 National Meeting, Sacramento, California, July 17, 2016

Presenters: David Smith, Alice D. Chrukian, Colin S. Wallace, Duane Deardorff
Description: Physics instructors are increasingly being asked to reform their teaching practices and use evidence-based instructional strategies to actively and intellectually engage their students. In this workshop, participants will gain firsthand experience implementing multiple collaborative learning activities that have been specifically designed for use in introductory physics for life science (IPLS) courses. Examples will include content from mechanics, electricity, magnetism, and optics, with each activity grounded in real-world applications to biological phenomena and/or medical practices. Participants will also gain a better understanding of student difficulties in IPLS-focused topics and be introduced to teaching methods aimed at addressing such issues.

Connecting physics and biology through collaborative learning activities, Symposium on Horizons in Astronomy and Physics Education (SHAPE), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, February 13, 2016

Introductory Physics for Life Science: Curricular Resources and Activities, American Association of Physics Teachers Winter 2016 National Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 9, 2016

Presenters: Nancy Beverly (Mercy College), Ralf Widenhorn (Portland State University), Dawn Meredith (University of New Hampshire), James Vasenka (University of New England), Juan Rodrigues (Centenary College), David Smith
Description: The Introductory Physics for Life Sciences curriculum continues to be in an exciting period of development, sharing, and expansion. One size does not fit all, as every institution has its own particular mix of life science students as well as its unique set of institutional constraints and resources. A wide community of people from a variety of institutions have been developing and sharing their curricular materials, activities, and approaches, from which you can adopt or adapt the ones best suited for your students, or just get ideas. At this workshop, curricular resources for a wide array of presently accessible materials and activities will be organized and available for participant exploration and discussion. Several new curricular materials and activities will also be showcased for participant experience and discussion with developers.

Presenters: Gina Brissenden (Univ. of Arizona) and Colin S. Wallace
Description: The Tier I Teaching Excellence Workshops provide you with the experiences you need to create effective and productive active-learning classroom environments. We model best practices in implementing many different classroom-tested instructional strategies. But most importantly, you and your workshop colleagues gain first-hand experience implementing these proven strategies yourselves. During our many microteaching events, you have the opportunity to role-play the parts of student and instructor. You assess and critique each other’s implementation in real-time, as part of a supportive learning community. You have the opportunity to face and conquer your fears of unfamiliar teaching in collaboration with kind and gentle friends and mentors before you try them by yourself in front of your students.

How to Facilitate Active Learning in the STEM Classroom, Center for Faculty Excellence, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, April 29, 2015

How to Facilitate Active Learning in the Astronomy and Physics Classroom, Symposium on Horizons in Astronomy and Physics Education (SHAPE), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, February 28, 2015

Assessing and Discussing Student Understanding: Examples from DC Circuits Activities, Symposium on Horizons in Astronomy and Physics Education (SHAPE), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, March 2, 2013