Physics education research seeks to find the most effective
methods for teaching physics. The resources listed here highlight
of the key developments in this field. They have been selected to
help a physicist unfamiliar with PER to begin using research-based
teaching methods with a minimum amount of effort. Links are
provided to strategies
and materials developed at other institutions
to promote borrowing and adaption (rather than re-invention) of
The body of literature in this field is vast, so this list is by no means exhaustive. If there are other resources that you feel would be useful, please contact me.
In the fall of 2008, the physics department sponsored a series of seminars on physics education. Slides and video are available for Joe Redish's talks on using math in physics classes and reinventing discussion sections. Video for Eric Mazur's seminar, "Confessions of a Converted Leturer," is also available (through iTunes).
Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite, Joe Redish This is the "Bible" of PER. A great resource that gives an overview of the field, describes successful implementation strategies, and cites key papers.
PER presentations by graduate student Wells Wulsin, SASS and U. Cincinnati (they are similar).
David Hammer, "Two Approaches to Learning Physics", The Physics Teacher 27, 664 (1989)
Research on Interactive Engagement Methods in Physics Education presentation, Suzanne Kane
Science and Physics Education Homepages
APS Resources on curriculum reform
PER resources targeted for graduate students
The Core Reading list from the FFPER conference
Bibliographies from Redish
PER Central from the AAPT
PER Reviews from the AAPT
MIT: Physics Courses MIT's workshop-based TEAL courses. Faculty Newsletter, Journal of the Learning Sciences, Carnegie Foundation magazine, Powerpoint Articles by John Belcher, who helped develop MIT's TEAL course. The TEAL course showed increased normalized gains compared with the traditional course, but TEAL generated substantial resistance from the student body.
Illinois: How U. Ill. adopted widespread reform in its intro courses. This presentation I found particularly insightful, along with this paper and this summary.
Maryland: Reinventing College Physics for Biologists: Explicating an epistemological curriculum, how U. Md. changed its algebra-based physics course. Learning how to Learn Science final report, an earlier evaluation of the course.
RPI: a Studio Physics approach
Traditional and Tutorial Discussions Side by Side, TA Tutorial FAQs, handouts developed for fall 2008 Stanford physics TA training
Student Tutorial FAQs, handout developed for Stanford Physics 20/40 series students, fall 2008
A Primer on Tutorials for CU-Boulder faculty, by Steve Pollock
Tutorial FAQ's for students (click on "FAQ's about Tutorials (why do we do these things?)" in left sidebar), from Steve Pollock, CU-Boulder
Guide for Tutorial Facilitators, from U. Md.
Tutorials in Introductory Physics, L. C. McDermott and P.S. Shaffer, 1998. Research-based tutorial problems, developed at U. Washington.
Activity-Based Tutorials, M.C. Wittmann, R.N. Steinberg, E.F. Redish, and the University of Maryland Physics Education Research Group (Wiley, 2004 and 2005).
U. of Maine Tutorials for Intermediate Mechanics
Implementation of Tutorials at UW
Implementing Tutorials at CU-Boulder
Tutorials at U. Maryland
Tutorials in Physics Sense-Making from U. Md.
Cooperative Group Problem Solving at U. Minnesota
Presentation on Tutorials by Wells Wulsin
Undergraduate section leaders in the Stanford CS department, program description and paper
D. Sokoloff and R. Thornton The Physics Teacher, v.35 (1997) Using interactive lecture demonstrations to create an active learning environment
C. Crouch, et al., Classroom demonstrations: Learning tools or entertainment? Am. J. Phys. 72 (2004) 835-838. Examines how much students learn from traditionally presented demonstrations
Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, David Sokoloff and Ron Thornton, 2001. Sample ILDs and how to use them.
Peer Instruction: A User's Manual, Eric Mazur, 1997. A guide to interactive techniques in lecture.
Just In Time Teaching Strategy to use web-based materials to collect out-of-class feedback to inform lecture content.
Clicker Resource Guide from CU-Boulder.
Clicker questions for upper-division courses from CU-Boulder, for E&M and Quantum Mechanics. (Download the "Concept Tests." It's a .zip file that contains many .ppt presentations.)
Lecture demonstrations, compiled by the Physics Instructional Resource Association (PIRA), supported by the AAPT. Main website and the index of demos.
E. Redish, et al., On the effectiveness of active-engagement microcomputer-based laboratories, Am. J. Phys., 65, 45-54 (1997).
Real Time Physics, David Sokoloff, Ron Thornton, and Priscilla Laws, 1995. Computer-based lab activities, following the guided-inquiry method of predict-observe-explain.
R. Thornton and D. Sokoloff, Am. J. Phys., 66 (1998), 338. Data showing substantial gains made by RTP labs and ILD's over traditional instruction.
U. Md. Activity-Based Physics lab tutorial More like a lab than a standard discussion. Videos of: students and with TA.
Scientific Community Labs.
PhET Interactive Simulations from CU-Boulder.
Take a free (NSF-funded) Chautauqua summer course (~3 days). More information: here and here.
Article on careers in PER, "Education Research: A New (Tenure) Track for Scientists", Science, 5 Oct. 2007.
Last updated: 2012-01-02.
Originally compiled by Wells Wulsin, May 2009.
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