116
Portland
Wednesday afternoon
Session FA: Affective Issues and
How They Impact Equity in the
Classroom
Location: Parlor A/B
Sponsor: Committee on Women in Physics
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Minorities in Physics
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 12:30–2:20 p.m.
Presider: Dedra Demaree
FA01:
12:30-1 p.m. When Feist and Frustration Spark
Substantive Engagement
Invited – Jennifer Richards, University of Maryland, College Park, 2311 Ben-
jamin Building, College Park, MD 20742;
Luke D. Conlin, Stanford University
Accounts from practicing scientists indicate that a variety of affectively
charged experiences are common in the course of scientific practice and
may spur continued pursuit and the development of new ideas. Yet we tend
to shy away from certain affectively charged experiences in the classroom,
such as extended argumentation for fear of students acting up and ex-
tended frustration for fear of students shutting down. In this talk, we focus
on classroom examples in which teachers support students in engaging
in feisty debate over competing ideas and in experiencing frustration as
part of the process of and motivation for discovery. We consider how these
affectively charged experiences may actually turn some students on to
science, and we stress the need to assess the potential productivity of such
experiences for student engagement and learning on a case-by-case basis.
We conclude by discussing implications for classroom practice.
FA02:
1-1:30 p.m. Humor in the Classroom: More than Just
Fun
Invited – Sissi L. Li, California State University, Fullerton, 800 N. State Col-
lege Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92831;
Michael E. Loverude, California State University Fullerton
Humor is often used to foster a positive learning community by mak-
ing the classroom fun. However, humor can have subtle side-effects that
support participation, shape social dynamics, and communicate attitudes
about science and scientists. In this study, we have examined humor use
in a classroom and how it supports student learning and classroom social
dynamics. Because humor is highly individualistic, we cannot tell you best
practices for humor use in the classroom. Instead, we propose some ways
to attend to how humor is used and how it can impact classroom learning
in nuanced and unexpected ways. Using observations of an upper-division
thermal physics course over a semester, we have identified some practices
with elements of humor. We will provide examples of how these practices
lower the stakes for participation, invite learners to be valued/legitimate
members of the classroom community, and support identity development
as scientists.
FA03:
1:30-1:40 p.m. Attitudes and Beliefs About Physics
from a UK Academics’ Perspective
Contributed – Robyn C.A. Donnelly, University of Edinburgh, School of Phys-
ics and Astronomy, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh,
Scotland EH4 8DA, United Kingdom;
Cait MacPhee, Judy Hardy, University of Edinburgh
Simon Bates, University of British Columbia
The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), predomi-
nantly used to compare student attitudes towards physics, was distributed
to members of the Institute of Physics (IOP) to gain a measure of “expert”
views from UK physics graduates. We present a comparison of attitudes
and beliefs of male and female academics, industry members, and people at
different levels of academia. Data collected indicates a statistically signifi-
cant gender difference between academics’ responses to statements probing
attitudes towards studying physics. Results show that female academics
have a significantly higher agreement with the “expert” response to some
survey statements than male academics. Considering statement categories,
female academics show consistently different responses to males in each
category. Furthermore, preliminary results suggest that the “expert” view
for some statements, measured by UK academics’ responses, may not be
in complete agreement with those of US faculty members used to establish
the “expert” responses to the CLASS survey.
FA04:
1:40-1:50 p.m. Inductive Reasoning: Equalizing
Opportunities for Linguistically Diverse Students
Contributed – Shelly N. Belleau, University of Colorado, Boulder, 3888 Beas-
ley Drive, Erie, CO 80516;
Students learning English as a second language tend to underperform
their English-speaking peers on traditional assessments, contributing to
the issue of underrepresentation in STEM fields. This research investigates
the extent to which curricula designed around evidence-based inductive
reasoning, such as Physics and Everyday Thinking, can equalize oppor-
tunities for linguistically diverse students. Specifically, we evaluate how
linguistically diverse learners and native English speakers perform in four
categories: (i) asking questions and defining problems; (ii) developing and
using models; (iii) constructing explanations and designing solutions;
and (iv) engaging in evidence-based argumentation. Preliminary results
indicate that students from linguistically diverse and English-speaking
backgrounds demonstrated comparable growth in these scientific practices
within the inductive reasoning environment. Links between this growth
and the particularities of this learning environment are considered. These
include maintaining space for making sense of natural phenomena by
integrating everyday language with the technical language and practices of
the discipline.
FA05:
1:50-2 p.m. Physics as a Mechanism for Engaging
English Language Learners
Contributed – Enrique Suarez, University of Colorado, Boulder, School of
Education, Boulder, CO 80309-0249;
Valerie Otero, University of Colorado, Boulder
English Language Learners (ELLs) are frequently left on the periphery of
classroom interactions. Due to limited reading and/or spoken language
skills, teachers and peers communicate with these students less often,
decreasing the number of opportunities to engage. We argue that basic
scientific practice provides a ready-made environment for increasing
engagement among students marginalized from classroom discourse.
Environments that privilege scientific inductive reasoning invite students
who are learning English to participate. This study investigated first-grade
students’ discussions about factors that affect how an object floats. Students
came from a variety of language backgrounds; all were considered begin-
ner/intermediate ELLs. Results show that the goal of inducing principles
from actual phenomena encouraged students to communicate their ideas
and mechanistic reasoning, eventually increasing students’ confidence in
expressing themselves. Following the hybrid space argument of Vygotsky’s
theory of concept formation, external expression leads to students’ concep-
tual development, as well as to English language skills.
FA06:
2-2:10 p.m. Rethinking the Locus of Evaluation to
Promote Classroom Scientific Induction
Contributed – Mike Ross, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1907 Lotus Court
Longmont, CO 80504;
Valerie Otero, University of Colorado, Boulder
For over a century, physicists and physics educators have attempted to
transform physics education to engage students in scientific induction.
These efforts have largely failed to bring about evidence-based, inductive
reasoning on a broad scale. This study investigates the role of nontradition-
al evaluative structures in promoting authentic scientific reasoning among
students, as contrasted with more commonly observed failure-avoidance
