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Monday afternoon
BG04:
2:40-2:50 p.m. Analyzing High School Physics
Consensus Discussions: Advantages and Limitations
Contributed – Enrique A. Suarez, University of Colorado, Boulder School of
Education Boulder, CO 80309-0249
Philippe J. Guegan, Valerie K. Otero, University of Colorado, Boulder
This study presents a methodology for characterizing the structure and
nature of large group discussions in a Physics and Everyday Thinking --
High School (PET-HS) classroom. The PET-HS curriculum was developed
to model scientific induction and relies on collaborative discussions to
facilitate student sense-making and consensus about the course’s learning
targets. The analytical framework presented here was designed with the in-
tent of identifying the contributions from teacher, individual student, and
groups to the discussions. Specifically, this analysis helps track how differ-
ent actors are interacting with each other. Two-dimensional and three-
dimensional representations are used for highlighting different dialogue
patterns. Results yield information on equity of participation, changes in
the structure of discussions throughout a class period and school year. By
superposing these data with data on the substance of the discussions, we
can infer the types of moves that drive the conversation. Implications for
running productive discussions and trade-offs will be discussed.
BG06:
3-3:10 p.m. Investigating Interactive Whiteboard Use
in a High School Setting
Contributed – Bor Gregorcic, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19 Ljubljana,
SI: 1000 Slovenia;
Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University
Gorazd Planinsic, University of Ljubljana
The talk will discuss how IWB was used in an advanced way that incor-
porates students’ meaningful creative, graphical, and kinesthetic input
as a key part of a learning sequence in a Slovenian high school. We have
learned from a previous pilot study in the same school that the IWB
is mostly used in a way that does not take advantage of touch technol-
ogy affordances, but rather mirrors well-established patterns of classic
whiteboard use and the use of a computer-projector setup. In our study,
two lessons were designed and implemented, one on the topic of Kepler’s
laws and the other on geometrical optics. We have observed how teachers
and students respond to new activities and changes in classroom dynamics.
Through in-depth interviews with students and teachers, we have probed
their perceptions of the IWB as a learning and teaching tool and perceived
benefits and drawbacks of truly interactive IWB use.
BG07:
3:10-3:20 p.m. Building Quantum Mechanics Base
Concepts in the Contexts of Polarization and Spin
Contributed – Giacomo Zuccarini, University of Udine, via delle Scienze,
n°208, Udine, 33100 Italy;
Marisa Michelini, Alberto Stefanel, University of Udine
Modern physics and in particular quantum mechanics (QM) is a cultural
need for new generation citizens and it will be an official part of the
secondary school curriculum starting from next year. Nonetheless, how
to teach it is still an open question. Quantum incompatibility as a central
feature of the new physical behavior is the goal of a design-based proposal
focused on building theoretical thinking in approaching QM in second-
ary school. In the contexts of polarization and spin, the vector description
of the quantum state of a system emerges as interpretative hypothesis
in phenomena explored by students. The connection between physical
systems and processes on the one side and their formal description on the
other side is analyzed by visualizing relations between entities representing
system properties and relations between corresponding state vectors. Data
on students’ reasoning in step-by-step educational intervention modules
have oriented the global path proposed.
Session BH: Preparing Physics Teach-
ers to Teach in Diverse Environments
Location: STSS 412
Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Diversity in Physics
Date: Monday, July 28
Time: 1:30–3 p.m.
Presider: Wendy Adams
BH01:
1:30-2 p.m. Physics Teacher Education at Florida
International University – A Hispanic-serving University*
Invited - Eric Brewe, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199;
Florida International University redesigned secondary teacher educa-
tion programs in 2009. These redesigned programs allow students to
earn degrees in physics and become certified teachers upon graduation.
Florida International University is the largest source of STEM bachelors
and masters degrees for Hispanic students. Thus, the students participat-
ing in the FIU physics teacher education program both represent a diverse
cultural background and will most likely teach in a diverse community.
Two hallmarks of our program are Modeling Instruction and attention to
developing communities. In this talk we discuss these two features as they
pertain to preparing pre-service teachers for the diverse community of
South Florida. As well we look forward to the implementation of FIUTeach
as a further evolution of the teacher education programs.
*Supported by NSF 0802184 & FIUTeach
BH02:
2-2:30 p.m. Building on Learner Resources in Urban
Pre-service Teacher Professional Development
Invited – Andrea Gay Van Duzor,* Chicago State University, Chicago, IL
60628;
Mel S. Sabella, Chicago State University
Too often in public discourse about urban education deficit thinking pre-
dominates with a focus on what students cannot do and the standardized
tests that illustrate their failure. Alternatively, new teachers are more effec-
tive when they seek to help students build on their intellectual resources
and capabilities. As we prepare our pre-service science teachers at Chicago
State University, we focus on four elements: inquiry-based learning
environments in science, early teaching experiences, explicit attention in
pedagogical content knowledge courses on student resources rather than
student deficits, and an emphasis on the professional nature of teaching. As
a minority serving institution on the South Side of Chicago, our pre-ser-
vice teachers often have experienced the impacts of deficit thinking in their
own educational journeys. Inquiry learning and early teaching experiences
build on our science pre-service teachers’ resources while simultaneously
modeling attitudes for the K-12 classroom.
*Sponsored by Wendy K. Adams
BH03:
2:30-2:40 p.m. Diverse Environments in Northern
Colorado K-12 Schools
Contributed – Wendy K. Adams, University of Northern Colorado, Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Greeley, CO 80639;
Diversity in Colorado K-12 schools has taken on a new meaning in the
past four years. We are no longer merely facing diverse socio-economic
backgrounds. 25% of the students in our local district speak English as a
Second Language (ESL) and over 10% are recent refuges to America. This
past year there were 54 languages spoken in one local high school with
many of the students entering school for the first time in their lives. One
might think that science teachers would be insulated from many of these
challenges, unfortunately various pressures in the school system result
in this same diversity in the science classroom. The good news is that
techniques that are effective for teaching ESL learners are consistent with
techniques for effective instruction in science.
