Activity-Based Tutorials

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Understanding How Students Learn | Teacher's Guide

M.C. Wittmann, R.N. Steinberg, E.F. Redish and the University of Maryland Physics Education Research Group

Teacher's Guide

Using Pretests
Interactions in the Classroom
Testing What is Learned

Teacher's Guide

A focus on student learning requires that we listen to the students in our classroom and address their needs as best possible. We offer a variety of possible modifications to the course, including: 

  • replacing one hour of lecture with one hour of tutorial instruction.
  • implementing weekly essay homework assignments
  • using device-based extended homework assignments
  • assigning readings to supplement the textbook and tutorial.

The outline below summarizes the reasons for our modified instruction.

The instructional materials described below can be found in the Classroom Materials section of this CD. A complete summary organized by topic can be found here.

To view the video samples below, click on the images. QuickTime is necessary for viewing the videos.

Understanding Students

To teach our students more effectively, we must listen to how they think and how they approach the physics. These interactions occur informally in the classroom, but also more formally using a variety of methods.

pretests:

To emphasize the importance of conceptual understanding, we use specially designed quizzes to probe student reasoning. Pretests contain qualitative questions and are given to students before tutorial (but typically after traditional instruction).

online essay assignments

To listen to students and gain regular feedback on lecture concepts, we have instituted daily (or weekly) essay assignments that address difficult concepts from the classroom. Essays can, for example, contain qualitative questions, ask about connections to real world situations, or focus on interpretations of material covered in class.

 

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We are grateful to the National Science Foundation (grants DUE 9652877 and DUE 9455561) and the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE grants 116B70186 and 116B000300) for partial funding support. Additional support has been provided by The University of Maryland, The University of Maine, and the City College of New York.