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Science and Mathematics Education

Selected Works

Physics

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Temperaments And Learning Styles Vs. Academic Performance Of First-Semester Physics Students, Shel Randall Jul 2018

Temperaments And Learning Styles Vs. Academic Performance Of First-Semester Physics Students, Shel Randall

Shel Randall

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective quantitative correlational study was to determine the relationship of student temperament (as measured by the online Jung Typology Test) and learning styles (as measured by the Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles) to academic performance of first-semester physics students while enrolled in a Sierra Community College Physics Department course during the 2014 – 2016 school years
Methodology: This is a retrospective quantitative correlational study of the relationship between student personality information self-reported by survey and student performance as measured by semester grades. The historical survey data consists of results from two online assessments: …

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Edutainment: Weaving Your Passion Into The Process Of Stem Education, William H. Robertson Jan 2018

Edutainment: Weaving Your Passion Into The Process Of Stem Education, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

This presentation will focus on the use of live action and video instruction as a method of content dissemination and to motivate students in learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.  Specifically, this area, dubbed “edutainment”, will chronicle different interactions with students, teachers and community members that utilized live action to video as methods of capturing relevant content in student-centered contexts. The fundamental idea is to infuse one's passion into your methods of teaching, and to inspire others to use their gifts in their education, and thereby connect them to their dreams and aspirations.

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Strongly And Weakly Directed Approaches To Teaching Multiple Representation Use In Physics, Patrick B. Kohl, David Rosengrant, Noah D. Finkelstein Jul 2017

Strongly And Weakly Directed Approaches To Teaching Multiple Representation Use In Physics, Patrick B. Kohl, David Rosengrant, Noah D. Finkelstein

David Rosengrant

Good use of multiple representations is considered key to learning physics, and so there is considerable motivation both to learn how students use multiple representations when solving problems and to learn how best to teach problem solving using multiple representations. In this study of two large-lecture algebra-based physics courses at the University of Colorado (CU) and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, we address both issues. Students in each of the two courses solved five common electrostatics problems of varying difficulty, and we examine their solutions to clarify the relationship between multiple representation use and performance on problems involving …

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The Physics Of Skateboarding: Making Science Relevant, Engaging And Motivational, William H. Robertson Jan 2017

The Physics Of Skateboarding: Making Science Relevant, Engaging And Motivational, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

For me, skateboarding became the vehicle that lead to my success in education.  In fact, the skills I learned in skateboarding, such as practice, creativity, discipline, persistence and setting goals, later made me successful in school. For young people, by knowing the terms, they can in effect learn more, when they can see practical applications in their own lives. My inspiration for choosing skateboarding to teach physics came from my work with middle school students who were not interested in the topics of science class until I showed how much of physics, such as forces and motion, were found in …

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Mathematics Uncovered Through Action Science, William H. Robertson May 2016

Mathematics Uncovered Through Action Science, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

In an event-based series of on-site activities with high school students through an Action Science approach, fundamental concepts were explored including the foundations for functions, geometric think and spatial reasoning, the development of mathematical models, as well as techniques for working with spatial figures to understand underlying relationships. The activities in which students participated were designed to teach fundamental mathematics concepts in algebra and geometry in an approach that utilized transformative educational strategies, which helped students move from memorizing facts and content to constructing knowledge in meaningful and useful manners. With an emphasis on a collaborative data collection process, students …

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Fostering Preservice Teachers' "Nature Of Science" Understandings In A Physics Course, Ehsan Kattoula, Geeta Verma, Lisa Martin-Hansen Nov 2015

Fostering Preservice Teachers' "Nature Of Science" Understandings In A Physics Course, Ehsan Kattoula, Geeta Verma, Lisa Martin-Hansen

Geeta Verma

In this paper, the authors examine an algebra-based physics course designed for preservice teachers and explore how the course integrated two pedagogical strategies to bridge the gap between inquiry-learning experiences and the teachers' nature of science (NOS) understandings. The results of this research show that the explicit, reflective process allowed participants to examine their NOS understandings, which thereby fostered changes in their understanding.

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The Skatepark Mathematics Extravaganza, William H. Robertson May 2015

The Skatepark Mathematics Extravaganza, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

In the fall of 2014, a series of live demonstrations and field-based activities were lead by a team of educators and top action sports athletes who performed at local high schools. These events, entitled the “Skatepark Mathematics Extravaganza”, were done in order to engage high school students in focused explorations of mathematics set in a real world setting that is relevant to youth culture, namely skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX).
 
These activities incorporated mathematics for the students to do after the demonstration in meetings with classes in which the Action Science Stunt Team performed maneuvers on ramps at the …

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Assessing High School Gifted Student Progress In Science Through Misconceptions And Mosart, Christopher G. Kolar, Evelyn Ho-Wisniewski Feb 2012

Assessing High School Gifted Student Progress In Science Through Misconceptions And Mosart, Christopher G. Kolar, Evelyn Ho-Wisniewski

Christopher G. Kolar

This paper reports how 188 high school students identified as gifted in science were assessed with the Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resource for Teachers (MOSART). Students enrolled in a year-long science-centered curriculum where this instrument appeared to be a means of identifying standards-aligned progress, avoiding ceiling effects and reliance on content mastery. This paper discusses two questions: 1. Is the MOSART a valid measure of conceptual understanding in gifted students? and 2. Can the MOSART be used with this population to measure growth in understanding? We present results from the physics and chemistry tests, and consider results from the earth science …

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Laboratory Manual For Physics, Gary Lewis Jan 2012

Laboratory Manual For Physics, Gary Lewis

Gary C. Lewis

No abstract provided.

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Interactive Learningware For Physics Vol. 1: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Waves, James Tanner, Gary Lewis Jan 2012

Interactive Learningware For Physics Vol. 1: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Waves, James Tanner, Gary Lewis

Gary C. Lewis

Retaining the comprehensiveness and rigor of the previous edition, this sequel has been dramatically revised to be more student oriented. Definitions and issues have been improved, making them tighter and more easily understood. More than 400 sample problems have been updated and expanded to reinforce physics concepts. Formulas involving elements of calculus are better explained due to additional subsections. A wealth of animated illustrations and full-color photographs will capture today's visually-oriented students' attention.

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Interactive Learningware For Physics Vol. 2: Fundamentals Of Physics, James Tanner, Gary Lewis Jan 2012

Interactive Learningware For Physics Vol. 2: Fundamentals Of Physics, James Tanner, Gary Lewis

Gary C. Lewis

Retaining the comprehensiveness and rigor of the previous edition, this sequel has been dramatically revised to be more student oriented. Definitions and issues have been improved, making them tighter and more easily understood. More than 400 sample problems have been updated and expanded to reinforce physics concepts. Formulas involving elements of calculus are better explained due to additional subsections. A wealth of animated illustrations and full-color photographs will capture today's visually-oriented students' attention.

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Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Increasing Science Knowledge And Skills For Middle School Teachers, William H. Robertson Mar 2010

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Increasing Science Knowledge And Skills For Middle School Teachers, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science maps to the physical science Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) standards that all middle school students need to learn. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science explores scientific concepts in a curriculum supplement that is designed to address both physical science content and process skills. The video instruction focuses on fundamental concepts found in the areas of motion, forces, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. The use of familiar activities, situations and objects, such as skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX), around which students can explore and explain scientific concepts can be defined as action science. The main …

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Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science, William Robertson Aug 2008

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science, William Robertson

William H. Robertson

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is designed to incorporate both a four part Video Series and an accompanying activity booklet that focuses on concepts in physical science that integrates both skateboarding and BMX. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science explores concepts suitable for middle grade (4-8) students in a curriculum that is designed to address both the objectives and enduring knowledge of physical science in content and process skills for both the National Science Standards and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The video instruction provides the teacher with a series of instructional hooks and content information that can be used to explore …

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Textbook Treatments And Students’ Understanding Of Acceleration, G Dall’Alba, E Walsh, J Bowden, E Martin, Geoff Masters, P Ramsden, Andrew Stephanou Dec 1992

Textbook Treatments And Students’ Understanding Of Acceleration, G Dall’Alba, E Walsh, J Bowden, E Martin, Geoff Masters, P Ramsden, Andrew Stephanou

Prof Geoff Masters AO

A single science textbook often provides the syllabus for courses at upper secondary and tertiary levels, and may be used as a principal source of information or explanation. The research reported in this article challenges such practices. The ways in which the concept, acceleration, is treated in physics textbooks is compared with understandings of the concept demonstrated by final-year secondary (Year 12) and first-year university students. Some students' understandings are shown to be incomplete in ways that parallel misleading or inaccurate textbook treatments of the concept. In addition to misleading or inaccurate statements, the limitations of some textbook treatments of …

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