Cooperative and Active Learning

Research in the field of Physics Education has shown that traditional methods for teaching Physics have very little impact in students' understanding of the Physical world around them. The lecture and recipe-type labs do not create the conceptual models we'd hope for students, and do not relate in any way to everyday experiences that students have.

This same research suggests that a more effective way of teaching Physics, one that results in learning, is a method in which students are engaged and actively involved in the learning process. Our labs attempt to bring student involvment into the classroom. While we still have a long way ahead of us to make our Department an active learning center, we are in the process of turning our labs into a place that incorporates the research on education that we know works for teaching Physics.

Here are some of the things we try to do:

• All lab sessions occur in groups of four or three students. Emphasis is placed on resolving a problem as a group.
• Our teaching assistants are expected to guide students through the labs and provide coaching through students' difficulties, NOT provide the answer or lecture.
• All Mechanics experiments present a real-world problem that students have to investigate independently.
• Labs are designed to provide progressively less instruction throughout the semester, as students need less scaffolding in completing their labs.
• Lab reports are graded and structured such that students can develop their writing skills throughout the semester.

This is a different approach from the recipe-type labs, and we sometimes get frustrated students who find this style of lab very challenging. We are also aware that this is a work in progress and that we still have not reached the ideal situation. However, we will strive to incorporate research findings into our curriculum and classroom management to provide students with the most effective education in Physics.