Developed by: Lawrence Escalada, Roy Unruh, Timothy Cooney, and master high school physics teachers
middle schoolhigh schoolintro collegeinter-mediateupper levelgrad school other
alg based
conceptual
Overview
What? A high school physics curriculum and professional development program that uses a learning cycle pedagogy. High-interest activities integrate inexpensive and easily accessible materials with instructional technologies. Students explore physical phenomena before learning the underlying physics ideas.
Example materials
Topic outline
PRISMS PLUS Units and Learning Cycles:
Unit 1 FORCE AND MOTION
1 Kinematics
2 Making tracks
3 Accelerating Tracks
4 Vector Vector, What’s My Vector?
5 Relative Motion 6 Static Equilibrium
7 Inertia
8 Newton’s Second Law
9 Using Graphs to Understand Newton’s Second Law
10 Weight
11 Newton’s Third Law
12 Impulse and Change in Linear Momentum
13 Conservation of Linear Momentum
14 Projectile Motion
UNIT 2 WORK AND ENERGY
1 Work
2 Power
3 Conservation of Energy
4 Heat and Temperature
5 Change of Phase
6 Mechanical Equivalent of Heat
7 Ideal Gas Laws
8 Solar Energy
UNIT 3 WAVES AND OPTICS
1 Incandescence or Luminescence?
2 Inverse Square
3 Velocity, Frequency and Wavelength
4 Speed of Sound
5 Factors Affecting Frequency
6 Reflection
7 Refraction
8 Lenses
9 Image Size and Location
10 Diffraction and Interference
11 Color
12 Polarized Light
UNIT 4 ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, AND MODERN PHYSICS
1 Electrostatics
2 Electric Fields
3 Magnetic Fields
4 Electric Circuits
5 Ohm’s Law
6 Capacitors
7 Motors
8 Generator
9 Radioactive Decay
10 Spectra and Energy
Student skills developed
- Conceptual understanding
- Problem-solving skills
- Making real-world connections
- Using multiple representations
- Designing experiments
- Lab skills
- Metacognition
Instructor effort required
- Medium
Resources required
- Computers for students
- Simple lab equipment
- Advanced lab equipment
Resources
Teaching Materials
See the PRISMS Plus Website for details about how to order the Student & Teacher Materials ($100).
Research
Bronze ValidationThis is the third highest level of research validation, corresponding to:
- at least 1 of the "based on" categories
- at least 1 of the "demonstrated to improve" categories
- at least 1 of the "studied using" categories
Research Validation Summary
Based on Research Into:
- theories of how students learn
- student ideas about specific topics
Demonstrated to Improve:
- conceptual understanding
- problem-solving skills
- lab skills
- beliefs and attitudes
- attendance
- retention of students
- success of underrepresented groups
- performance in subsequent classes
Studied using:
- cycle of research and redevelopment
- student interviews
- classroom observations
- analysis of written work
- research at multiple institutions
- research by multiple groups
- peer-reviewed publication
References
- L. Escalada and J. Moeller, The Challenges of Designing and Implementing Effective Professional Development for Out-of-Field High School Physics Teachers, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2005, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2005.
