
Paradigms in Physics
Developed by: Oregon State University Physics Department
Level









middle schoolhigh schoolintro collegeinter-mediateupper levelgrad school other










middle schoolhigh schoolintro collegeinter-mediateupper levelgrad school other
Topics






Setting






Overview
What? Activities for upper-level physics including kinesthetic activities, computer simulations, integrated whiteboarding, and other small group activities. Can be incorporated into a standard course, or used as part of a restructuring of the undergraduate curriculum.
Student skills developed
Designed for:
- Conceptual understanding
- Problem-solving skills
- Lab skills
- Making real-world connections
- Using multiple representations
Can be adapted for:
- Metacognition
Instructor effort required
- High
Resources
Developer's website: Paradigms in Physics
Teaching Materials
You can download activities and activity sequences from the Paradigms wiki page: http://physics.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki
Research
RESEARCH VALIDATION

This 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