FIU PERG Annotated Suggested Readings

Suggested Readings and Materials in Physics Education

This is a guide to literature and materials on physics education research, active learning and research-based curriculum. This is not meant to be a complete survey of the literature, but rather suggestions for readings that would be useful to teachers of introductory physics. McDermott and Redish’s resource letter on physics education research listed below is a good referencefor those interested in a more thorough survey of the physics education research literature.

Arons’ Teaching Introductory Physics is an especially useful resource for physics teachers. Drawing on Arons' extensive classroom experience, this is an excellent reference on the nature of student difficulties in introductory physics classes and on teaching methods he has found to be effective. It is a very broad introduction to the issues of introductory physics instruction as well as a source of more conceptual problems to supplement the text. This book includes Arons' previously published instructor references A Guide to Introductory Physics and Homework and Test Questions for Introductory Physics Teaching with some additions.

(References marked with a * are good entry points into the literature.)

General Readings on Physics Education and the Introductory Physics Class

Research-based Physics Curricula & Materials

Collaborative Learning

Preconceptions and Student Learning

Cognitive Science and Expectations

Assessment & Evaluation Studies

Additional Computer and Web Resources

1. General Readings on Physics Education and the Introductory Physics Class

A.B. Arons, “Phenomenology and logical reasoning in introductory physics classes,” American Journal of Physics 50 (1), 13-20 (1982).

*    A. Arons, “Student patterns of thinking and reasoning,” The Physics Teacher in three parts: 21, 576-581 (1983); 22, 21-26 (1984); 22, 88-93 (1984).

A.B. Arons, Teaching Introductory Physics (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1997).

*    J.D. Bransford, A.L. Brown, and R.R. Cocking, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School ( National Academy Press, Washington DC, 1999).

*    I.A. Halloun and D. Hestenes, “Common sense concepts about motion,” American Journal of Physics 53 (11), 1056-1065 (1985).

D. Hammer, “More than misconceptions: Multiple perspectives on student knowledge and reasoning, and an appropriate role for education research,” American Journal of Physics 64, 1316-1325 (1996). Available online at http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/cpt.html.

D. Hestenes, “Toward a modeling theory of physics instruction,” American Journal of Physics 55, 440-454 (1987).

Hestenes, D. (1992). Modeling Games in the Newtonian World. Am. J. Phys. 60, 732-748.

Hestenes, D. (1996). Modeling Methodology for Physics Teachers. In E.F. Redish and J.S. Rigden (Eds) Proceedings of the International Conference on Undergraduate Physics Education, (Pt. 2, p. 935) Woodbury, AIP.

D. Hestenes, “Who needs physics education research?” American Journal of Physics 66, 465-467 (1998).

*    R.D. Knight, Five Easy Lessons: Strategies for Successful Physics Teaching (Pearson-Addison Wesley, San Francisco CA, 2004).

*    L.C. McDermott, “Millikan Lecture 1990: What we teach and what is learned – Closing the gap,” American Journal of Physics 59 (4), 301-315 (1991).

L.C. McDermott, “Bridging the gap between teaching and learning: The role of research,” in American Institute of Physics Conference Proceeding No. 399 The Changing Role of Physics Departments in Modern Universities: Proceedings of the International Conference on Undergraduate Physics Education, edited by E.F. Redish and J.S. Rigden (American Institute of PhysicsPress, Woodbury NY, 1997), 139-166.

L.C. McDermott and E.F. Redish, “RL-PER1: Resource letter on physics education research,” American Journal of Physics 67 (9), 755-767 (1999). Also available online at http://www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg/pubs.html and at http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/cpt.html.

E.F. Redish and J.S. Rigden (Editors.), American Institute of Physics Conference Proceedings No. 399 The Changing Role of Physics Departments in Modern Universities: Proceedings of the International Conference on Undergraduate Physics Education (American Institute of Physics Press, Sunnyvale NY, 1997).

E.F. Redish, Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2003).

*    E.F. Redish, “Millikan Lecture 1998: Building a science of teaching physics,” American Journal of Physics 67 (7), 562-573 (1999). Available online at http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/cpt.html.

E.F. Redish and R.N. Steinberg, “Teaching physics: Figuring out what works,” Physics Today 52 (1), 24-30 (1999). Available online at http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/cpt.html.

F. Reif, “Scientific approaches to science education,” Physics Today 39 (11), 48-54 (1986).

F. Reif, “Instructional design, cognition, and technology: Applications to the teaching of scientific concepts,” Journal of Research in Science Teaching 24 (4), 309-324 (1987).

*    S. Tobias, They’re not dumb, They’re different (Research Corporation, Tucson AZ, 1990).

*    A. Van Heuvelen, “Learning to think like a physicist: A review of research-based instructional strategies,” American Journal of Physics 59 (10), 891-897 (1991).