PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
NECESSARY TO TEACH PHYSICS
Eugenia Etkina
Rutgers University
Graduate School of Education
[email protected]PTEC 2009, PITTSBURGH, PA
http://paer.rutgers.edu/PT3
http://www.islephysics.net
http://paer.rutgers.edu/scientificabilities
http://gse.rutgers.edu
What should a physics instructor
know? (replace physics with biology,
chemistry, etc.)
Subject matter
(concepts, rules,
problem solving).
Methods of acquiring
knowledge: How do
we know what we
know?
WHAT IS
MISSING?
How human brain works.
How people learn.
How people work in groups.
How motivation is related to
learning.
What should students learn in a
physics course?
What difficulties do they have?
How can we help them best?
How can we assess them?
What resources are available?
How to structure the curriculum ?
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
PCK
Lee Shulman, 1987
The category of teacher knowledge most likely
to distinguish the understanding of a content
specialist from that of the pedagogue.
Elements of Teacher Knowledge
Content
knowledge
CK
Pedagogical
content
knowledge
PCK
Pedagogical
knowledge
PK
Assessing PCK
Ms. Bantes students are learning Newtonian dynamics and are solving
the following problem: An unlabeled free-body diagram for an object is
shown on the left. Sketch and describe in words a process for which the
diagrams might represent the forces that other objects exert on an
object of interest.
She hears one of the students say: There is a mistake in the diagram,
the upward vertical force arrow should always be the same as the
downward arrow.
1. Do you agree with the student? Explain your answer.
2. How would you respond to this comment in class? Provide a
possible scenario.
3. If you were to use students idea a hypothesis to test, what testing
experiments would you design?
4. Why do you think the student made this comment?
6. What activities done in class prior to this activity could have
contributed to his opinion?
7. What can you do as a teacher to help this student understand the
complexity of the concept of the normal force?
5 components of PCK
Knowledge of assessment
Knowledge of student
ideas
Knowledge of
curriculum
Knowledge of
successful instructional
strategies
Orientation towards teaching
Physics PCK: ORIENTATION
TOWARDS TEACHING
Beliefs about student learning (examples);
Theories of learning: behaviorism, cognitive theory;
social constructivism;
Learning vs teaching;
Misconceptions vs resources, facets, ideas to build on
Beliefs in what students can do
Beliefs of whose fault it is :)
Why do we need to know it? How will we learn it?
Physics PCK: CURRICULUM
Knowledge of physics curricula (the sequence of topics
that allows a student to build the understanding of a new
concept or skill on what she or he already knows, and
what topics are better suited to build certain scientific
abilities).
Why do we need to know it? How will we learn it?
Physics PCK: STUDENT IDEAS
Knowledge of student ideas,difficulties,
recourses, facets, or difficulties or their
interpretation of physics).
Acquired force
Internal force
Force of gravity
Force of push or pull of
animate on inanimate
Physics PCK: SUCCESSFUL
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Knowledge of effective instructional strategies
for a particular concept (what specific methods
or specific activity sequences make student
learning more successful).
mg
N
FEarth on object= FE on O
Newtons
3rd law
pair
force?
mg
N
FS on O
Physics PCK: UNSUCCESSFUL
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Using weight as a term for gravitational force
Making an analogy between electric charges and magnetic
poles
Drawing two or three rays on ray diagrams
Physics PCK: ASSESSMENT
Is this an educational buzz word?
Is there a relationship between goals and assessment?
Is assessment something extra that we need to do after we
teach?
Physics PCK: ASSESSMENT
Assessing student understanding of this particular concept
or a skill:
List targeted concepts and skills in this assessment
Sketch a
situation the
equation
might
Mathematical description.
describe.
900 N (50 kg)(9.8 N/kg) = (50 kg) v
12 m
Write in words a
problem for which
the equation is a
solution.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment: during learning to
provide feedback both to the teacher and
students and enhance learning DURING
learning.
Two changes have to happen: change in
student learning and change in teacher
teaching.
Three steps of formative
assessment
Where do
you need to
go?
How can you
get there?
Where are
you now?
Goals: what do we want our students
to know and to be able to do
Understand concepts?
Be able to apply mathematics?
Be able to reason?
Be able to pose productive questions?
Move between representations?
Design an experiment to investigate a question? Solve a
problem?
Collect and analyze data?
Realize the existence of assumptions?
Ask why am I doing why I am doing?
Ask how do I know this?
Relate class material to real world?
Some types of formative assessment
activities for conceptual understanding
1. Traditional conceptual questions on the spot
2. Explain XXX
3. How do you know that xxx?
4. You friend thinks XXX why would she think
this way? Do you agree or disagree? If you
disagree, how would you convince her in your
opinion?
5. Tell all problems
6. Multiple representation tasks
7. Jeopardy tasks
8. Ranking tasks
9. What is wrong? tasks
10. How would you convince somebody? tasks
Where do you
need to go?
Where are you
now?
How do you
get there?
Rubrics for guidelines, assessment and
self-assessment
LEVEL
ABILITY
To represent
information
graphically
Needs
Missing Not adequate
improvement
(1)
(0)
(2)
An attempt is made
No attempt to but the dependent
variable is confused
represent
information with the dependent
variable, or the axes
graphically.
are not labeled at all,
or the graph does not
match the data or
problem situation
The axes are labeled,
the dependent and
independent variables
are not confused but
there are no units or
no scale thus it is
impossible to say
whether the graph
matches the data or
the problem situation
adequately
Adequate
(3)
The variables are
chosen
appropriately,
axes are labeled,
units and the
scale are labeled,
the graph line
represents the
situation or the
data, and
uncertainties are
shown if
necessary.
Some types of formative assessment
activities for procedural abilities
representing physical processes and ideas
designing an experimental investigation
collecting and analyzing data
devising and testing a qualitative explanation or a
quantitative relation
modifying an explanation or a relation in light of new data
evaluating
communicating
Helping future physics teachers
build their PCK
Learn physics
Build PCK
Learn how people
learn
How can one acquire a cognitive skill?
Independent
practice
Cognitive apprenticeship
Slowly removing scaffolding
Providing coaching and scaffolding
Contexts that model
proficiency
Learning and Clinical Practice (Rutgers
model)
Student teaching
Cognitive apprenticeship
A student in a
reformed General
Physics course
A student in
GSE methods
courses
A lab and
recitation TA in
reformed
courses
Slowly removing scaffolding,
Using existing materials to teach
Providing coaching and scaffolding
during teaching mini-lessons
Contexts of physics learning
that model proficiency
Independent
practice,
designing her/his
own lessons
Physics Teacher Preparation
Program at Rutgers
45 graduate credits
2 years plus summer
1 semester of student teaching
Content - undergraduate + 6 credits
Pedagogy - 6 credits
Policy 6 credits
Student teaching 9 credits
Process and reasoning of science + PCK 18
credits
EXAMINIG ONE COURSE SYLLABUS
EXAMINE THE SYLLABUS CAREFULLY AND PREPARE
TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. WHAT ASPECTS OF THE PCK OR PHYSICS CONTENT
KNOWLEDGE DOES THE COURSE ADDRESS?
2. HOW IS COGNITIVE APPRENTICESHIP EMBEDDED IN
THE COURSE?
3. HOW IS FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT EMBEDDED IN THE
COURSE?
Course Sequence
#1
#2
#3
Year 1
Development of Ideas in Physical Science*
Use ISLE framework to reconstruct how physicists built the
knowledge taught in our present courses and design/teach high
school physics lessons in which students learn by following the
original path of physicists. Learn what difficulties they had and how
difficulties of our students can be explained historically.
Teaching Physical Science*, ** , oral exam
Technology in Science Education*
Apply ISLE framework to design and practice learning cycles,
combine them with the knowledge of student resources to plan units
and lessons, learn to use technology and learn assessment methods
* students teach a full lesson
**students plan a unit
Course Sequence
Summer 1
#4 Research internship science and teaching methods in
X-ray astrophysics**
Learn how to do research in X-ray astrophysics and observe
high school students learning through ISLE in the same
program
**students plan a unit
Course Sequence
#5
Year 2
Teaching Internship seminar*, **
Plan a unit and lessons during student teaching, design lessons of
specific types, assessments instruments, and learn how to reflect on
teaching practice
#6 Multiple Representations in Physical Science*, **, oral exam
Learn how to use cognitive strategies and scientific reasoning to
enhance student problem solving in a physics course, apply
technology
*students teach a full lesson
**students plan a unit
Total in the program: teach in class 5 lessons and plan 5 different units;
ant end of each semester every student receives copies of
everyones materials
Quantitative Results
Graduates of the physical science program
2003 - 1
2004 - 5
2005 - 7
2006 - 7
2007 - 6
2008 - 7
2009 - 8
2010 - 7
Present High School and Middle School (1) Teachers
2003 - 1
2004 - 5
2005 - 5 (1 quit, one never started)
2006 - 6 (1 never started)
2007 - 5 (1 quit)
2008 - 7
MATERIALS
USED IN THE RUTGERS PROGRAM
AND IN THIS WORKSHOP
COME FROM SEVERAL RESOURCES
http://paer.rutgers.edu/scientificabilities/
http://www.islephysics.net/
http://paer.rutgers.edu/pt3/
QuickTime and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
A. Van Heuvelen and E. Etkina, The Physics Active Learning Guide
(instructor and student edition), Addison Wesley, 2006
