The authors describe several types of classroom assessment techniques (CATs) and cognitive scaffolding procedures that they have developed over the years. They then bring the procedures together in a sample lecture/group learning class presentation.

Most timeline analogies of geologic and evolutionary time are fundamentally flawed. They trade off the problem of grasping very long times for the problem of grasping very short distances. The result is an understanding of relative time with little comprehension of absolute time. Earlier work has shown that the distances most easily understood by…

The paper presents the results of research on the relationship between self-assessed comprehension of physics lectures and final grades of junior high school students (aged 13-15), high school students (aged 16-18) and physics students at the Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland (aged 21). Students' declared level of comprehension was measured…

In the past few decades, the physics teaching community has witnessed a surge in creative and often effective ways of using technology to improve physics instruction. Most of these findings suggest how technology can help instructors create interactive learning environments and how interactivity influences the effectiveness of physics learning.…

Describes two instructional techniques that facilitate improved absorption of course material: (1) the "pausing principle," i.e., pausing during a lecture so that students can share materials and absorb lecture content; and (2) the calculation of "wait time" intervals, or the appropriate number of seconds for students to…