Questions whether didactic methods employed for teaching physics at the advanced level can adequately match the variety of needs of students in the contemporary context. Offers a framework for promoting a style of teaching that is responsive and versatile. Contains 14 references. (Author/JRH)

Presents an activity enabling students of grades four to nine to construct a "Buzzing Bee" model using simple materials. Provides students with the opportunity to explore the concepts of sound and the Doppler effect. (MKR)

Discusses a questionnaire study to determine why fewer year 10 students are interested in physics than in biology. Finds that students perceive physics as being difficult and irrelevant. Males and females offered different reasons for finding physics boring with males enjoying practical exercises and females valuing areas in which physics can be…

Presents a problem solving approach which follows a pathway allowing students to visualize patterns, have an overview of the problem, and clarify the connections. Investigates the quality of student constructed pathways and reports greater success with the approach on difficult problems rather than easy ones. (Contains 13 references.) (YDS)

Presents an activity that encourages students to think as scientists and explores microgravity. Employs a drop tower built with simple materials. (DDR)

Presents an activity that uses phosphorescent stars to help students understand the wave and particle nature of light. Discusses star phosphorescence, the emission spectrum of the stars, and the photoelectric effect. (DDR)

Presents a variety of activities that support the development of an understanding of Newton's laws of motion. Activities use toy cars, mobile roads, and a seat-of-nails. Includes a scoring rubric. (DDR)

Presents investigations, recommended for grades four through eight, in which students design and create their own tops using everyday materials. Discusses preparation, concept development, concept application, and integration with other subjects. (JRH)

Explores whether older students were less ready than younger students to change their alternative conceptions. Findings indicate that after reading a refutational text, conceptual change occurred in 35% of Year 6 students and 44% of Year 10 students. Concludes that there was no evidence to suggest that conceptual change is more difficult for older…

Investigates student reasoning about models of conduction. Reports that students often are unable to account for the existence of free electrons in a conductor and create models that lead to incorrect predictions and responses contradictory to expert descriptions of the physics involved. (Contains 36 references.) (Author/YDS)

Presents data from 10 years of teaching using Peer Instruction (PI) in calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics courses for non-majors. Results indicate increased mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative problem solving upon implementing PI. Discusses ways to improve the implementation of PI. (Contains 34 references.)…

Explains that multiple-choice tests such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) provide useful instruments to probe the distribution of student difficulties on a large scale. Introduces a new method, concentration analysis, to measure how students' responses on multiple-choice questions are distributed. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/YDS)

Recognizes how difficult it is for secondary and post-secondary students to make connections between physics and everyday phenomena, rationalize the use of a particular formula for a given problem, and go beyond algebraic substitutions to really make sense of physics in a meaningful way. Provides a rationale for physicists to become involved in…

Describes an assignment requiring high school physics students to design and teach physical science lessons to elementary students in grades 1-5. Working in groups of three or four, the physics students followed a prescribed timeline to develop their activities, prepare demonstrations, and present the lessons. Presents a detailed teaching…

Compares the final-exam scores in honors physics at a South Florida high school during 3 consecutive 4-year periods from 1991-2002. Finds that class mean exam scores decreased when the school switched from 7-period day to 4 by 4 block (4 92-minute periods per day), but increased when the block schedule was enhanced with web-assisted instruction.…