Physics Education Research: A resource for improving student learning and teacher professional development

Lillian C. McDermott

Department of Physics, University of Washington

Jan. 29, 2009, 3.30 PM
Room 385 Serin (East)

Research on the learning and teaching of physics enhances the likelihood of cumulative improvement in the effectiveness of instruction. Systematic studies reveal that students at all levels of instruction from the precollege to the graduate level often have similar conceptual and reasoning difficulties. These findings have helped guide the design of curriculum for university undergraduates, precollege teachers, and graduate teaching assistants. Treating teaching as a science (not just as an art) has proved fruitful for setting higher (yet realistic) standards, for helping students meet the increased expectations, and for assessing the extent to which meaningful learning has occurred.


Last modified: Fri Jan 23 17:55:21 2009