31st Annual Student Research Conference
Peer Instruction: A Different Approach to Physics Education
Frank Consolino
Dr. Vayujeet Gokhale, Faculty Mentor
Many colleges and high schools utilize a traditional method to teach introductory physics classes. This approach is often a one-way conversation from the professor to the students. It involves long lectures that often focus on numerical problem solving rather than physics concepts. This often leads in students failing to understand the basic concepts of physics. There are many alternatives to this approach. Here, we discuss Peer instruction which can turn classrooms into a two-way conversation where students read material outside of class, solve problems on their own, and then discuss the answers with other students and their professor in class. Although this technique requires more out of class work, it often leads to a deeper understanding of physics and better performance on assessments.
Keywords: Physics, Education, Peer Instruction
Topic(s):Physics
Education
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 206-2
Location: MG 2050
Time: 9:45