Supporting physics teaching with research-based resources

“Any questions?”

The instructor pauses regularly to solicit questions. More substantive prompts will typically generate more discussion.

Brainstorming

The instructor asks students (individually or in groups) to generate a list of ideas on a topic or question. Ideas are recorded.

Case studies

Students discuss real-life stories about a community, family, school, industry, or individual, to integrate their classroom knowledge with their knowledge of real-world situations, actions, and consequences.

Choral response

All students give a verbal response at the teacher's signal. Choral responses are used when answers are short and the same. The instructor might pose an incomplete fill-in-the-blank sentence (often with two opposite options: e.g., redshift or blueshift).

Collaborative note-taking

Students collaborate on shared notes, either in pairs or as a whole class. Students may contribute to a shared set of notes (e.g., in a Google Doc) or work in pairs or small groups to develop or review each others’ notes.

Commented reading

Students take notes on an article or text. This can be done in a structured way so that the instructor and/or other students can read and reply to comments. Perusall^TM is a platform for group-based commented reading.

Concept mapping

Students are asked to make a visual representation of information or ideas in charts, tables, flowcharts, Venn Diagrams, or mind maps.

Demonstrations

The instructor performs a physical experiment while students observe. These work best when done actively; see “interactive demonstrations.”

Discussion: Whole class or group

Students discuss a topic in class either as a whole class or in pairs or groups. Students might discuss the reading, a video, a problem solution, a question posed by the instructor, work out the next step of a problem, predict an outcome, brainstorm a list, summarize a topic, or observe and interpret features of an image, graph, simulation, or demonstration.

Flipped classroom

Students read a textbook section or watch a video on their own before a class session, then spend class time on active-learning activities.

Group or two-stage exam

Students first complete and turn in the exam individually and then, working in small groups, answer the exam questions again. This makes the exam a more valuable learning experience.

Group presentations

Students work together to create a presentation for their classmates about a particular topic, showing a problem they solved, a discovery they made, etc. This can be done via slides, a poster, whiteboard, or video.

Guided peer questioning

Students write down questions to ask one another about the content, using question stems provided by the instructor (e.g., What causes ___? What would happen if ____?). Then, students take turns asking one another their questions and discussing the answers.

Guided or skeleton notes

The instructor provides a written outline of the material, including diagrams and equations, but with gaps for students to fill in key information based on that day’s lecture or activities.

Inquiry learning

Inquiry activities often involve students developing their own questions to investigate based on intriguing observed phenomena, working in groups to plan and carry out an investigation to answer their questions, and communicating their results with classmates.

Interactive demonstrations

Students actively engage in lecture demonstrations. For example, the instructor can ask students to predict what will happen and then check their predictions, invite students to direct what to do (change X variable, move this piece), or ask students to make measurements. 

Jigsaw discussion

Each group of students learns about a different piece of a topic. Then, new groups are formed composed of one member from each of the first groups, and students teach each other about their piece.

Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT)

Students complete a pre-class assignment and answer questions on the concept covered before coming to class (often called “warmup exercises,” “preflight checks,” or “checkpoints”). Instructors review the responses before class and address student difficulties in class.

Kinesthetic activities

Students act out phenomena, physical processes, etc., sometimes in a group, e.g., acting as an electron in a circuit. Other students can observe and give feedback.

Labs and other investigations

Hands-on experimental opportunities for students to learn the skills of doing physics, and experience phenomena that demonstrate a theory. Labs usually use physical equipment but may also use virtual labs (e.g., PhET simulations, RealTime Physics, and Tools for Scientific Thinking).

Lecture

The instructor introduces students to key ideas, concepts, terminology, and problem-solving methods using both words and visuals.

Note-taking

Students take notes while reading or listening to a lecture or video. Students may need guidance on the best strategies. 

One-minute paper

Students write in response to a topic or question from the instructor. Common prompts are the main point, or the muddiest point, from today’s lecture. The instructor may wish to collect responses and use them to identify common confusions to be addressed in the next class.

Online discussion platform

Students discuss concepts or seek help in an online asynchronous forum. Many Classroom Management Systems (CSM) have such an online forum, or Piazza^TM and Slack^TM are often used.

Pause for reflection or clarification

The instructor pauses regularly during class and asks students to reflect on the content on their own and/or clarify their notes with a partner. The instructor gives space for students to ask questions.

Peer review/group evaluation

Students are asked to complete an individual homework assignment, short paper, or give a presentation. Students submit one copy to the instructor to be graded and one copy to their partner, who gives critical feedback. One format for peer review is “two stars and a wish,” stating two things that were good about the work and a suggestion.

Polling

Students respond to multiple-choice questions from the instructor. This is best done with challenging conceptual questions where distractors reflect common student thinking, but polling can be used for other purposes. See "Think-pair-share practices" and the "Constellation of educational technologies." Also called “ConcepTests” or “Peer Instruction” when done in association with Think-Pair-Share.

Problem-solving in pairs or groups

Students practice solving problems or derivations on their own or in a group. Group problem-solving can be done in a structured way, with one problem-solver and one listener or questioner, preferably working together on a whiteboard. Cooperative Group Problem-Solving and Context-Rich Problems are published techniques with many examples.

Problem-based learning (PBL)

Students learn the content by working in groups to solve a complex, real-world problem; the source of the learning is the work required to solve the problem. See Context-Rich Problems on PhysPort.

Random call and cold calling

The instructor randomly calls on students or groups to answer or ask questions during class, in order to encourage all students to be engaged and contribute. Random call can create anxiety for students so must be used carefully; see "Whole Class Discussion Practices."

Ranking / sorting task

Students place items (e.g., concepts, quantities) in a logical order, or sort them into categories. This can be done on a worksheet or with cards. Ranking Tasks in astronomy is an example of this.

Revise and resubmit

After an assignment, homework, or exam is graded, students are given an opportunity to revise and resubmit for partial credit. This can work best when the returned papers do not give detailed explanations of the error, and when the student is required to explain their error.

Reading / textbooks

Students are assigned a reading to complete, usually before class. It is best to choose a selection that is not too long, and indicate what students should focus on. 

Reading assessment

Students complete an assessment related to the reading, possibly in groups in class, or possibly turned in for credit. Assessments could include writing questions or responding to a question about the reading, listing two things you learned, summarizing the main points, etc.

Role-playing

The instructor asks students to "act out" a part or a position to get a better idea of the concepts and theories being discussed.

Screencast

A video where the instructor records their own writing on their screen with narration, e.g., while they solve an example problem.

Self-assessment

Students assess their own learning through quizzing themselves, taking a quiz and grading it themselves, or using a checklist or rubric to self-determine their level of performance or understanding.

Simulations or animations

Simulations or animations are computer-based depictions of a physical phenomenon. See also “simulations and demonstrations practices.” Sets of online simulations include PhET Interactive Simulations, Physlets, and Open Source Physics.

Statement correction

Students determine what is wrong with a statement, and propose an alternative correct statement. Can be done individually or in groups.

Student-generated test questions

Students write their own questions that they feel capture the key concepts from a topic they recently learned, either individually or in groups. The instructor uses those questions for exam review, or on the exam.

Studio or SCALE-UP

Labs, tutorials, and lectures are all integrated into one course, and most of the "lectures" are class-wide discussions. The learning space is designed to facilitate interactions between small groups.

Think-pair-share (TPS) and variations

Students first think about a question individually, then discuss it in pairs. Then, they share their answers with the rest of the class. Can be combined with polling to collect individual and/or joint responses, also called Peer Instruction or ConcepTests. TPS can be used productively with whiteboards. See “polling” and “whiteboards.”

Vetted questions

Vetted questions are questions that are “upvoted” by students in some way, and so represent the most popular or pressing questions. Questions can be upvoted using technology or small groups can discuss.

Video

Students watch a video on content usually before class. The video can be professional or amateur (e.g., YouTube^TM, or created by the instructor). Use “Just-in-Time Teaching” to ask students questions about the video.

Worked problems

An instructor demonstrates how they solve an example problem in real time in class or with a screencast (see above).

Whiteboard

Students work on a whiteboard, usually on solving a problem. This can be on small individual whiteboards, or large shared whiteboards around the room, and students can work alone or in groups. Whiteboards make it easier for students to collaborate, and for the instructor to view student work. Virtual whiteboards (e.g., Jamboard^TM) can also be used.

Worksheet

Students work in class or recitation on written problems or questions, usually in small groups. Worksheets that provide guided inquiry may be called “tutorials.” The instructor acts as a facilitator and walks around helping groups. There are many examples of published worksheet-based curricula available on PhysPort.org, e.g., Lecture Tutorials and Ranking Tasks in astronomy, Physics by Inquiry, Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Workshop Physics, Tasks Inspired by Physics Education Research, Open Source Tutorials, Physics and Everyday Thinking, etc. The instructor can also design their own.

Writing assignment

Students write in response to a prompt, in class, out of class, or in a lab. For example, students could be asked to write what they already know about a topic, generate a list of applications, summarize a topic or their lab results, connect lab activities to lecture material, or summarize a reading. For example, “what about the enterprise of sciences makes it different from business?”