Problem Solving in the Physics Classroom

As physics teachers, we can readily agree that our students should be able to solve challenging and meaningful physics problems. At the same time, many students report that framing a problem is the most difficult task that they encounter in both high school and undergraduate physics courses. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore a number of research-based approaches to engaging students with a variety of problem-solving techniques. Some of the topics to be explored include the nature of a problem, problem classification, planning for problem solving, collaborative learning, and the importance of self-monitoring during problem solving. The workshop will provide an experience for participants to do a variety of problems, using the techniques that will be presented, with a view to thinking about how these techniques might be implemented in a physics classroom.

Dr. Shawn Bullock is an assistant professor of education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He is currently teaching physics and mathematics methods courses in the B.Ed. program, with an emphasis on the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning purposes in the K–12 environment. Shawn’s research interests include how pre-service physics teachers learn to teach, informatics and digital technologies, and the place of climate change science in pre-service teacher education. He is particularly interested in how problems of learning science, problems of learning to teach science, and problems of learning to teach using ICT interact with one another.