THE CONSTRUCTING PHYSICS UNDERSTANDING PROJECT: INTEGRATING COMPUTER SIMULATORS, HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS AND GROUP DISCUSSIONS TO PROMOTE MEANINGFUL LEARNING IN PHYSICS

THE CONSTRUCTING PHYSICS UNDERSTANDING PROJECT: INTEGRATING COMPUTER SIMULATORS, HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS AND GROUP DISCUSSIONS TO PROMOTE MEANINGFUL LEARNING IN PHYSICS Fred Goldberg, San Diego State University, USA; Valerie Otero, San Diego State University, USA; Andy Johnson, Black Hills State University, USA The Constructing Physics Understanding Project is a National Science Foundation supported project (Grant No. ESI-9454341) aimed at creating laboratory and computer-based materials to support a learning environment where students take primary responsibility for developing valid and robust knowledge in physics. The CPU project has developed a student-centered pedagogy, carefully sequenced sets of activities in several different topical areas of physical science, and a set of pedagogically-designed computer simulators. Rather than depending on the instructor as the source of knowledge, in the CPU classroom students develop, test and modify their own ideas through experimentation and discussion with their peers. The materials have been used successfully with secondary school physics and physical science students, and with prospective and practicing elementary teachers (through workshops and University courses).