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High school physics classrooms across the United States are making efforts to integrate computation into their approach to teaching physics. There is wide agreement on the importance of teaching computational thinking (CT) practices in these types of settings, but little research has focused on the dispositions that students can develop that support the development of CT practices. This presentation examines the case of one high school physics class where students do computation-integrated physics in a group work format. Drawing from a newly theorized framework on CT dispositions and the well-established theory of mindset, we investigate how students take up dispositions and mindset during class, and we examine connections between these theories and how they manifest in our data. We intend to help researchers and practitioners identify students&#39; dispositions so that they can provide opportunities for their students to better develop dispositions and more productively engage with computationally integrated physics.

AAPT SM 21

Dispositions and Mindset in Computation-integrated Physics

dispositions

mindset

computation

**Making Physics More Inclusive and Eliminating Exclusionary Practices in Physics**

As a gateway discipline to STEM majors and careers, physics plays a central role in deciding who does, and who doesn't, get to discover and pursue scientific careers. Technical and scientific professionals are rewarded with economic privilege and status which affords them both social and cultural power. Therefore, social justice will be realized only when the opportunity, and the choice, to excel in physics is open to all students. The culture and practices of the physics classroom reflect the culture of physics at large, which raises the question of how our professional physics communities can embrace, rather than inadvertently repel, a diverse group of academics that can help improve physics culture.  To this end, the 2021 Physics Education Research Conference will focus on defining inclusive spaces and practices. Additionally, we will explore strategies for eliminating exclusionary practices in our classrooms, research spaces, and professional organizations. We call on the community to propose sessions that will drive conversations related to these initiatives throughout PERC 2021.

Please download the full program [here. ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TRMC_SYJ3PUqXyP7sskA7LRSA8ow0eRE/view?usp=sharing)

PERC SM 21

August 4, 2021 - August 5, 2021 in a Virtual Conference Format

Making Physics More Inclusive and Eliminating Exclusionary Practices in Physics

High school physics classrooms across the United States are making efforts to integrate computation into their approach to teaching physics. There is wide agreement on the importance of teaching computational thinking (CT) practices in these types of settings, but little research has focused on the dispositions that students can develop that support the development of CT practices. This presentation examines the case of one high school physics class where students do computation-integrated physics in a group work format. Drawing from a newly theorized framework on CT dispositions and the well-established theory of mindset, we investigate how students take up dispositions and mindset during class, and we examine connections between these theories and how they manifest in our data. We intend to help researchers and practitioners identify students' dispositions so that they can provide opportunities for their students to better develop dispositions and more productively engage with computationally integrated physics.

technical paper

Join AAPT and Physics Educators worldwide in developing and strengthening your professional connections by attending the 2021 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting. AAPT meetings are a great way to reflect on your teaching, recommit to best practices and re-energize your career with new research, products, and techniques.

Listen to internationally known plenary speakers, attend sessions, workshops, and special activities. Attending the virtual summer meeting is an excellent opportunity to share your expertise and learn from and network with leaders in the field.

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Prior research indicates that secondary students perceive quantum physics as a complex version of Newtonian physic. This raises implications for instruction as quantum physics rests on a set of principles that differ drastically from Newtonian physics. The topic need not be complex, but it does require a conceptual framework for interpretation that is incompatible with Newtonian physics. Research shows that this topic can be introduced in a purely conceptually manner but requires careful guidance from the instructor and necessitates a conceptual shift in students from a Newtonian physics framework. As topics like wave-particle duality and quantum technology find more room in physics curriculum developing appropriate instructional approaches for this realm will become increasingly important. This paper focuses on the implications associated with introducing Quantum physics principles in the secondary classroom and the epistemological challenges that arise during instruction on this exciting, yet challenging subject.

Instructional Implications of Introducing Quantum Physics in the Secondary Classroom

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Group project in an online world? Yes, it works!

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Is it time to abandon the calculator?

How do student perceptions about introductory physics correlate, if at all, with student performance, in both remote and in-person learning environments? Previous studies offer an interesting link between students’ perception of the value of the course and their performance: students with lower perceived value at the start of the semester perform better in in-person learning environments, as compared to those offered remotely. Furthermore, no discernible difference in performance between remote and in-person learning environments was detected for students having higher perceived value of a course. These observations suggest that individual student perceptions are more indicative of performance than modality of instruction. We address the interplay between student perceptions and performance outcomes, in introductory physics at West Point.

Remote vs. In-Person Learning: Perceptions vs. Outcomes in Introductory Physics

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Improving student understanding of Thermal Equilibrium with an interactive tutorial

This session explains how the Institute of Physics moved all its physics teacher CPD online after over a decade of working directly in schools in the UK and Ireland. Our team of over 50 teacher coaches and IOP colleagues worked in much closer collaboration to support teachers remotely and respond to the new pressures that they were facing. We moved from live support sessions to a blended approach with pre-recorded videos accessed on IOPSpark. There were many deep conversations and a lot of new thinking about what physics pedagogy is vital and lends itself to a short video structure. This session will showcase the greatest hits of the 11-19 videos, including the underpinning education research and technology used. We’ll discuss how these ideas have now been taken back into the physics classroom and what works better on camera than in real life.

Lights, camera, action! From IOP physics coach to Youtuber

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Integrating Computational Jupyter Notebook Lessons into High School Physics

Large amplitude pendulums are often ignored by introductory physics classes even though students notice deviations from the small angle approximation during physics labs. Using Blockly coding built into PASCO software, students can create models of the motion of a large amplitude pendulum from basic physics principles. The new PASCO scientific Meter Stick Torque Set coupled with rotary sensors and photogates allows for accurate measurement of angular position, angular velocity, and period. This enables students to compare their models to direct measurements to test and refine them. Methods to predict and measure the period of a meter stick oscillating about its end will be demonstrated. Code to predict the motion of the pendulum as a function of time will be shown and the results compared to measurements. A procedure for the experimental derivation of the parallel axis theorem using this equipment also will be shared.


Modeling and Measuring Characteristics of a Large Amplitude Physical Pendulum

STEPP (Scaffolded Training Environment for Physics Programming) is a no-cost interactive instructional tool designed to support the teaching of kinematics and Newton’s Laws of Motion in high school physics. Developed through NSF’s STEM+C program, STEPP focuses on the overlap between physics and computational thinking. STEPP allows users to model and visualize the motion described in physics problems already in their curriculum without any formal programming experience expected or required. Carefully designed with scaffolded levels and dynamic display of motion and graphing, STEPP will be available for use in classrooms this fall at stepp.utdallas.edu. Join us to learn about STEPP and how to access resources including a video workshop introduction.

Introducing STEPP: A Resource for Physics Classrooms Utilizing Computational Thinking

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Dispositions and Mindset in Computation-integrated Physics

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