Improving science education one researcher at a time
March 27, 2014
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By Anne Craig, Communications Officer
A team of Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s and Harvard researchers has identified important gaps between education research and teaching practices that are impeding the adoption of novel teaching strategies in post-secondary science education. Research-based instructional strategies have been validated in many classrooms, including large enrollment first-year courses, but these highly interactive approaches have been slow to spread.
James Fraser (Physics) and the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s 카지노게임사이트-Harvard 카지노게임사이트 team are proposing ways that education research can better serve front-line teachers, as well as approaches faculty members can take that will provide better learning opportunities for their science students.
카지노 게임 컬렉션About 60 per cent of students who enter college intending to major in a science-related field do not graduate with a science degree,카지노 게임 컬렉션 says Dr. Fraser. 카지노 게임 컬렉션The continued prevalence of the traditional lecture approach is surprising given the dramatic gains achieved by highly interactive approaches in improved conceptual understanding, and increased retention in enrollment.카지노 게임 컬렉션
Working with Harvard 카지노게임사이트 researcher Eric Mazur, Dr. Fraser explored particularly successful practices and ways to improve their dissemination. The researchers synthesized results from studies of instructional techniques from a wide range of North American schools.
The review identified three major barriers to improving education in the science fields: the challenges of validating teaching approaches in real classrooms (with many uncontrolled variables), a professor카지노 게임 컬렉션s lack of specific and timely feedback about the learning environment of their students, and the time limitations of faculty who cannot put their teaching and research roles on hold to become education research experts.
카지노 게임 컬렉션There are real barriers for a professor to adopt an interactive teaching approach. Education research has tested methods of overcoming some of these obstacles so we need to better disseminate the successful results,카지노 게임 컬렉션 says Dr. Fraser. 카지노 게임 컬렉션But other obstacles remain and education research needs to do a better job at addressing these issues.카지노 게임 컬렉션
The research looked at a number of schools including Harvard, Ohio State, Indiana 카지노게임사이트 and Arizona State. Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s was not included in the study.
The paper was published in the journal Reports on Progress in Physics. In addition, Dr. Mazur has been named one of the plenary facilitators at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Annual Conference that will be held this year at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s from June 17 to 20.