[Emeriti-faculty] Reminder: Physics colloquium this Friday

["Staii, Cristian" <Cristian Staii tufts edu>]

Dear colleagues,

Just a reminder about David Hammer's colloquium this Friday (3pm, STC 
136). David will give a talk with the intriguing title: What do the 
students need? (abstract below).

Hope to see you there!

Abstract:  The instruction we offer students, at any level, presumably 
reflects what we believe will help them understand physics.  But we don’t 
often subject our beliefs to scrutiny.  Most physics instructors work from 
common sense assumptions about what students need—clear explanations, 
demonstrations, motivation and practice.  As in physics, however, common 
sense ideas (e.g. 'objects move because they are pushed') aren't always 
correct.  I will present evidence that these usual assumptions are 
insufficient and offer an expanded set of possibilities, focusing in 
particular on how students understand knowledge and learning.  In some 
cases what students most need is help taking a different approach to 
learning, a “refinement of everyday thinking” (Einstein, 1936) rather than 
a reception of information.



Cristian Staii
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Tufts University,
Science and Technology (STC) Center, Room 209
Medford, MA 02155 USA
Phone: 617-627-5368

email: Cristian Staii tufts edu
https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/CristianStaiiTuftsUniversity/Home

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