"Supernovae and the Content of the Universe"

Paul J. Wendel

Kent State University and Copley High School

Abstract

In the 1980's, several researchers investigated the conceptual understanding of physics students, especially in the area of mechanics. These studies revealed misconceptions which were widespread, not obvious to the instructor, and resistant to change. In 1992, David Hestenes, Malcolm Wells, and Gregg Swackhamer published the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), a 30-question multiple-choice survey designed to efficiently probe students' conceptual understanding of mechanics. Hestenes and others found that after conventional instruction, FCI scores are typically low, but following alternative instructional strategies, FCI scores rise dramatically. I will present a variety of teaching strategies which have successfully raised FCI scores. Next, I will present the results of our studies at Copley High School and KSU since the fall of 1999. Finally, I will describe our National Science Foundation proposal for laboratory upgrades at KSU.