Summary: EtkinaThe course “Development of Ideas in Physical Science”
is offered in the fi rst semester of the program. Its goal is to
help students learn how physicists developed the ideas and
laws that are a part of the high school physics curriculum. The
“ideas” that students investigate correspond to the major build-
ing blocks of physics and chemistry, such as motion, force,
energy, molecular structure of matter, electric charge and cur-
rent, magnetic fi eld, light, and atomic and nuclear structure.
In this course, students use elements of science practice (con-
ducting observations, seeking patterns, devising explanations
and testing them by predicting the results of new experiments)
as means through which to examine the historical process.
They examine the sequence in which ideas were historically
developed and determine which ideas were prerequisites for
others, as well as read and discuss physics education research
papers on student learning of the same concepts.
“Teaching Physical Science” is a second-semester course in
which pre-service teachers learn in greater depth how to build
student understanding of crucial concepts (Newton’s laws,
electric charge and electric fi eld, magnetic fi eld and electro-
magnetic induction, etc.), how to engage students in experi-
ment design and complex problem solving, how to motivate
students, and how to develop and implement curriculum unit
plans and lesson plans, including formative and summative
assessments. The focus on listening to high school students,
and interpreting what they say and do, becomes even stronger.
To achieve this goal, pre-service teachers practice listening to
and interpreting the responses of their peers in class to specifi c
physics questions, read physics education and science educa-
tion research papers, and conduct problem-solving interviews
with high school or middle school students.
“Multiple Representations in Physical Science” is offered
in the last semester of the program after pre-service teachers
have done student teaching. The physics content of the course
includes waves and vibrations, thermodynamics, electricity
and magnetism, geometrical and physical optics, and atomic
physics. The goal is to help pre-service teachers systematically
integrate different representations of physics knowledge into
their problem-solving practice. An emphasis is on the connec-
tion between the use of multiple representations in physics
and knowledge of how the brain works. In addition to reading
research papers relevant to the weekly topics and using the
book “Five Easy Lessons” by R. Knight,^1 the students read the
book “The Art of Changing the Brain” by J. Zull.^2
In addition to coursework the program engages the students
in clinical practice through multiple venues. Students plan
and implement their own “high school” lessons under close
supervision, with immediate feedback from the program coor-
dinator. During the second semester, they spend 10 half-daysin high schools observing physics lessons and interacting
with students. In addition, for the fi rst two semesters and
after student teaching, pre-service teachers work as instruc-
tors (in labs or problem-solving sessions) in reformed physics
courses, similar to what physics graduate students would do.
Their teaching in the course is a simplifi ed and sheltered ver-
sion of high school teaching as they do not plan lessons and
assessments. The pre-service teachers’ major responsibility is
to implement instruction in a reformed atmosphere and refl ect
on what happened in class.
In the fall of the second year pre-service teachers do their
student teaching internship. They are placed with cooperating
teachers who are graduates of the program. (These placements
are only possible because of the continuous interaction of the
program staff with the graduates.) This careful placement
allows the interns to practice what they learned and avoid the
confl ict between how they are “supposed to teach” and “how
real teachers teach.”
After students fi nish the program and start teaching, they
join a community that consists of a web-based discussion
board established by the students in the program, along with
face-to-face meetings twice a month. Since fall 2004 there
have been on average 70 messages per month on the discus-
sion board (the number is growing steadily every year), most
of them related to the teaching of specifi c physics topics, stu-
dent diffi culties and ideas, diffi cult physics questions, new
technology, and interactions with students and parents. Posted
questions stimulate rapid responses and lively discussion.
The Rutgers Program is an Ed. M. (master’s degree) pro-
gram housed entirely in the Graduate School of Education.
Two major reasons for such hosting are the NJ certifi cation
requirements and the history of teacher preparation at Rutgers.
However, the fact that the GSE houses the program does not
mean that it is the only participant in the process; rather, it
is the collaboration between the Department of Physics and
Astronomy and the Graduate School of Education that makes
the program successful. Crucial aspects of this collabora-
tion are: advising of undergraduates, opportunities to teach
in PER-reformed courses, extra time spent by physics staff
and faculty providing training for the pre-service teachers,
and support for course reforms in the physics department.
Without this array of connections, true integration of physics
and pedagogy would not be possible in the teacher preparation
program.(^1) R. Knight, Five Easy Lessons (Addison Wesley Longman, San Francisco,
CA, 2003).
(^2) J. Zull, The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by
Exploring the Biology of Learning (Stylus Publishing, Sterling, Virginia, 2003).
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