Defeating students' alternate conceptions about kinematics: : a curriculum of simple activities, labs, exercises, and exams

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Authors
Stilwell, Carl J.
Advisor
Issue Date
2001
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Other Identifiers
Abstract

This creative project is a complete curriculum for teaching the introductory concepts of kinematics. The materials developed for this curriculum project include simple activities, labs, exercises and exams. These curriculum materials are designed for an introductory conceptual physics high school course. The main purpose of these materials is to address and correct the problem of students' alternate conceptions regarding kinematics. The identification of the students' alternate conceptions is the first step in correcting them. Tremendous amounts of educational research have been dedicated to the identification of students' alternate conceptions, and subsequently researchers have successfully identified many of them. The curriculum materials in this creative project are specifically designed to correct these identified alternate conceptions. The first chapter of this creative project gives an overview of the curriculum materials developed for this creative project, and the second chapter is a review of the current research regarding students' alternate conceptions. The remainder of the project is a detailed description and discussion of the curriculum materials that are located in the appendix of this creative project.