FFPER2011

Plenary Speakers

• Saalih Allie (University of Cape Town)
• Eric Brewe (Florida International University)
• Ruth Chabay (North Carolina State University)
• Hunter Close (Seattle Pacific University; soon to be Texas State University, San Marcos)
• Brian Frank (University of Maine; soon to be Middle Tennessee State University)
• Michael Loverude (California State University, Fullerton)
• Ed Prather (University of Arizona)
• Mel Sabella (Chicago State University)
• Rachel Scherr (Seattle Pacific University)
• Mackenzie Stetzer (University of Washington,; soon to be University of Maine)

Conference Photos

Row 5 (back): Warren Christensen, Leslie Atkins, Phil Southey, Sandy Martinuk, Tobias Fredlund, Brian Danielak, Benedikt Harrer, Brant Hinrichs, Jeff Hawkins, Urban Eriksson, Laird Kramer, Dedra Demaree, Joe Redish, Andrew Boudreaux, Steve Kanim, Stamatis Vokos, Peter Shaffer

Row 4: David Meltzer, Victoria Nwosu, Jenaro Guisasola, Shuly Kapon, Mark Haugan, Alex Rudolph, Jason Dowd, Chris Shubert, Mikko Kesonen, Ian Beatty, Eric Kuo, Adam Kaczynski, Kara Grey, Beth Lindsey, John Thompson, Jose Mestre, Sebastien Cormier

Row 3: Jing Wang, Cedric Linder, Jenn Docktor, Adrian Madsen, Liz Gire, Kathy Perkins, Sam McKagan, Vashti Sawtelle, Cassandra Paul, Renee Michelle Goertzen, Ben Spike, Ayush Gupta, Valerie Otero, Lillian McDermott, Sissi Li, Suzanne White Brahmia

Row 2 (seated): Ruth Chabay, Hunter Close, Rachel Scherr, Ed Prather, Mac Stetzer, Saalih Allie, Mel Sabella, Mike Loverude, Brian Frank

Row 1 (kneeling): Michael Wittmann, Eric Brewe, Paula Heron

Download the full-size image.

Michael Wittmann's photos can be found here, as well. Most are of the campus, some large group discussions, and the sunset cruise. Lots are close-up portraits of some members of the community.

Jennifer Docktor's photos can be found here.

Targeted Sessions

Targeted Sessions offer highly interactive discussion of a specific research topic of the organizer's choosing.

TA and LA research: Present and Future

Location: Turrets conference room

Organizer: Renee Michelle Goertzen. Presenters: Benjamin Spike, Cassandra Paul, Hunter Close, Kara Gray

We will begin with a poster session highlighting current research on TAs and LAs in the PER community, followed by a discussion of the direction that TA and LA research could or should take in the future.

What my data can and can't tell me: Theoretical Frameworks and Methods for Investigating Students Use of Mathematics in Physics

Location: Deering Common

Organizer: Warren Christensen. Presenters: Elizabeth Gire, Eric Kuo, John Thompson, Michael Wittmann

Presenters will discuss their work investigating students use of mathematics with particular focus on their theoretical frameworks and methodologies and how that influences their findings. The goal of the session is to demonstrate the breadth of research, and how the research is impacted by choices of theoretical framework and methods across this specific discipline. A great deal of the session will be spent discussing emergent themes and ideas across the research studies and how those might be extended into other interdisciplinary work.

Heating up “cold” cognition: Bringing the connection between emotions and cognition into PER

Location: Turrets conference room

Organizer: Leslie Atkins & Andy Elby. Presenters: Leslie Atkins, Brian Danielak, Ayush Gupta, Vashti Sawtelle, Rachel Scherr & Hunter Close & Sam McKagan.

As instructors, we all know that students’ emotions affect their cognition (reasoning, approaches to learning, and so on). But almost no physics education research has focused on the connections between emotions and so-called “cold” cognition. At this poster session and discussion, we will think about how to start filling this gap.

Working Groups

A "working group" is a discussion group whose task is to develop a well-articulated position on the topic at hand. There were three working groups at the 2011 FFPER.

NRC commissioned report: A Synthesis of Undergraduate Physics Education Research

Jennifer Docktor and Jose Mestre

Location: Turrets conference room

The National Science Foundation funded a study, currently being conducted by the National Research Council (NRC), on the status, contributions, and future direction of discipline-based education research (DBER in physics, biological sciences, geosciences, and chemistry). As part of that study, a white paper was commissioned to synthesize PER at the undergraduate level (written by Docktor and Mestre). In addition, there is currently another NRC committee (Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation‹the "UPE" committee) charged with assessing the present status of undergraduate physics education and to make recommendations both on improving undergraduate physics education based on research findings, and on the future of physics education research. This working group will offer critique on the white paper by Docktor & Mestre and provide feedback that can be taken back to the NRC committee (at least two FFPER attendees, Mestre and Heron, are members of UPE). A copy of A copy of the draft can be found here.

Essential readings in and beyond PER

Kathy Perkins and Sam McKagan

Location: Turrets conference room

This working group will assemble a set of readings that the PER community considers basic and necessary - compiling 2 reading lists. One list focusing on the PER canon, and a second list focusing on readings outside of PER that inform PER researchers about key ideas or methodologies from related disciplines. (In 2005, a FFPER Working Group developed reading list in PER - that is ready for an update - but also an expansion to readings beyond PER. The 2005 report is available here

Envisioning PER summer school

Rachel E. Scherr and Michael C. Wittmann

Location: Deering Common

A high-quality PER summer school would help the field's most promising graduate and postdoctoral students become leading researchers in physics education. This working group will create a model and a funding plan.