[net-gold] Re: Concept Inventories in Mathematics #2
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Other Net-Gold Lists -- Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <NetGold_general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:32:50 -0400 (EDT)
.
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:23:43 -0700
From: Richard Hake <rrhake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: naturalmath@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: AERA-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] Re: Concept Inventories in Mathematics #2
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ABSTRACT: In response to my posts"Concept Inventories in Mathematics"
[Hake (2010a,b)] Natural Math's Maria Droujkova wrote: "I'd like to
ask for some context, to see why any of this is significant. It looks
like an argument about what a particular test is measuring, but none
of the terms under discussion (appreciative, shallow, acumen, common
sense) are measurable. . . . ." I agree that the aforementioned terms
used by Math-Teach's Robert Hansen are not *operationally defined*
and therefore essentially meaningless. But among the terms mentioned
in Hake (2010a,b) were the "Force Concept Inventory" which *tests
understanding of basic concepts of Newtonian Mechanics*. As for more
context, see e.g., "Lessons from the physics education reform effort"
[Hake (2002)] - generally either ignored or dismissed by math
educators - and Eric Mazur's masterful presentation "Confessions of a
Converted Lecturer," regarding use of the FCI at Harvard to increase
the effectiveness of introductory courses.
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In response to my posts "Concept Inventories in Mathematics" [Hake
(2010a.b], Maria Droujkova (2010) wrote:
"I'd like to ask for some context, to see why any of this is
significant. It looks like an argument about what a particular test
is measuring, but none of the terms under discussion (appreciative,
shallow, acumen, common sense) _are measurable. Tests usually measure
something very narrow and particular (the success at taking this
test, as some people joke). . . . ."
I agree with Maria that the terms "appreciative, shallow, acumen,
common sense" used by Math-Teach's Robert Hansen are not
*operationally defined* and therefore essentially meaningless - see
e.g., "Education Research Employing Operational Definitions Can
Enhance the Teaching Art" [Hake (2010c)].
But perhaps Maria did not notice that among the terms discussed in
Hake (2010a) was: "the FCI (Force Concept Inventory) [Hestenes et al.
(1992), Halloun et al. (1995)] and its precursor the Mechanics
Diagnostic [Halloun & Hestenes (1985a,b)] . . . .[which]. . . _TEST
UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF NEWTONIAN MECHANICS."
As for more context as requested by Maria, my thanks to Natural
Math's Brenda Weiss (2010) for filling in some of it. For yet more
context see e.g.:
a. "Lessons from the physics education reform effort" [Hake (2002)]
(generally either ignored or dismissed by math educators). The
abstract reads: "Several years ago, I reported a survey of pretest
and posttest data for 62 introductory physics courses attended by a
total of 6542 students. The present article provides a summary of
that survey and offers 14 lessons from the physics education reform
effort that may assist in the general upgrading of education and
science literacy."
b. the masterful presentation "Confessions of a Converted Lecturer"
by Eric Mazur (2010) on how the FCI has been used at Harvard to
increase the effectiveness of introductory courses.
Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the
Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)
<rrhake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi>
<http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com>
<http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake>
REFERENCES [All URL's accessed on 24 September 2010; some shortened
by <http://bit.ly/>.]
Droujkova, M. 2010. "Re: Concept Inventories in Mathematics," Natural
Math post of 22 September 2010 6:26pm (Google Groups fails to give
the time zone); online at <http://bit.ly/csvWXQ>, scroll down to the
second post.
Hake, R.R. 2002. "Lessons from the physics education reform effort,"
Ecology and Society 5(2): 28; online at
<http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol5/iss2/art28/>. For an update on
six of the lessons on "interactive engagement" see Hake (2007).
Hake, R.R. 2007 "Six Lessons From the Physics Education Reform
Effort," Latin American Journal of Physics
<http://journal.lapen.org.mx/sep07/HAKE%20Final.pdf> (124 kB).
Hake, R.R. 2010a. "Concept Inventories in Mathematics," online on the
OPEN! Math-Teach archives at
<http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2144651&tstart=0>.
Postof 21 September 2010 4:39:00-0700 to Math-Learn, Math-Teach,
NaturalMath, and PhysLrnR. Transmitted to AERA-L, MathEDCC, and
Net-Gold on 22 September 2010.
Hake, R.R. 2010b. "Concept Inventories in Mathematics," online on the
OPEN! AERA-L archives at archives at <http://bit.ly/bl3voJ>. Post
of 22 Sep 2010 10:54:11-0700 to AERA-L, MathEDCC, Math-Learn,
Math-Teach, NaturalMath, Net-Gold, and PhysLrnR. Therein I counter
two absurd comments on Hake (2010a) by Math-Teach's Robert Hansen.
Hake, R.R. 2010c. "Education Research Employing Operational
Definitions Can Enhance the Teaching Art," invited talk, Portland,
OR, AAPT meeting, 19 July; online as a 3.8 MB pdf at
<http://bit.ly/aGlkjm>, and as ref. 60 at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>.
Halloun, I. & D. Hestenes. 1985a. "The initial knowledge state of
college physics students." Am. J. Phys. 53: 1043-1055; online at
<http://bit.ly/b1488v> - see under "Evaluation Instruments." The
print version contains the Mechanics Diagnostic Test.
Halloun, I. & D. Hestenes. 1985b. "Common sense concepts about
motion," Am. J. Phys. 53: 1056-1065; online at <http://bit.ly/b1488v>
- see under "Evaluation Instruments."
Halloun, I., R.R. Hake, E.P. Mosca, & D. Hestenes, "Force Concept
Inventory (1995 Revision)," online (password protected) at
<http://bit.ly/b1488v>, scroll down to "Evaluation Instruments."
Currently available in 20 languages: Arabic, Chinese, Croatian,
Czech, English, Finnish, French, French (Canadian), German, Greek,
Italian, Japanese, Malaysian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish,
Slovak, Swedish, & Turkish.
Hestenes, D., M. Wells, & G. Swackhamer, "Force Concept Inventory,"
Phys. Teach. 30(3), 141-158 (1992); online (but without the test
itself) at <http://bit.ly/b1488v>.
Mazur, E. 2010. "Confessions of a Converted Lecturer" talk at the
University of Maryland on 11 November 2009. The abstract reads: "I
thought I was a good teacher until I discovered my students were just
memorizing information rather than learning to understand the
material. Who was to blame? The students? The material? I will
explain how I came to the agonizing conclusion that the culprit was
neither of these. It was my teaching that caused students to fail! I
will show how I have adjusted my approach to teaching and how it has
improved my students' performance significantly." That talk is now on
UTube at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwslBPj8GgI>; and the
abstract, slides, and references - sometimes obscured in the UTube
talk - are at <http://bit.ly/9N19Rq> as a 4 MB pdf. . . . .[That URL
is now dead :-( but may recover]]. . . . As of 24 September 2010
10:25:00-0700 Eric's talk had been viewed by 25,116 UTube fans, up
from 12,800 on 16 March 2010. In contrast, serious articles in the
education literature, often read only by the author and a few
cloistered academic specialists, usually create tsunamis in
educational practice equivalent to those produced by a pebble dropped
into the Pacific Ocean.
Weiss, B. 2010. "Re: Concept Inventories in Mathematics," Natural
Math post of 23 September 2010 8:22pm (Google Groups fails to give
the time zone); online at <http://bit.ly/csvWXQ>, scroll down to the
third post.
.
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