Solving problems, especially in physics, has been well studied (e.g. Larkin, McDermott, Simon and Simon 1980: here and Chi, Glaser … More
Category: problem solving
Visible Physics – My ASE Presentation
Many thanks to everyone who came. I really enjoyed it and am grateful to colleagues who chose to come. I … More
Using Multiple Choice Questions to Assess High-Level Thinking in Science
We are very good at assessing retrieval through multiple choice questions (MCQs): they are easy to write and quick to … More
A Visceral Hinterland in Physics
Underneath it all, physicists think with their bodies. They know what it feels like. Einstein described his approach to problem-solving … More
A Short Booklet on What Research Says About Using Visuals in Teaching
Dear all, I have been thinking hard (and reading a lot) about using visualisations in class. Here is a booklet … More
Solving Problems with Diagrams
When physicists are presented with a problem, they reach for a pen and scrap of paper. Sometimes we go straight … More
My ASE Talk January 10th 2019 – How to Teach Problem Solving in Science (with added Bar-Models!)
I have planned the outline of my ASE Annual Conference talk (Thursday 12.00). It may develop a little, but the … More
Why Bar-Model Works #1: Dual Coding
I have been using bar-model incidentally in my year 11 revision groups for a couple of months now. I usually … More
Using Visual Representations to Help Solve Abstract Physics Problems
By year 6, pupils are skilled mathematical problem solvers. They can solve multi-step questions involving abstract concepts. This sounds like … More
