THOMPSON SELECTED FOR FULBRIGHT AWARD - 2008-2009
John Thompson (Assistant Professor) has been selected by the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, in co-operation with the US Board of Foreign Scholarships, for a 10-month lecturing / research position at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) for the academic year 2008-2009. His award is entitled "Studies of the learning and teaching of physics concepts and problem solving."
His host will be Dr. Brian Bowe, a Lecturer in the School of Physics and Director of the Learning and Teaching Centre at DIT. Bowe also directs a PER group at DIT in the School of Physics.
The major goals for this award are to exchange ideas about physics education research (PER), including how to best teach future science teachers about the relevance of PER to their careers, and forge an international collaboration to strengthen both our research programs. Thompson's plan combines investigations of student learning of physics concepts with teaching about research on effective physics teaching. The three major components of the project include: (1) experience curricular reforms in introductory physics courses, and compare these to instructional strategies and materials with which he has teaching and research experience; (2) continue current research with a new population of students in order to compare physics teaching and learning at the upper division; (3) facilitate in courses offered for post-secondary instructors and conduct research on the effectiveness of these courses in altering ideas about understanding of teaching and learning in physics.
