PERC 2018 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Vexing Questions that Sustain Sensemaking |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Many physics instructors aim to support student sensemaking in their classrooms. However, this can be challenging since instances of sensemaking are often short-lived, with students defaulting back to approaches based on answer-making or rote mathematical manipulation. In this talk, we will present evidence that specific types of student questions can serve a key role in sustaining the sensemaking process. Using a case-study of two students discussing an E&M thought experiment, we show how students' entry into sensemaking is marked by a specific question and how this question recurs throughout their subsequent explanation, arguing that these recurrences may serve to stabilize and extend the sensemaking process. We will then describe instructional and research implications of these types of vexing questions. |
| Abstract Type: | Symposium Talk |
| Parallel Session: | Making Sense of Physics Sensemaking |
| Parallel Session: | Parallel Sessions Cluster II |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Tor Ole Odden University of Oslo Oslo, Norway, |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Rosemary Russ, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Invited Presentation | |
| Invited Presentation: | Download the Invited Presentation |
