Creative Thinking in University Physics Education

129 Pages·2022·4.943 MB·English

by  Douglas P. Newton, Sam Nolan, Simon Rees

Creative Thinking in University
Physics Education
Online at: https://doi.org/10.1088/978-0-7503-4028-1
IOP Series in Physics Education
The IOP Series in Physics Education aims to provide comprehensive, authoritative
and innovative coverage for those that teach physics and related subjects at
universities and other higher and further education institutions, and for those
involved in physics education research.
Series Editor
Professor Peter Main
King’s College London, UK
About the Editor
Peter Main obtained his PhD from the University of Manchester and, after post-
docs in Manchester and Helsinki, he joined the University of Nottingham as a
Lecturer in Physics in 1979. Following promotions to Reader and Professor, he
eventually became Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy. His principal
research interests were in quantum fluids and quantum transport in semiconductor
and metallic heterostructures. He was also involved in many teaching innovations.
In 2002 he left Nottingham to join the Institute of Physics as Director of
Education and Science. In this post he had overall responsibility for the Institute’s
workineducationatallagelevels,research,anddiversity.Amongmanyprojects,he
worked closely with Ofqual and awarding bodies on curriculum matters and with
government to increase the number of physics teachers. He also initiated several
projects improving the diversity of participation in physics.
In 2015 he joined King’s College to become Head of Physics; he retains his
interest in many projects in physics education and diversity.
About the Series
The IOPSeries inPhysics Educationaims to providecomprehensive, authoritative,
and innovative coverage for those that teach physics and related subjects at
universities and other higher and further education institutions, and for those
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Theseriessupportsevidence-informedprofessionalpracticeandwillcovertopics
including the following: assessment methods; feedback; conceptual understanding;
problem solving; teaching methods; education technology; pedagogical theory;
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Creative Thinking in University
Physics Education
Douglas P Newton, Sam Nolan and Simon Rees
School of Education, Durham University, Durham, UK
IOP Publishing, Bristol, UK
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ISBN 978-0-7503-4028-1(ebook)
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DOI 10.1088/978-0-7503-4028-1
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Contents
Preface x
Author biographies xii
1 Creative thinking in physics 1-1
1.1 The relevance of creative thinking 1-1
1.2 Physics: cold comfort farm or possibility place? 1-2
1.3 Creative students? 1-4
1.4 Creative thinking doesn’t come with a guarantee 1-6
1.5 Variety, the spice of physics teaching 1-7
1.6 Does it matter? 1-9
1.7 Something to reflect on 1-11
References 1-11
2 The creative learner in physics 2-1
2.1 Learning physics and learning what counts in physics 2-1
2.2 Noticing and making sense of problems 2-2
2.3 Constructing understandings to enable explanation 2-5
2.4 Testing a tentative explanation or idea 2-6
2.5 Application 2-8
2.6 Creative thinking is not a mechanical process 2-9
2.7 Something to reflect on 2-10
References 2-10
3 Creative thinking in practice: problems 3-1
3.1 Fertile problems 3-1
3.2 Curiosity and questions 3-1
3.3 Noticing, finding, and posing problems 3-2
3.4 The problem of eliciting students’ questions 3-4
3.5 Fostering students’ thinking about problems 3-6
3.5.1 A problem analysis heuristic 3-7
3.5.2 A qualitative account heuristic 3-7
3.5.3 Working backwards 3-7
3.5.4 Using an analogy 3-7
3.6 The tutor’s contributions 3-8
3.7 There is no end to questions 3-9
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3.8 Something to reflect on 3-9
References 3-10
4 Creative thinking in practice: ideas 4-1
4.1 Introduction 4-1
4.2 Astronomer Copernicus 4-1
4.2.1 Student activity—structures in our mind 4-2
4.3 Divergent thinking 4-3
4.3.1 Student activity—divergent thinking 4-4
4.4 Convergent thinking 4-4
4.4.1 Student activity—The Martian 4-5
4.5 Associative thinking 4-6
4.5.1 Student activity—new connections 4-6
4.6 Effective ideas generation 4-6
4.7 Lateral thinking 4-7
4.7.1 AlphaGo 4-8
4.7.2 Problem based learning 4-9
4.8 Sticky creativity 4-9
4.8.1 The curling conundrum 4-11
4.9 Conclusion 4-11
4.10 Something to reflect on 4-12
References 4-12
5 Creative thinking in practice: experiments 5-1
5.1 Introduction 5-1
5.2 The affective domain 5-1
5.3 Gender equity 5-2
5.4 Experimental demonstrations 5-3
5.4.1 Faraday and Tyndall at the Royal Institution 5-4
5.5 Objects as analogies and metaphors 5-5
5.5.1 Student activity—everyday objects 5-6
5.5.2 Tutor activity—challenging concepts 5-7
5.6 Thought experiments 5-7
5.7 Inquiry based learning 5-8
5.7.1 Case study—experimental creativity 5-9
5.7.2 Project based learning 5-10
5.7.3 Tutor activity—project based learning 5-11
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5.7.4 Technicians 5-11
5.8 Something to reflect on 5-12
References 5-12
6 Creative thinking in practice: applications 6-1
6.1 Introduction 6-1
6.2 Frameworks for creativity in learning 6-2
6.2.1 A framework for the creative process 6-2
6.3 Designing a creative learning activity 6-3
6.4 Case studies 6-4
6.4.1 Conceiving a guesstimation based curriculum 6-4
(University of Glasgow)
6.4.2 Team projects at Durham University 6-6
6.5 Discussion 6-8
6.6 Conclusions 6-10
6.7 Something to reflect on 6-12
References 6-12
7 Recognising creative thinking in physics 7-1
7.1 Uncertainty and assessing thinking competences 7-1
7.2 Assessing the product of creative thought 7-2
7.2.1 Assessment by consensus 7-2
7.2.2 Simple rating 7-3
7.2.3 Putting numbers to it 7-3
7.3 Assessing the process of creative thought 7-5
7.3.1 Just ask 7-5
7.3.2 In writing 7-6
7.3.3 Observe 7-6
7.4 Working in groups on practical and other tasks 7-6
7.4.1 Collaborative competence 7-7
7.4.2 Group creative competence 7-7
7.5 Risk taking and some caveats 7-8
7.6 Providing feedback 7-10
7.7 Recognition and measurement 7-10
7.8 Something to reflect on 7-11
References 7-11
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8 The creative tutor 8-1
8.1 The value of creative teaching 8-1
8.2 Ten questions and answers 8-1
8.2.1 What is creative teaching in the context of higher 8-2
education (HE)?
8.2.2 What are the benefits of creative teaching? 8-2
8.2.3 Is there a downside to teaching creatively? 8-3
8.2.4 What would you say are the attributes of a creative 8-3
teacher in HE?
8.2.5 Are these attributes something you are born with, or can 8-4
they be acquired or developed?
8.2.6 What are the impediments to creative teaching? 8-4
8.2.7 Students sometimes see themselves as buying a product rather 8-5
an education. Do you think this adversely affects a desire to
teach creatively? If so, in what way(s)?
8.2.8 What advice would you give to a new university lecturer about 8-5
becoming a more creative teacher?
8.2.9 Would you give different advice to someone who is a 8-6
mid-career lecturer?
8.2.10 Do you see higher managerial colleagues in a university as 8-6
having a role in fostering creative teaching? If so, what would
that role be?
8.3 Why teach creatively? 8-6
8.3.1 Some benefits for the student 8-6
8.3.2 Some benefits for the tutor 8-6
8.4 Creative teaching to support students’ learning 8-7
8.5 Creative uses of technology 8-8
8.5.1 Solving teaching and learning problems 8-8
8.5.2 Technology taking some of the strain 8-9
8.6 The place of critical/evaluative thinking 8-9
8.7 Change and challenges 8-9
8.8 Some things to reflect on 8-10
References 8-11
9 Creative approaches to teaching physics in the 9-1
twenty-first century
9.1 Laboratory learning 9-1
9.1.1 Interactive simulated experiments 9-2
9.1.2 At home laboratories 9-4
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9.2 Simulation based learning 9-6
9.3 The use of virtual and augmented reality in physics teaching 9-7
9.4 Enhancing peer learning in lectures with technology 9-8
9.5 Judging support tools 9-10
9.6 The future 9-10
9.7 Something to reflect on 9-11
References 9-11
10 Creating change 10-1
10.1 Taking the wider view 10-1
10.2 Some roles 10-1
10.3 Some hurdles 10-3
10.3.1 Inertia and fragmentation 10-3
10.3.2 Notions of creativity 10-4
10.3.3 Notions of the source of creative abilities 10-4
10.3.4 Students’ notions of creative physics 10-5
10.4 Health, safety, and risk assessment 10-5
10.5 Physics as a dynamic discipline 10-6
10.6 Creative physics and the cultivated imagination 10-6
References 10-7
ix