Plans+for+gathering+evidence+of+student+understanding

London: Laura: Mark:
 * Who will we ask?**
 * astronomy students (25, 22): jr/sr, some of whom have seen acceleration, and some haven't
 * regular physics (35): after formal instruction
 * AP physics (15): after formal instruction
 * Current grade 10 chem students (up to 80): before formal instruction
 * (maybe) Current 8th grade honors physical science (20): after formal instruction
 * Grade 10 physics (20): after formal instruction in the 9th grade, not by me.
 * 3/10: Modified diagnoser.com survey, created by LJ, based on "Acceleration 1" set, additionally including the following questions:
 * 1. If you had to put acceleration in your own words, how would you define it?
 * 2. How is acceleration different from velocity?
 * 3. On a scale of 1-10, how hard did you try on this?
 * 4. How well did you feel you understood this material? (With codes 1-6 taken from diagnoser.com "Self Rating" question.)
 * Special education group (2): before and after formal instruction
 * 12/10: Full diagnoser.com survey "Acceleration 1" given to 8 special education students. They used the online interface, which gave hints/taught certain concepts, re-asked questions that were incorrect. The reported frequency of conception codes should therefore be a robust measure of what they actually think, even after some "reminders." All of these students would have had some exposure to the idea of acceleration before, but not from me. Results here: [[file:hli_pre_acceleration1.doc]]
 * 2/10: 5 students categorized simple situations as demonstrating acceleration or not. (Copied sheets brought to Spring meeting.)
 * 3/10: Modified diagnoser.com survey, same as given to the grade 10 physics students above.


 * How will we ask it and what will we ask?**
 * Pull questions from diagnoser.com related to acceleration concept (Give half of students "Acceleration set 1" and half "Acceleration set 2"--differences in names and situations only, not concepts.)
 * Steps to data collection: 1. Give large sample of students the questions online or on paper. 2. Interview 4-5 students with followup questions.
 * Followup: A. Probing efficacy of the instrument (what was easy about this, what was hard, how hard did you try on this), B. open ended acceleration questions (Define acceleration in your own words. How is acceleration different from velocity?)

In spring, check which questions were just too hard for pre-instruction students (i.e. do they even know what a position/time or speed/time graph is?) and limit our information for input to lesson study to be taken from the other questions.

Update 3-10-10 by Laura Approx. 70 students were given the version of the KSTF DIAGNOSER SURVEY sent by London. The students came from 7th grade TN Science, 8th grade TN science, 9th grade Honors Bio., and 10th grade Chem. 2 students in each class were chosen at random to answer the following questions:
 * 1) On a scale of 1-10, how hard did you try on this?
 * 2) On a scale of 1-10, how difficult were the questions?
 * 3) If you had to put acceleration in your own words, how would you define it?