Mark

What I KNOW about acceleration:
 * It is a ratio of two differences: difference in velocity and difference in time reading.
 * It is a quantity that describes the motion of a single object.
 * Students have difficulty distinguishing between acceleration and velocity. They don't easily recognize a changing velocity, mostly because it is already a compound quantity that is not directly observable.
 * Many students can quote definitions of acceleration, but cannot interpret real situations.
 * The units of acceleration are probably the most foreign students will have encountered.
 * It involves changing direction with vectors, but that might not be an issue if the level of class involves only 1 dimensional motion.

What I WANT to learn about acceleration during CTS:
 * The best examples to work with students to help them develop the idea of a ratio quantity.
 * The most obvious examples of accelerated motion. i.e. such that students can recognize it as distinct from constant velocity motion. (What examples of constant velocity motion can we provide?)
 * What are the best ways to have students capture graphical or table information about motion that they observe?
 * How to check if students actually do comprehend the difference between constant velocity and acceleration.
 * How can motion diagrams (or dot diagrams) be used effectively to support learning?
 * What are the misconceptions about the definition of acceleration, beyond thinking that it is the same as velocity?
 * Other misconceptions about acceleration are likely to be connected to force and impetus theory (motion requires a force)