PEER Physics engages in comprehensive research and evaluation in the context of student science content understanding, engagement in science practices, and attitudes toward learning science. Additionally, research and evaluation involves collecting data around teacher professional learning attendance and district partner engagement in the partnership. Our research and evaluation approach combines large-scale implementation studies, classroom observation protocols, attendance and survey data, and participatory action research where teachers serve as co-investigators rather than subjects. This work encompasses quasi-experimental studies comparing student outcomes across diverse school contexts, ethnographic investigations of classroom discourse and equity patterns, professional learning impact studies using hierarchical linear modeling, and participant-observer accounts of district-level adoption processes. We employ mixed-methods approaches that integrate quantitative measures of student learning with qualitative analyses of student empowerment and teacher growth, while maintaining a focus on authentic classroom contexts where curriculum development, implementation research, and teacher professional learning occur simultaneously as interconnected components of a larger educational research ecosystem grounded in principles of democratic participation and scientific inquiry.
keywords
NGSS-aligned curriculum High School Physics Phenomenon-driven Inquiry-based science Research-validated pedagogy Conceptual & Algebra-based Physics Student-centered Collaborative Learning Science Practices Equitable and Inclusive Bilingual/Spanish Resources Engineering Design Challenges Professional Learning Communities Train-the-Trainer Model District partnerships
EDUC 1580 - Energy and Interactions - Models
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024 / Fall 2024
Engages non-physics majors in hands-on activities and labs to investigate the physical world. This introductory course is especially relevant for future elementary and middle school teachers although it will meet the needs of most non-physics and non-science majors. Physics content focuses on building models having to do with Charge, Magnetism, and Waves. Same as PHYS 1580.
GRTE 5030 - Graduate Natural Sciences for Teachers
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2025
Addresses special topics in natural sciences with an emphasis on building conceptual understanding of content and enhancing teacher's practice in teaching this content.
PHYS 1580 - Energy and Interactions - Models
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024 / Fall 2024
Engages non-physics majors in hands-on activities and labs to investigate the physical world. This introductory course is especially relevant for future elementary and middle school teachers although it will meet the needs of most non-physics and non-science majors. Physics content focuses on building models having to do with Charge, Magnetism, and Waves. Same as EDUC 1580.
