Table Of ContentCreative Thinking in University
Physics Education
Online at: https://doi.org/10.1088/978-0-7503-4028-1
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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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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
