TY - JOUR
T1 - A brief history of physics education in the United States
AU - Meltzer, David
AU - Otero, Valerie K.
PY - 2015/5/1
Y1 - 2015/5/1
N2 - In order to provide insight into current physics teaching practices and recommended reforms, we outline the history of physics education in the United States-and the accompanying pedagogical issues and debates-over the period 1860-2014. We identify key events, personalities, and issues for each of ten separate time periods, comparing and contrasting the outlooks and viewpoints of the different eras. This discussion should help physics educators to (1) become aware of previous research in physics education and of the major efforts to transform physics instruction that have taken place in the U.S., (2) place the national reform movements of today, as well as current physics education research, in the context of past efforts, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of various education transformation efforts of the past, so as better to determine what reform methods might have the greatest chances of success in the future.
AB - In order to provide insight into current physics teaching practices and recommended reforms, we outline the history of physics education in the United States-and the accompanying pedagogical issues and debates-over the period 1860-2014. We identify key events, personalities, and issues for each of ten separate time periods, comparing and contrasting the outlooks and viewpoints of the different eras. This discussion should help physics educators to (1) become aware of previous research in physics education and of the major efforts to transform physics instruction that have taken place in the U.S., (2) place the national reform movements of today, as well as current physics education research, in the context of past efforts, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of various education transformation efforts of the past, so as better to determine what reform methods might have the greatest chances of success in the future.
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U2 - 10.1119/1.4902397
DO - 10.1119/1.4902397
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84928344360
SN - 0002-9505
VL - 83
SP - 447
EP - 458
JO - American Journal of Physics
JF - American Journal of Physics
IS - 5
ER -