MODELING SOFTWARE for learning and doing physics

This is the initial report of a long term research program on the design of integrated computer software systems for physics education specifically, and math-science education generally. The program is grounded in a theory of instruction which is centrally concerned with the construction, validation and use of scientific models for objects and processes in the real world. It aims to develop a detailed theory of software design which supports and coordinates all aspects of conceptual and computational modeling. The theory is applied to the design of a versatile Modeling Workstation for learning and doing physics by computer, including the coordination of both experimental and theoretical activities. The personal computer revolution confronts physics education with an unprecedented challenge and opportunity. Microcomputer hardware and software for data collection and management, for numerical calculation, symbolic manipulation and computer simulation are developing at a breathless pace. Processor power, network speed and capacity are no longer barriers to real-time processing of complex data sets and programs in the educational domain. For most practical purposes, all hardware constraints on software design for personal computers will be eliminated within the next few years. Thus, the value of computers for physics research and education will be determined by the available software. The computer has already become an indispensable tool of physics research, and soon most physicists will have personal computers with the power of a scientific workstation. This confronts physics education with the challenge of integrating the computer into the curriculum. The challenge can be effectively met only by creating educational software which articulates smoothly with scientific software used by researchers. Most efforts in this direction so far have achieved only meager success, owing, in large part perhaps, to the lack of a coherent theory for software design and use. This document reports on an long-term research program, in collaboration with Ronald Thornton and others, to develop, apply and evaluate such a theory. The software development challenge presents physics education with an unprecedented opportunity to improve the pedagogical design of the physics curriculum. Educational research has already established that computers in the classroom do not enhance student learning without a carefully designed plan for their use (Thornton & Sokoloff, 1990). In other words, the pedagogy is responsible for the learning. The computer can enhance the pedagogy, but not replace it. Part I of this document reviews a comprehensive theory of physics pedagogy with an eye toward extending its …