A Dynamic Digital Environment for the Exploratory Learning of Physics Pedagogy

A new physics teacher faces a daunting task. All too frequently he or she is asked to teach physics without sufficient background knowledge in either the content or pedagogy of physics. Yet, obtaining that background information is not easy for an in-service, under-prepared teacher. The Physics Teaching Web Advisory (Pathway) is addressing this issue by creating a system that builds on a unique collaboration among several longstanding research projects in digital video libraries, advanced distance learning technologies, collaboration technologies, and nationally known experts in physics pedagogy and high quality content for physics teaching. This library provides information which can help teachers of all levels of proficiency prepare for their classes including a large corpus of virtual video laboratories and demonstrations that emphasize hands-on and minds-on activities as well as conceptual understanding of physics. Pathway is integrated with a novel system by which users can easily obtain valuable assistance through interactions with virtual experts in the field. To make these materials accessible, Pathway includes state-of-the-art video retrieval tools: Informedia Digital Video Library, which extracts information from video and audio content, and Synthetic Interviews (SI) of expert physics teachers, with pedagogical advances developed at Kansas State University and with materials contributed by master teachers. With Synthetic Interviews developed for Pathway, the new-to-physics teachers, pre-service teachers, and experienced teachers will be able to become more effective teachers of physics by interacting, both virtually and directly, with knowledgeable experts on their classroom techniques and how those techniques are related to contemporary issues in physics teaching.