The SCALE-UP teaching method

Terrific article on classroom innovations by two of our very best: Steven Lewis and Craig Wiegert:

Two physics professors have taken Isaac Newton's first law of motion-an object at rest will continue to be at rest unless acted upon by an external force-and applied it to the way they teach the subject.

For decades there was inertia on how physics classes were taught to undergraduates: A lecturer would talk to students about physics without the opportunity for students to actively engage in the concepts.

Assistant professor Craig Wiegert and associate professor Steven Lewis, faculty members in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, are trying to be that external force to provide some movement in how introductory physics courses can be taught at UGA.

Funded in part by a 2012 Summer Innovative Instruction grant from the Office of the Vice President for Instruction, the course they developed and are jointly teaching this fall aims to bring a hands-on, small-class approach to a larger-sized class of about 50 engineering majors. The idea is to present the cerebral concepts of physics to students through group activity and instructor engagement.

"Having students engaged in activities that are designed to strengthen their learning allows them to ask questions and explore new ways of thinking about the various concepts that they have learned," Lewis said.

To do this, Wiegert and Lewis are teaching this fall through a class model called SCALE-UP. Developed at North Carolina State University for large physics classes, SCALE-UP stands for Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs.

This concept of getting students to discuss concepts in class is not exactly new, but bravo to Lewis and Weigert for adjusting the physical environment in the classroom as a way of interrupting the 'uni-directional' flow of information to empower and engage students in the material. Great job.

Update: The story comes with a nice video from the classroom, as well.

Image: Associate professor Steven Lewis, left, leads a discussion as his co-instructor, assistant professor Craig Wiegert, listens during their "Physics for Engineers" class in the physics building. Photo by Andrew Tucker