Whole Class with PhET for STEM Education from Coursera

PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers.

In this course, you will learn strategies for how to use PhET in circumstances where you are presenting a simulation in front of the whole class using a projector, interactive whiteboard, or while sharing your screen online.

This course is the second in the specialization “Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations,” which includes 4 courses in total.

To finish this course, you need to complete two of three possible assignments with Peer Review: 1) Whole Class Inquiry, 2) Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, 3) Concept Questions.

This course is also available in Spanish as “Clase Entera con PhET para la Educación STEM” and Portuguese as "A Turma Toda com Simulações PhET para Educação STEM".

What's inside

Syllabus

Module 1: PhET in Whole Class Strategies

In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET in circumstances where you are presenting a simulation in front of the whole class using a projector, television, interactive whiteboard, or while sharing your screen online.

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Suitable for educators teaching secondary and post-secondary STEM courses who seek to integrate interactive simulations into classroom instruction

Taught by instructors from the University of Colorado Boulder, which is highly regarded in STEM education research and development

Provides practical strategies for using simulations effectively in a whole-class setting

Useful for educators looking to enhance their teaching skills and promote active learning in STEM classrooms

Follows a logical progression, starting with Whole Class Inquiry and moving on to Interactive Lecture Demonstrations and Concept Questions

Requires active participation, including completing assignments with peer review, for successful completion

Reviews summary

Effective phet strategies for stem teachers

According to learners, this course is a highly effective resource for STEM educators seeking to leverage PhET Interactive Simulations in their classrooms. Students consistently praise the practical, actionable strategies, particularly those for Whole Class Inquiry, Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, and crafting compelling Concept Questions. The course is noted for its ability to significantly enhance student engagement and critical thinking, making complex concepts more accessible. While many find the modules well-organized and easy to follow, some experienced educators might find parts familiar. The quality of peer review assignments can also vary. Overall, it's seen as a valuable tool for transforming whole-class instruction.

Peer assessments can vary in quality.

"The peer review assignments sometimes felt inconsistent."

"The course strongly encourages peer review, which can be hit or miss depending on the quality of other students' submissions."

Pacing may vary for experienced educators.

"I've used some of these methods before, so parts felt like a review."

"For beginners, it's probably excellent, but for experienced users, it might be a bit basic."

"I did find the pacing a bit slow in parts, but the content is solid."

Demonstrates deep integration of PhET simulations.

"PhET simulations are powerful, and this course shows you how to truly leverage them in a group setting."

"This course really opened my eyes to the potential of PhET beyond just letting students play."

"It provides useful frameworks for using PhET in a whole class setting."

Boosts student participation and critical thinking.

"I've seen a real boost in student engagement and understanding of difficult concepts."

"It truly helps make learning more interactive and engaging."

"Learning how to facilitate whole class discussions and craft effective prediction questions has transformed my approach."

Provides actionable methods for STEM educators.

"The Interactive Lecture Demonstrations module provided clear, actionable strategies I could immediately implement."

"This course delivered exactly what I needed. It provided concrete strategies for presenting simulations effectively to a large group..."

"The strategies are practical, especially for getting students to actively participate."

"I learned how to use practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Whole Class with PhET for STEM Education with these activities:

Read 'Einstein's Theory of Relativity' by Max Born

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This book provides a clear and concise introduction to Einstein's theory of relativity, which is a key topic in this course.

View Einstein's Theory of Relativity on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on the key concepts.
Discuss the book with a classmate or tutor.

Review Gauss's Law

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Gauss's Law is a foundational concept in electromagnetism and is heavily relied on in this course. Reviewing this topic before taking the course will help students to better understand and apply the concepts taught in the course.

Browse courses on Gauss's Law

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Review the basic concepts of electric fields and electric charges.
Understand the mathematical formulation of Gauss's Law.
Practice applying Gauss's Law to simple problems involving conductors and insulators.

Review PhET's resources for using simulations in the classroom

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Boosts understanding of how to use PhET simulations effectively in the classroom.

Browse courses on PhET Simulations

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Explore PhET's website and locate the 'Resources for Teachers' section.
Review the available resources, including articles, videos, and tutorials.
Focus on the tutorials designed for using PhET simulations in whole class settings.

Six other activities

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Follow Online Tutorials on PhET Simulations

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There are many helpful online tutorials that can provide дополнительный support and guidance on using PhET simulations.

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Search for online tutorials on PhET simulations.
Choose a tutorial that covers a topic that you are interested in.
Follow the steps in the tutorial to learn how to use the simulation.

Collaborative Problem-Solving Sessions

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Working together in peer groups to solve problems can help students to improve their problem-solving skills, learn from each other, and reinforce their understanding of the course material.

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Form study groups with 2-3 other classmates.
Choose a problem from the course material to work on together.
Discuss the problem and potential solutions as a group.
Present your solution to the rest of the class (optional).

Solve Practice Problems Regularly

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Solving practice problems can help students to improve their problem-solving skills and to identify areas where they need additional support.

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Find practice problems from the course textbook, online resources, or your instructor.
Set aside dedicated time to work on practice problems.
Check your answers and identify areas where you need to improve.

Interactive Simulation Project

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Creating an interactive simulation can help students to visualize and understand complex physics concepts in a more engaging way.

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Choose a physics concept that you would like to simulate.
Design and develop an interactive simulation using a software tool of your choice.
Write a brief report describing the simulation and its educational value.

Create a Blog Post or Video Tutorial on a Course Topic

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Creating a blog post or video tutorial can help students to reinforce their understanding of a course topic and to share their knowledge with others.

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Choose a course topic that you are interested in.
Research the topic and gather information from reliable sources.
Create a blog post or video tutorial that explains the topic in a clear and concise way.
Share your blog post or video tutorial with others.

Contribute to the PhET Simulations Project

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Contributing to the PhET Simulations project can help students to develop their programming skills and to make a positive impact on the physics education community.

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Find a PhET simulation that you are interested in contributing to.
Read the documentation for the simulation.
Make changes to the simulation code and submit a pull request.

Career center

Learners who complete Whole Class with PhET for STEM Education will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Computer Science Teacher

Interactive Simulations (https://phet.colorado.edu), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels.

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Education Consultant

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Curriculum Developer

This course is the second in the specialization “Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations,” which includes 4 courses in total.

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Science Teacher

To finish this course, you need to complete two of three possible assignments with Peer Review: 1) Whole Class Inquiry, 2) Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, 3) Concept Questions.

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Learning Technology Specialist

This course is also available in Spanish as “Clase Entera con PhET para la Educación STEM” and Portuguese as "A Turma Toda com Simulações PhET para Educação STEM".

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Science Education Researcher

Key learning objectives are: - .

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Instructional Designer

The syllabus will cover these topics: - Module 1: PhET in Whole Class Strategies - In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET in circumstances where you are presenting a simulation in front of the whole class using a projector, television, interactive whiteboard, or while sharing your screen online.

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Instructional Coach

Module 2: Whole Class Inquiry - This module will introduce you to general strategies for getting students to respond to open-ended questions as a whole class: Whole Class Inquiry. These strategies can help you as a teacher to be more creative in the types of questions you ask, and can help to reveal students’ prior knowledge especially at the introduction of a new topic.

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Educational Technology Specialist

Module 3: Interactive Lecture Demonstrations - In this module, you will learn about how to ask pointed prediction questions, and help scaffold students’ responses through the use of a structured worksheet and discussions in pairs and as a whole class: Interactive Lecture Demonstrations.

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Teacher

Module 4: Concept Questions - This module will introduce you to how to effectively write multiple choice questions to promote critical thinking: Concept Questions. These questions may include open-ended predictions, contrasting cases, ordering and ranking cases, and interpreting representations, among others. However, in all cases, these questions are written in such a way that they allow students to vote and engage in peer instruction.

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Science Writer

Module 5: Planning to Use Whole Class Strategies - In this module, you will design two activities for a whole class setup using two of the three strategies reviewed in this course: Whole Class Inquiry, Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, and Concept Questions.

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Educational Researcher

Module 6: Conclusion and Next Steps - In this final module, we will ask you to reflect on your achievements and identify room for improvement, provide feedback on this course, and share information about how to download your certificate once you have completed all requirements.

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Museum Educator

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Technical Writer

This course may be useful to those who wish to write instructions or documentation for PhET simulations, or other interactive educational software.

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Librarian

This course may be useful to those who work in a library setting and want to learn more about using PhET simulations for educational purposes.

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