2013

Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale, at European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy Seminar, Universitá di Firenze (Florence, Italy), Thursday, July 18, 2013:
We explore nonlinear optical phenomena at the nanoscale by launching femtosecond laser pulses into long silica nanowires. Using evanescent coupling between wires we demonstrate a number of nanophotonic devices. At high intensity the nanowires produce a strong supercontinuum over short interaction lengths (less than 20 mm) and at a very low energy threshold (about 1 nJ), making them ideal sources of coherent white-light for nanophotonic applications. The spectral broadening reveals an optimal fiber diameter to enhance nonlinear effects with minimal dispersion. We also present a device that... Read more about Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale
Lens to Learning: Class-wide video analysis of Peer Instruction discussions, at AAPT Summer Meeting 2013 (Portland, OR), Wednesday, July 17, 2013:
Numerous studies show courses taught using Peer Instruction have higher learning gains than traditional courses on standardized assessments. Yet we have very few measurements of what actually happens during the peer discussion component of this pedagogy. To address this need, we recorded every student discussion in nearly every lecture of an introductory physics course at a major research university. We will present results from analysis of these student conversations, providing insight on discussion behavior over different questions. In addition, we will illustrate the interesting case of "... Read more about Lens to Learning: Class-wide video analysis of Peer Instruction discussions
Novel Nanostructures for Optics and Photonics, at NATO-ASI Summer school on Nano-structures for optics and photonics, Centro Ettore Majorana (Erice, Italy), Friday, July 5, 2013:
We explore linear nonlinear optical phenomena at the nanoscale by launching femtosecond laser pulses into long silica nanowires. Using evanescent coupling between wires we demonstrate a number of nanophotonic devices. At high intensity the nanowires produce a strong supercontinuum over short interaction lengths (less than 20 mm) and at a very low energy threshold (about 1 nJ), making them ideal sources of coherent white-light for nanophotonic applications. The spectral broadening reveals an optimal fiber diameter to enhance nonlinear effects with minimal dispersion. We also present a device... Read more about Novel Nanostructures for Optics and Photonics
El enfoque científico para la enseñanza: la investigación como base para el diseño del curso , at XI Conferencia Interamericana sobrea Enseñanza de la Física, ESPOL (Guayaquil, Ecuador), Tuesday, July 2, 2013:
Discussions of teaching -- even some publications -- abound with anecdotal evidence. Our intuition often supplants a systematic, scientific approach to finding out what works and what doesn't work. Yet, research is increasingly demonstrating that our gut feelings about teaching are often wrong. In this talk I will discuss some research my group has done on gender issues in science courses and on the effectiveness of classroom demonstrations.
ConcepTest Design Workshop, at XI Conferencia Interamericana sobrea Enseñanza de la Física, ESPOL (Guayaquil, Ecuador), Monday, July 1, 2013:
The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to encourage and make use of student interaction during lectures, while focusing students' attention on underlying concepts and techniques. The method centers around asking interactive questions, called ConcepTests, that help students build understanding. In this workshop, participants will learn about Peer Instruction, serve as the "class" in which Peer Instruction is demonstrated, and learn how to design good ConcepTests.
Peer Instruction Practical Details, at Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop (College Park, MD), Tuesday, June 18, 2013:
The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to encourage and make use of student interaction during lectures, while focusing students' attention on underlying concepts and techniques. The method has been assessed in many studies using standardized, diagnostic tests and shown to be considerably more effective than the conventional lecture approach to teaching. Peer Instruction is now used in a wide range of science and math courses at the college and secondary level. In this hour long workshop, participants will learn about Peer Instruction, serve as the "class" in which Peer Instruction is... Read more about Peer Instruction Practical Details
Flipping Your Classroom With Peer Instruction: How To Turn Your Students' Worlds Right Side Up, at FlipCon13 (Stillwater, MN), Tuesday, June 18, 2013:
Instructors all over the globe are turning their students' worlds right side up by flipping their classrooms. In a flipped class, teachers typically move information coverage out of formal class meetings so that they can better leverage in-class time to address student difficulties or misconceptions. Flipped learning is much more than watching videos and doing homework in class. In this session, Dr. Julie Schell will introduce one research-based flipped method called Peer Instruction. A primary goal of Peer Instruction is to radically transform students’ in-class experiences. Originally... Read more about Flipping Your Classroom With Peer Instruction: How To Turn Your Students' Worlds Right Side Up
Introduction to Peer Instruction, at Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop (College Park, MD), Monday, June 17, 2013:
Education is more than just transfer of information, yet that is what is mostly done in large introductory courses -- instructors present material (even though this material might be readily available in printed form) and for students the main purpose of lectures is to take down as many notes as they can. Few students have the ability, motivation, and discipline to synthesize all the information delivered to them. Yet synthesis is perhaps the most important -- and most elusive -- aspect of education. I will show how shifting the focus in lectures from delivering information to synthesizing... Read more about Introduction to Peer Instruction
Interactive Learning: Technology in the Classroom, at Symposium on Education and Technology (Cambridge, MA), Monday, June 17, 2013:
Most -- if not all -- of the important skills in our life are acquired outside the traditional classroom setting. Yet we continue to teach using a lecture, or sage-on-stage, format where students passively take down information. Instead, we should really focus on the assimilation of that information and shift the focus from teaching to helping students learn. Over the past 20 years, instructors world-wide have begun to adopt Peer Instruction to get students to think creatively in class. With the advent of new technology the process can be significantly improved. A new data-analytics driven... Read more about Interactive Learning: Technology in the Classroom
Showcase: A team-based, project-based approach to teaching introductory physics, at 2013 9th Annual International CDIO Conference, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), Thursday, June 13, 2013:
The teaching of physics to engineering students has remained stagnant for close to a century. In this novel team-based, project-based approach, we break the mold by giving students ownership of their learning. This new course has no standard lectures or exams, yet students’ conceptual gains are significantly greater than those obtained in traditional courses. The course blends six best practices to deliver a learning experience that helps students develop important skills, including communication, estimation, problem solving, and team skills, in addition to a solid conceptual understanding... Read more about Showcase: A team-based, project-based approach to teaching introductory physics

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