Development of active learning tools for a course on physics of music

Development of Active Learning Tools for a Course on Physics and Music Heather M. Whitney, Ph.D. Wheaton College (IL)

Course Profile: PHYS205, Physics of Music
PHYS *205. Physics of Music. Basic concepts of sound and acoustics; vibrations, waves, fundamentals and overtones, musical scales, harmony, noise, physical and physiological production, and detection of sound waves; acoustical properties of materials and enclosures. (2)
Half-semester course
Has been taught since at least 1994, avg of 30 students
Fulfills gen ed requirement for conservatory students (and others)

Student Profile: PHYS205, Physics of Music

Learning Objectives
After completing the course, you should have
An understanding of the nature and production of sound in terms of basic physical principles.
Developed problem-solving skills and the ability to think/reason critically and quantitatively.
Greater knowledge of how physical principles are used in the design and use of musical instruments and spaces.

Personal Goals for the Course
Support active learning through course elements that utilize the best of PER (that has been developed primarily for intro courses)
Appeal to the students’ wide variety of interest, backgrounds, and training
Middle 50% scored between 1230 and 1400 on the Critical Reasoning and Math portions of the SAT, and between 26 and 32 on the ACT

Logistical Supports
Muddiest points
Reading quizzes
Summary before class of previous class
Lab Activities: 1D Motion and Measuring the Speed of Sound
Vernier Motion Detector + Logger Pro

“ Classic” Clicker Questions and Peer Instruction (many topics) Materials from Knight, Jones, Field, College Physics Student feedback: “ The clicker questions were very helpful as well. It was nice to know we weren't going to move on from a problem until we actually understood it. It also allowed for stimulating conversation and the interesting opportunity to learn from my peers. “

Clicker Interactive Lecture Demonstration: Simple Harmonic Motion
Adapted from Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Active Learning in Introductory Physics by David R. Sokoloff and Ronald K. Thornton (Wiley, 2004)

Scaffolded Context-rich problems
Why do many people find that they sound better when they sing in the shower?
What is a shower made of? How large is it? What structure does this approximate?
What types of standing waves will be observed?
What possible frequencies of standing waves will be observed?
How do these frequencies relate to voice production?
Image Creative Commons licensed / Flickr user Miss Shari

Collaborative Problems (Quantitative)

Collaborative Problems (Qualitative) Adapt a performance space Image credit: Nashville Symphony Criteria Bluegrass Musicals Progressive Metal Beyonce Unplugged Chamber Music Jazz 1 Jazz (big band) Filmscore Liveness + - - + | ~ ~ + Intimacy + + +/~ - + ++ - - Fullness 60 - 30 + - - - + Clarity 40 + 70 + + + + - Warmth +????? + +/- + + ~- - + Brilliance - - +/- + - + + + Texture - - + | - | + Blend - + amp - + ~- + + Ensemble + +/- amp + + + + +

Student Feedback
Dr. Whitney made class sessions very interactive , helping us to learn the material in formats other than pure direct instruction .
She was great about doing experiments and using different methods to relate to different learning styles.
Dr. Whitney made physics seem so accessible. I came to class, understood what was going on, and felt as though I could contribute. This was the first T-Th class I've taken where the 2 hrs actually seemed to go by quickly.

Recommendations
Know your audience
Don’t reinvent the wheel: maintain familiarity with PER developments (especially for intro courses)
Next Steps
Get more quantitative in analysis of learning
Work with a music theorist on campus
Is a better text needed?

Resources http://heathermwhitney.com/resources/ Your Voice: An Inside View by Scott McCoy Contact me! [email_address] @drhmw

Development of active learning tools for a course on physics of music

by Heather Whitney on Aug 05, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 228

Statistics

Development of active learning tools for a course on physics of music — Presentation Transcript