PRISMS Project Overview

PRISMS Project
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0150

PRISMS is an acronym which represents Physics Resources and Instructional Strategies for Motivating Students. The PRISMS materials were developed and field-tested by the Iowa Physics Task Force with support from the Iowa Department of Public Instruction, the Iowa State Legislature, the U.S. Department of Education and an unsolicited gift.

The Physics Resources include a guide with over 130 activities in the form of student instructions and teacher notes with background information on the activities. Several video tapes from which students make observations and take data, and recommended software and interfacing for those schools that have access to microcomputers are also parts of the resources. A complete student evaluation and testing program is included in an 3 to 4 diskette set.

The Instructional Strategies blend exploratory activities, concept development and application activities to stimulate problem-solving skills and the understanding of major physics concepts. The guide can be integrated with the use of any physics textbook and can be individualized to meet the needs of each teacher.

Motivating Students is accomplished with the high interest laboratory activities which relate physics to student experiences. These experiences use easily obtainable, inexpensive materials such as Hot Wheels, toy projectiles, model sailboats, bicycles, skate boards, etc. The guide also contains activities dealing with science-technology/social issues and with career information.

Research studies show higher achievement in physics, enhanced reasoning/problem-solving skills and a more positive attitude toward learning physics by students in PRISMS classes compared to non-PRISMS students. The guides are currently available from the PRISMS Project office. Inservice of the PRISMS teaching strategy is highly recommended.

Goals

The goals of the PRISMS Program are to:

Provide learning activities to promote understanding of physics principles in the context of experiences relating to the daily lives of secondary school students.
Implement a teaching strategy designed to cultivate reasoning/science problem-solving skills.

Key Elements

Physics concepts are learned in the context of common everyday phenomena of high school physics students.
The teaching strategies are designed to cultivate reasoning/science problem solving skills.
The teaching strategies include exploratory activities in which students attempt to find patterns and relationships which are then blended into developing major concepts in physics. Students use the newly learned concepts in new situations as application activities.
Primary materials developed for the project are the PRISMS teacher's guide which contains over 120 activities with student instructions and teacher's notes, a computer test bank of over 2,000 questions keyed to course objectives and ranked to levels of reasoning as per Bloom's taxonomy and a video tape used with two activities.
The PRISMS program is adaptable to be used with any high school physics text.
Impact activities relate social issues to physics concepts.
Activities utilize inexpensive, readily available materials.
The guide contains suggestions for student laboratory evaluation.
Activities include the use of current technology in science teaching such as, instructions on how to use some computer software and the use of laboratory interfacing.

Course Content

Kinematics and Vectors
Dynamics
Work and Energy
Internal Energy and Heat
Wave Phenomena
Electricity and Magnetism
Atomic and Nuclear

Workshops

PRISMS Workshops are available in several formats. These can be tailored to the needs of any interested group.

AWARENESS WORKSHOPS . . . to provide information about the project (1 hr.)
ACADEMIC YEAR WORKSHOPS . . . to introduce teachers to the PRISMS philosophy and activities.
SUMMER WORKSHOPS . . . intense training session available.

If you are interested in location and contacts for local demonstration sites, contact the PRISMS Project office.

Additional Features

Utilizes current research in science teaching
Applies technology to teaching physics
Impact activities to relate social issues to physics concepts.
Suggestions for student laboratory evaluation
List of resources for physics and physics related careers
Adaptable to any physics text
Utilizes inexpensive equipment
Outline of topics, concepts and objectives keyed to activities
Flexibility to add your own activities and structure

PRISMS | College of Natural Sciences | University of Northern Iowa | cns-computing-support