Learning to think like a physicist: A review of research-based instructional strategies

Many studies in physics education indicate that our conventional instruction fails to achieve objectives we desire for our students. Students leave introductory courses unable to reason qualitatively about physical processes. They use primitive formula-centered problem-solving techniques. Their minds contain a small number of facts and equations that are accessible only by random searches. In recent years, research by scientists interested in cognition and pedagogy has shown that we can do much better. This paper reviews this research and the instructional strategies that are suggested by it. The following paper reports the preliminary results of using these strategies in introductory physics courses that emphasize problem solving.