Categorization of problems to assess and improve proficiency as teachers and learners

TL;DR

This study examines how graduate students, physics students, and faculty categorize mechanics problems, highlighting the potential of categorization as a teaching and training tool for improving physics education.

Contribution

It compares problem categorization by graduate students, students, and faculty, demonstrating its usefulness for teaching assistant training and faculty development.

Findings

Graduate students' categorizations differ from those of faculty and students.

Categorization can reveal students' understanding and misconceptions.

Using categorization aids in physics teaching and learning improvement.

Abstract

We describe how graduate students categorize introductory mechanics problems based on the similarity of their solutions. Graduate students were asked at the end of a teaching assistant training class to categorize problems from their own perspective and from the perspective of typical introductory physics students whom they were teaching. We compare their categorizations with the categorizations by introductory physics students and physics faculty who categorized the same problems. The utility of categorization as a tool for teaching assistant training and faculty development workshops is discussed.