Learning about teaching and learning while learning physics: An analysis of 15 years of responsive curriculum development

Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Curriculum Development: Theory into Design.] Fifteen years ago, following recommendations from research on science education for prospective teachers and for students more broadly, Physics and Everyday Thinking introduced activities within an inquiry-based undergraduate physics course that explicitly focus on the nature of science and nature of learning. This component of the curriculum is referred to as learning about learning. Since then, this same team developed a series of other curricula. These later curricula, Physics and Everyday Thinking (2nd ed.), Physical Science and Everyday Thinking, Learning Physics, Learning Physical Science, and Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking all retain a focus on learning about learning as a priority. While similar theoretical grounding guided development across all these curricula, this particular component evolved considerably. These changes were motivated by practical considerations, developments in research, changes to the K-12 expectations, and changes in physics departments, as well as changes to the team. We introduce the term responsive curriculum development to describe the changes made to this aspect of the curricula. With responsive curriculum development, the development process is responsive to contextual, social, and policy factors so that the materials remain relevant and adaptable in diverse contexts and time periods.