Richard Steinberg, Associate Professor of Physics and Urban Education at The Graduate Center and City College, is interested in physics / science education research and development. His studies involve investigating, affecting, and evaluating how students learn physics and science. The populations of interest include children, pre-college science teachers, introductory college physics students, and elementary quantum physics students. Over the past five years, the National Science Foundation, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the National Academy of Education, PSC-CUNY, and the Eisenhower Higher Education Professional Development Program have provided support for this work.
Professor Steinberg uses multiple techniques to probe the development of students' knowledge. For example, individual demonstration interviews are used to explore their thinking processes while performing scientific tasks. These tasks range in difficulty from describing a ball rolling down an incline to detailing the consequences of Einstein's theory of relativity. Student work before and after instruction in multiple learning environments is examined. Also, the project develops and administers diagnostic tools for use with larger populations. The results of the research guide the development and implementation of innovative classroom strategies. Students walk in front of motion sensors interfaced to a computer and watch in real time as graphs of their motion appear on the screen. Other students have a "dialogue" with a computer that interprets their responses to questions on the photoelectric effect. In each case, underlying conceptual difficulties that the students have are directly addressed in a way that actively promotes student understanding. Evaluation has shown that the modified instruction has been more effective than traditional instruction in improving students' conceptual understanding, problem solving skills, and views of science.