Resources with learning strategies for students of physics

[Terry Bing]

I can find several resources (in this forum and elsewhere) on pedagogy and teaching tips that are geared towards teachers. Are there any books or resources that provides tips for students of physics, that would make learning more efficient and effective?

Examples of the kind of things I am looking for:
1) Active recall: (An obvious one, backed by research) e.g. using flash cards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_recall
2) Classifying equations: A basic tip from the book "How to solve problems" by Donald Scarl. Basically, at the end of each chapter in a textbook, note down all the useful equations that you encountered, and classify them as a definition (e.g. v=dr/dt), or a mathematical theorem (law of cosines), a physical law (F=ma), a derived general physical result (W=ΔK), or a special case (T=2π√(l/g) ). Also note where the equations are valid. for e.g v=dr/dt is always true by definition, but s=ut+1/2*at^2 is only true for 1D motion with constant acceleration.
3) Concept Triangulation: Feynman's tip http://fed.wiki.org/journal.hapgood...au.fedwikihappening.net/concept-triangulation
4) Training the mind: an advise given by a friend of mine who I consider a good physicist. "when solving a problem or deriving a result, if you have time, first try to solve it completely in your head (at least vaguely) as much as you can without putting pen to paper. At first, this would take more time, but with practice, we would train our head to do a major part of the solution in the background while we write things down." Of course, this is just an opinion, and may not be a good strategy to use in an exam. Only when there is enough time. Also some people may disagree with this, but I also welcome personal opinions, even if not backed by research.

Also, advice given to math and physics researchers, like the following quote by John von Neumann:
"As a mathematical discipline travels far from its empirical source, or still more, if it is a second and third generation only indirectly inspired by ideas coming from "reality," it is beset with very grave dangers. It becomes more and more purely aestheticizing more and more purely l'art pour l'art. This need not be bad, if the field is surrounded by correlated subjects, which still have closer empirical connections, or if the discipline is under the influence of men with an exceptionally well-developed taste. But there is a grave danger that the subject will develop along the line of least resistance, that the stream, so far from its source, will separate into a multitude of insignificant branches, and that the discipline will become a disorganized mass of details and complexities. In other words, at a great distance from its empirical source, or after much "abstract" inbreeding, a mathematical subject is in danger of degeneration. "

Are there any good books that give advice to students? If there is a collection book of wisdom given by successful mathematicians or scientists to younger and upcoming scientists, also would be great.

Thanks.

 

[gleem]

Surely there is a method to learning physics more easily than I have experienced, what is the secret? - This is a fairly common request by beginning students it seems.

IMHO, we are all different with different backgrounds and cultures so any advice that can be given should be of a general type based on our common experiences. I suppose some can offer suggestions based on their unique situation but only you can determine if it is a good fit for you.

That said, of course memory is important but what is that which is to be remembered (not memorized) and how? Physics is about relationships from which the formulas and equations evolve. You remember that which you are familiar. Familiarity in this usage does not breed contempt but understanding. Familiarity is facilitated by immersing yourself in the subject. Physics is one of those subjects that develops and indeed depends on critical thinking not critical memorizing. If this requires more than you can or are willing to give then ... Feynman is on the right track.

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[ZapperZ]

Are there any books or resources that provides tips for students of physics, that would make learning more efficient and effective?
.
.
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Are there any good books that give advice to students? If there is a collection book of wisdom given by successful mathematicians or scientists to younger and upcoming scientists, also would be great.

Thanks.

The topic that you're asking for doesn't appear to belong in the Teaching and Educators forum. It is more aimed towards students, and should be in the Academic Guidance or Career Guidance forum. That is where tips and guides to students are presented. Have you looked there? We have a wealth of information already posted in those forums.

A lot of members seem to not understand or confuse the meaning of the Educators and Teaching forum, which is meant for discussion on teaching methods, pedagogy, educational practices and policies, etc. for teachers and educators.

Zz.

 

[Terry Bing]

Surely there is a method to learning physics more easily than I have experienced, what is the secret? - This is a fairly common request by beginning students it seems.

IMHO, we are all different with different backgrounds and cultures so any advice that can be given should be of a general type based on our common experiences. I suppose some can offer suggestions based on their unique situation but only you can determine if it is a good fit for you.

That said, of course memory is important but what is that which is to be remembered (not memorized) and how? Physics is about relationships from which the formulas and equations evolve. You remember that which you are familiar. Familiarity in this usage does not breed contempt but understanding. Familiarity is facilitated by immersing yourself in the subject. Physics is one of those subjects that develops and indeed depends on critical thinking not critical memorizing. If this requires more than you can or are willing to give then ... Feynman is on the right track.

.

Thanks.
Just to be clear, I am not asking for shortcuts to study physics without any hard work. I am looking for tips for more efficient learning, which is why I gave the examples above. I have noticed that different students, who seem to put in the same amount of effort, end up with different results. One may argue that this is due to difference in aptitude. But it has occasionally happened that students who did poorly initially, improve drastically with some correction to their approach. For example, some students try to memorize everything said in class, and in their textbook, as disconnected facts. Eventually this fails, because there will be an overwhelmingly large amount of information with nothing connecting them. But once they learn to tell apart the fundamental laws from the special cases and see how the various ideas are connected (if and when they are), learning seems much more manageable.

 

[Terry Bing]

The topic that you're asking for doesn't appear to belong in the Teaching and Educators forum. It is more aimed towards students, and should be in the Academic Guidance or Career Guidance forum. That is where tips and guides to students are presented. Have you looked there? We have a wealth of information already posted in those forums.

A lot of members seem to not understand or confuse the meaning of the Educators and Teaching forum, which is meant for discussion on teaching methods, pedagogy, educational practices and policies, etc. for teachers and educators.

Zz.

My apologies. I did look at various forums to decide where this belongs, but most of the threads on academic guidance forums seemed to be on courses and specific topics, and not studying in general. But now I see there are posts on 'learning' as well. I also wondered whether I should post it in the textbook recommendations, because I am looking for books on learning science. However most questions there were related to academic textbooks on specific subjects. This forum appeared to have threads mostly on teaching resources which I thought were related to learning resources.
Yes, I did make a general search on the forums for search phrase 'study tips' and got many on math study tips and a few on physics study tips. But most of them were individual tips by forum members. I am looking for standard books and other online resources (free or otherwise) on the topic of science learning. An example of such a book is "How to solve" by George Polya, which is a popular resource for both teachers and students. I would have edited the original post with this example to be more clear, but I can't see the edit option there.

 

[ZapperZ]

My apologies. I did look at various forums to decide where this belongs, but most of the threads on academic guidance forums seemed to be on courses and specific topics, and not studying in general. But now I see there are posts on 'learning' as well. I also wondered whether I should post it in the textbook recommendations, because I am looking for books on learning science. However most questions there were related to academic textbooks on specific subjects. This forum appeared to have threads mostly on teaching resources which I thought were related to learning resources.
Yes, I did make a general search on the forums for search phrase 'study tips' and got many on math study tips and a few on physics study tips. But most of them were individual tips by forum members. I am looking for standard books and other online resources (free or otherwise) on the topic of science learning. An example of such a book is "How to solve" by George Polya, which is a popular resource for both teachers and students. I would have edited the original post with this example to be more clear, but I can't see the edit option there.

As long as it is aimed to the students, then it doesn't belong here, because this forum is for "Educators and Teaching". The students that can benefit from this tend to typically not look in this forum. I also recall that in the formation of this forum, the aim was for teachers and educators to discuss such matters.

Whether it should be in the Textbook section or Academic Guidance, that's a different matter. I don't think it is out of the question for it to be in AG forum because it IS related to learning and how to learn, even if you're asking for book sources. Students may find it useful.

A Mentor needs to chime in with regards to this. This particular forum, from what I have seen, has been a bit diluted with topics that I don't think belong in it, which is sad because I was an early advocate for the creation of this forum.

Zz.

 

[Terry Bing]

As long as it is aimed to the students, then it doesn't belong here, because this forum is for "Educators and Teaching". The students that can benefit from this tend to typically not look in this forum. I also recall that in the formation of this forum, the aim was for teachers and educators to discuss such matters.

Whether it should be in the Textbook section or Academic Guidance, that's a different matter. I don't think it is out of the question for it to be in AG forum because it IS related to learning and how to learn, even if you're asking for book sources. Students may find it useful.

A Mentor needs to chime in with regards to this. This particular forum, from what I have seen, has been a bit diluted with topics that I don't think belong in it, which is sad because I was an early advocate for the creation of this forum.

Zz.

Thanks, I see your point. Will wait for it to be moved.

 

[berkeman]

[thread moved to Academic Advising]

 

[gleem]

Thanks.
Just to be clear, I am not asking for shortcuts to study physics without any hard work. I am looking for tips for more efficient learning, which is why I gave the examples above. I have noticed different students, who seem to put in the same amount of effort, end up with different results. One may argue that this is due to difference in aptitude. But it has occasionally happened that students who did poorly initially improve drastically with some correction to their approach. For example, students who tried to memorize everything said in class and in their textbook as disconnected facts. Eventually this fails because there will be an overwhelmingly large amount of information with nothing connecting them. ...

I am sorry if I came off as judgmental.

Casual observations of others successes and failure can be misleading. A person who appears to be working hard may not be working at all or have other issues not relevant to the course.

. . . But once they learn to tell apart the fundamental laws from the special cases and see how the various ideas are connected (if and when they are), learning seems much more manageable.

Isn't this at least a partial answer to your question? That is what I basically said was necessary. I think that the successful student generally sees this early in the course.

An example of such a book is "How to solve" by George Polya, which is a popular resource for both teachers and students. I have updated my original post with this as an example to be clear.

This book did come to mind not that I have read it but it was the inspiration for Alan Schoenfeld to write his book "Mathematical Problem Solving" (1985) which I have read. This book is really a summary of his early research into why some are better than other at solving problems in math and physics. He notes four elements to success in problem solving. 1) knowing your subject (this does not help learning the subject), 2) learning and accumulating heuristics or special techniques which are acquired by working many problems, 3) Developing or understanding your executive management of the process of solving problems, 4) Believing you are competent to solve the problems .

While Schoenfeld said he developed the skills stated by Polya himself he was irritated that he was not told of them when he was a freshman. However some of his colleagues thought the book was worthless. So go figure.

Problem solving is the important aspect of the immersion process one must use to be successful. You can use problem solving success as a metric for determining your understanding of the subject.

BTW are you a physics major?

 

[Terry Bing]

I am sorry if I came off as judgmental.

Casual observations of others successes and failure can be misleading. A person who appears to be working hard may not be working at all or have other issues not relevant to the course.
Isn't this at least a partial answer to your question? That is what I basically said was necessary. I think that the successful student generally sees this early in the course.
This book did come to mind not that I have read it but it was the inspiration for Alan Schoenfeld to write his book "Mathematical Problem Solving" (1985) which I have read. This book is really a summary of his early research into why some are better than other at solving problems in math and physics. He notes four elements to success in problem solving. 1) knowing your subject (this does not help learning the subject), 2) learning and accumulating heuristics or special techniques which are acquired by working many problems, 3) Developing or understanding your executive management of the process of solving problems, 4) Believing you are competent to solve the problems .

While Schoenfeld said he developed the skills stated by Polya himself he was irritated that he was not told of them when he was a freshman. However some of his colleagues thought the book was worthless. So go figure.

Problem solving is the important aspect of the immersion process one must use to be successful. You can use problem solving success as a metric for determining your understanding of the subject.

BTW are you a physics major?

Thanks for the interesting info. This is useful. I'll check out the book by Schoenfeld. I am a mechanical engineering major. I had a short stint as a research scholar in a dept of theoretical physics, but I dropped out after two years. I currently coach students of my town for math and physics Olympiads. I am not from the US.