I think most physics teachers would agree that two important components of a proper solution to a numerical physics problem are to first figure out a final symbolic solution and to only plug in numbers in the end. However, in spite of our best efforts, this is not what the majority of students is actually doing. Instead, they tend to plug numbers…

Helping students learn to think like a physicist is an important goal of many introductory physics courses. One characteristic distinguishing more experienced physicists from novice students is that they make better use of problem solving as a learning opportunity. Experts were found to spend more time than novices in monitoring their work,…

Students must learn effective problem solving strategies in order to develop expertise in physics. Effective problem solving strategies include a conceptual analysis of the problem followed by planning of the solution, and then implementation, evaluation, and reflection upon the process. Research suggests that converting a problem from the initial…

Stresses the importance of teaching physics concepts over having students work on word problems. (MVL)

Provides a list of 33 problem-solving steps extracted from physics textbooks and arranged within the following 3 categories: setup, solution, and checks. (MDH)