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Arnold Arons: Pioneer of Inquiry-Based Learning in Physics

Abstract

Arnold Arons, along with Robert Karplus, can fairly be called one of the founding fathers of U.S. Physics Education Research and a pioneer of inquiry methods of education. The instructional methods advocated by Arons were influenced by the work of Socrates, Plato, Montaigne, Rousseau, Dewey, Whitehead, and Piaget, but are primarily derived from Arons’ epic half century effort to improve introductory science teaching by shutting up and listening carefully to students’ responses to probing Socratic questions on physics, science, and ways of thinking. Arons emphasized: (1) conceptual understanding, (2) operative knowledge, (3) interactive engagement, (4) Socratic dialogue, (5) attention to cognitive development, (6) attention to preconceptions of beginning students, (7) operational definitions, (8) reduction of volume and pace of standard introductory courses, (9) idea first, name afterward, (10) importance of a course “story line,” and (11) science as a liberal art. Most of these are attributes of enlightened inquiry-based learning as described in Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning (NRC, 2000).

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

This is an updated and improved version of an unpublished manuscript “The Arons Advocated Method” (Hake, 2004a). This work was partially supported by NSF Grant DUE/MDR-9253965. The author thanks Jerry Epstein, Ibrahim Halloun, and David Hestenes for valuable comments; and psychologist Robert Grossman http://bit.ly/1zGDvk0, whose work in applying some of Arons’ insights to introductory psychology instruction stimulated the writing of this article.

Citation

Hake, R.R. (2015), "Arnold Arons: Pioneer of Inquiry-Based Learning in Physics ", Inquiry-Based Learning for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (Stem) Programs: A Conceptual and Practical Resource for Educators (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 59-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120150000004005

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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