English

Why and How to Implement Worked Examples in Upper Division Theoretical Physics

Physics Education 2023-07-13 v1

Abstract

Studying worked examples has been shown by extensive research to be an effective method for learning to solve well-structured problems in physics and mathematics. The effectiveness of learning with worked examples has been demonstrated and documented in many research projects. In this work, we propose a new four-step approach for teaching with worked examples that includes writing explanations and finding and correcting errors. This teaching method can even be implemented in courses in which homework performance constitutes part of the grading system. This four-step approach is illustrated in the context of Lagrangian mechanics, which is ideal for the application of worked examples due to its universal approach to solve problems.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2307.06315,
  title  = {Why and How to Implement Worked Examples in Upper Division Theoretical Physics},
  author = {Philipp Scheiger and Ronny Nawrodt and Holger Cartarius},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2307.06315},
  year   = {2023}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T11:28:43.751Z