About the Authors

Emily van Zee

Emily van Zee is a retired associate professor of science education at Oregon State University. She designed and taught this physics course for prospective elementary and middle school teachers. She also taught graduate courses in science education. Her research has included documenting and interpreting ways to engage students in “thinking like a physicist.” She also has explored student and teacher questioning during conversations about science in pre-college classrooms. In addition, she has collaborated with K-12 teachers interested in inquiring into their own teaching practices and students’ learning. She can be reached at vanzeee at oregonstate.edu.

Elizabeth Gire

Elizabeth Gire is an associate professor of physics at Oregon State University. She is the current instructor of this physics course for prospective elementary and middle school teachers. She also teaches physics courses for majors. Her research focuses upon ways in which to engage students in seeking coherence among different representations of physics knowledge. She also has designed and taught a course that explicitly engages students in developing knowledge of sense-making strategies, metacognitive skills, and productive beliefs about the nature of doing physics as well as in increasing their awareness and appreciation of physics sense-making processes. She can be reached at giree at oregonstate.edu.