Dr. David Brown will present a CRCSTL seminar on Monday, November 8, 4-5 pm, in 1425 BPS. 

In Professor Brown's words:

In this talk I will discuss some of my research focusing on conceptual dynamics in physics learning.  Coming from a complex dynamics systems perspective, I view students' conceptions as dynamic stabilities in an ecology of conceptual resources embedded in and embedding other dynamic systems.  Such a perspective highlights frequently ignored commonalities in various views of students' conceptions, such as views of students' conceptions as coherent versus fragmented. Taking this dynamic view leads to important theoretical and instructional implications.

David Brown received his undergraduate degree in physics from Taylor University and his Masters and Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  While in Amherst he worked with Jose Mestre and John Clement as a research assistant and later a postdoctoral research associate in the Physics Department focusing on learning in mathematics and physics.  He then moved to a faculty position in Science Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he is currently.  His research interests focus on the dynamics of instructional interactions, including social, affective, and particularly conceptual dynamics. Instructional contexts include classroom instruction, tutoring, and technology assisted instruction.