May the Friction Force Be With You: Using Comic Books to Teach Physics Problem-Solving
Dr. Roger Freedman shares how the comic book format can be used to teach physics problem-solving. Discover how you can use this unique teaching style to engage students and improve comprehension.
Dr. Roger A Freedman, Physics Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara
Join Dr. Roger Freedman, Pearson author and original San Diego Comic Con organizer, to explore teaching physics with the comic book format. Research has shown that the comic book story structure can be more successful in comprehension and understanding for students then the regular textbook explanation of topics, and with so many students turning to Google to find sources that help them to understand a tricky concept, this format could be a key strategy for student engagement. Dr. Freedman is currently working on a supplement for university physics that incorporates the comic book story structure and will share his ideas on how to use this format to engage students and help with their understanding of physics.
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About the speaker
Dr. Roger A Freedman, Physics Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara
Roger A. Freedman is a Lecturer in Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was an undergraduate at the University of California campuses in San Diego and Los Angeles and did his doctoral research in nuclear theory at Stanford University under the direction of Professor J. Dirk Walecka. Dr. Freedman came to UCSB in 1981 after three years of teaching and doing research at the University of Washington.
At UCSB, Dr. Freedman has taught in both the Department of Physics and the College of Creative Studies, a branch of the university intended for highly gifted and motivated undergraduates. He has published research in nuclear physics, elementary particle physics, and laser physics. In recent years, he has worked to make physics lectures a more interactive experience through the use of classroom response systems and pre-lecture videos.
In the 1970s Dr. Freedman worked as a comic book letterer and helped organize the San Diego Comic-Con (now the world's largest popular culture convention) during its first few years. Today, when not in the classroom or slaving over a computer, Dr. Freedman can be found either flying (he holds a commercial pilot's license) or with his wife, Caroline, cheering on the rowers of UCSB Men's and Women's Crew.