Description
Physics problem solving is central to teaching and assessment, yet many students learn to succeed by recognising familiar question types and manipulating equations, without developing the conceptual understanding, strategic thinking and transferrable reasoning expected of expert physicists. Research in physics education highlights that expert problem-solving requires more than ‘plug-and-chug’: students need to approach unfamiliar problems, organise relevant knowledge, select strategies, manage cognitive load and reflect on the reasonableness of their solutions.
This presentation will introduce an evidence-informed framework for redesigning physics problem-solving. Drawing on the Taxonomy of Introductory Physics Problems (TIPP) and research on expert problem solving, the framework shifts attention from whether a question is ‘easy’ or ’hard’ to the cognitive demands it places on learners.
The presentation proposes 4 practical levels for analysing and redesigning physics questions:
Level 1: Substitute and calculate
Level 2: Analyse algebraic relationships
Level 3: Predict and explain qualitative behaviour
Level 4: Transfer, apply and justify
Using examples from the NSW Physics 11–12 Syllabus (2025), the presentation demonstrates how common textbook-style questions can be redesigned to make conceptual analysis, strategy selection and reasoning more explicit. This framework also supports the transition to first-year university physics, where students are often expected to move beyond routine procedures by identifying relevant physical principles, justifying their application, and applying them in less familiar contexts.
Participants will leave with a practical tool for reviewing existing problems and designing more purposeful question sequences. By shifting the focus from answer production to thinking process, this presentation offers physics educators an evidence-informed approach for strengthening conceptual understanding, improving transfer of learning and supporting students’ progression from novice to expert problem-solvers across secondary and tertiary education.
| I am the presenting author | Yes |
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