The Physics Instructional Association (PIRA) is an American association of
physics education
Physics education refers to the methods currently used to teach physics. Physics Education Research refers to an area of pedagogical research that seeks to improve those methods. Historically, physics has been taught at the high school and colleg ...
professionals and enthusiasts. Members are physics teachers, physics administrators, physics educational support staff and physics students. Interests cover all aspects of physics education with an emphasis on
demonstrations
Demonstration may refer to:
* Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting
* Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought
* Demonstration (political), a political rally or prot ...
,
laboratories
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...
and outreach.
The association is also responsible for maintaining the Demonstration Classification Scheme (DCS), a standardized scheme for categorization of physics demonstrations.
Affiliations
PIRA holds annual meetings during the summer meeting of the
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members in over 30 countries. AAPT publications includ ...
. It is sponsored by the Apparatus Committee and annually hosts the Lecture Demonstration Workshop. PIRA assists or hosts the Physics Demonstrations Show at each summer meeting when the hosting institution requests.
Demonstration bibliography
PIRA has continually updated the Demonstration Bibliography since its inception in the 1980s. It is based on a unique numbering system called the Demonstration Classification Scheme (DCS). The scheme originated from the demonstrations catalog used at the University of Minnesota.
PIRA has also generated a subset of this list called the PIRA 200.
[http://physicslearning2.colorado.edu/pira/resources/pira-200] These 200 demonstrations are the recommended basic collection for any physics department.
See also
*
Scientific demonstration
A scientific demonstration is a procedure carried out for the purposes of demonstrating scientific principles, rather than for hypothesis testing or knowledge gathering (although they may originally have been carried out for these purposes).
Most ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Official PIRA websiteAmerican Association of Physics Teachers web pageAAPT sponsored events
Physics education
Physics organizations
Professional associations based in the United States
Teacher associations based in the United States