The first year of the “open discovery of stem laboratories” (ODL) project

The Open Discovery of STEM Laboratories (ODL) project, co-funded by the European Community Erasmus+ KA2 program for 30 months, starting from November 2015, involves five countries: Spain, Italy, Greece, Estonia and Lithuania. It aims to implement teacher collaboration in creating and using μMOOCs (very short version of MOOCs-Massive Open Online Courses) for encouraging the use of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) remote/virtual laboratories into lessons. The challenge of the project is to impact on teaching process and inspire pedagogical innovation and modernization by means of open education resources, teaching/learning tools and best practices provided by European e…

MaT²SMC: materials for teaching together: science andmMathematics teachers collaborating for better results

Let us start with an important statement: Mathematics and Science teachers do a good, and often an outstanding, job in teaching young people the basic knowledge of their respective fields! It is not the intent of this book to criticize what they do or how they do it. Keeping that in mind, and noting the fact that the teaching content of these fields intersects and overlaps, we observed – and this took us by surprise – that there is hardly any collaboration or consultancy between mathematics and science teachers (or textbook authors). Mathematics teachers often use science contexts in tasks, and science teachers often use mathematics, however they are usually working independently. Science c…

Aspetti teorici e simulazioni delle statistiche quantistiche: un approccio stocastico

In questo articolo viene analizzata una procedura per la modellizzazione e simulazione di sistemi quantistici di particelle identiche non interagenti. In particolare, viene illustrato un algoritmo numerico che si dimostra in grado di prendere in considerazione gli effetti quantistici di indistinguibilità delle particelle identiche, in generale, e del Principio di Pauli per i fermioni. I risultati delle simulazioni condotte, per semplicità, su sistemi bidimensionali, permettono di rendere conto delle principali proprietà termodinamiche di diverse tipologie di sistemi (classici e quantistici) evidenziandone, al tempo stesso, analogie e differenze.

A teaching proposal for the didactics of Special Relativity: the spacetime globe

Abstract Special Relativity introduces students to Modern Physics, whose importance in the high school is increasing. Nevertheless its teaching and learning is a critical issue. Different solutions have been developed to overcome the encountered difficulties. In this paper we describe the spacetime globe, a mechanical instrument that allows to experience Special Relativity hands-on. We show how it is possible to treat all the main phenomena foreseen by Special Relativity with simple laboratory experiences, using the idea of Minkowski’s spacetime diagrams. The aim is to develop the use of geometrical approach in learning Special Relativity in high schools.

An Inquiry-based approach to the Franck-Hertz experiment

In this study we present the results of an inquiry-driven learning path experienced by a sample of 15 selected engineering undergraduates engaged to perform the Franck-Hertz experiment. Before being involved in this experimental activity, the students received a traditional lecture-based instruction on the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics. Despite the instructor’s introduction to specific technological/engineering-based contents during the course, the students’ answers to an open-ended questionnaire, administered at the end of the lectures, demonstrated that the acquired knowledge was characterized by a strictly theoretical vision of quantum science, basically in terms of an artifi…

A PROJECT-POSED APPROACH TO REAL BODY DYNAMICS: THE ROLE OF CONSTRAINTS IN ELASTIC WAVE PROPAGATION

In this paper we present some results of a project-posed approach to the teaching of mechanical wave propagation focused on observations and measurements of wave properties in solids and on modelling of these properties by using different simulation tools. In particular, the propagation speed of sound waves in metallic rods is studied by using simple experimental arrangements based on the measurements of contact times between a small body and long metallic rods with which the body can collide. An interesting effect of this approach is the revision of students’ ideas about the rigid body model, studied at high school or college level and usually hardly followed by deepening on the fundamenta…

Open Inquiry based learning experiences to understand the Nature of Science

In this paper we address the question of the efficacy of an inquiry-based learning approach, with different levels of teacher’s guidance, to introduce the students to fundamental aspects of the Nature of Science (NoS). Explicit pedagogical approaches, in which specific instruction on the topic of NoS is provided in addition to the engagement in scientific inquiry, are generally considered more effective with respect to implicit methods, where NoS conceptions are expected to develop as a natural consequence of inquiry-based learning experiences alone. In our study, we further explore the connections between scientific inquiry and implicit development of NoS conceptions, by investigating the …

GUARDARE PER LIVELLI: DAI SISTEMI AI COMPONENTI, DALLE PROPRIETÀ MACROSCOPICHE ALLE STRUTTURE MICROSCOPICHE

Augmented lectures: Benefits of supporting physics teaching with the theatre

Abstract Young generations are less and less interested in studying STEM subjects. For this reason, numerous studies have strongly suggested a change in the methods scientific knowledge is developed in the learners, through the use of alternative and more creative strategies. In recent decades a strong interaction between scientific subjects and the arts has been established by means of theatre. The objective is to bring science to students and the public in ways that are engaging, instructive, artistic and, always, content-driven: the medium is the arts; the message is the joy of science. When we talk about Physics in a theatre show, are we only making a good dissemination or are we also t…

An approach to the concept of statistical distribution: a pedagogical path based on Guided Inquiry

This paper describes a teaching approach to the concept of distribution that uses a specific activity related to the field of statistical mechanics. The concept of velocity distribution of a particle system is dealt with using an Inquiry Based approach involving an experimental examination of Maxwell’s Distribution. Some outcomes of a teaching experiment are described.

A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH TO ELECTRIC CONDUCTION IN SOLIDS

Modelling Mechanical Wave Propagation: Guidelines and experimentation of a teaching–learning sequence

This paper reports the design process and the experimentation of a teaching-learning sequence about the concept of mechanical wave propagation and the role played by media where waves are propagating. The sequence focuses on the central issue of the relationships between observable phenomena, like macroscopic behaviours of waves, and their interpretation and/or explanation in terms of corpuscular characteristics of media. We describe the design process with respect to the general framework of the Educational Reconstruction Model and the pedagogical tools used. Results of a teaching/learning experiment, involving a sample of 75 high school students, are also reported. Data analysis is mainly…

An investigation of environmental temperature effects on energy exchange by thermal radiation

The radiative heating or cooling of a body placed in an environment, whose temperature is considered constant is described by Stefan's law. In this paper, an analysis is made of how a time-dependent environmental temperature influences the heating/cooling process. We compare experimental results for a resistor first heated by the Joule effect inside a glass vacuum tube and then cooled under two different conditions: in a bath at a constant temperature and in air. We also discuss a model that describes how the time-dependent tube temperature influences the radiative resistor cooling by identifying the properties of the environment that make the resistor cooling rate linear.

Long term stability of learning outcomes in undergraduates after an open-inquiry instruction on thermal science

This paper investigates the efficacy of an open-inquiry approach to achieve a long term stability of physics instruction. This study represents the natural continuation of a research project started four years ago when a sample of thirty engineering undergraduates, having already attended traditional university physics instruction, were involved in a six-week long learning experience of open-inquiry research activities within the highly motivating context of developing a thermodynamically efficient space base on Mars. Four years later, we explore the effectiveness of that learning experience by analyzing the outcomes that the students achieved by answering again the same questionnaire that …

Strategies for Active Learning to Improve Student Learning and Attitudes Towards Physics

Over the last several years, active learning methods and strategies have received considerable attention from the educational community and are commonly presented in the related literature as a credible solution to the reported lack of efficacy of more “traditional” educative approaches. Research has shown that a possible factor is the strongly contextualized nature of active learning that focuses on the interdependence of situation and cognition. In this paper, we report the results of a Symposium with different contributions in the field of research on active learning. We start with a system analysis of the mental processes involved in learning physics which explains how active learning i…

A Study on Engineering Freshman Conceptual Understanding of Newtonian Mechanics

Force concept inventory is a multiple-choice questionnaire commonly used to assess students’ conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics. We here show that a cluster analysis method can be used to study student answers to the force concept inventory to investigate their understanding of Newtonian mechanics and provide new insights into the use of the force concept inventory. We identi- fied groups of students characterized by similar correct answers as well as by non- correct answers to the questionnaire, whose analysis allowed us to highlight student misconceptions/non-normative conceptions. Such an analysis of student answers gave us insights into the relationships between the student…

Two experiments to approach the Boltzmann factor: chemical reaction and viscous flow

In this paper we discuss a pedagogical approach aimed at pointing out the role played by the Boltzmann factor in describing phenomena usually perceived as regulated by different mechanisms of functioning. Experimental results regarding some aspects of a chemical reaction and of the viscous flow of some liquids are analysed and described in terms of macroscopic variables whose temperature dependence is proportional to the Boltzmann factor. A description of a workshop implementing the approach in the framework of an undergraduate course for engineering education and some preliminary results about its pedagogical relevance are then reported.

Video-Analysis of the flight of a model aircraft

A video-analysis software tool has been employed in order to measure the steady-state values of the kinematics variables describing the longitudinal behaviour of a radio-controlled model aircraft during take-off, climbing and gliding. These experimental results have been compared with the theoretical steady-state configurations predicted by the phugoid model for longitudinal flight. A comparison with the parameters and performance of the full-size aircraft has also been outlined.

Video-analysis of flight of a model aircraft

In recent years, many research studies have pointed out that modelling environments, based on Information Technology, can supply effective pedagogical strategies dealing with complex real-world systems and everyday problem solutions. At the same time, physics teachers have discovered that video analysis is a relatively inexpensive and 188 worthwhile method of studying «real world» examples of phenomena. This kind of approach is often adopted to analyze sports physics. The study of physics of aircraft flight can be considered a real-world topic belonging to the everyone’s common experience. For this reason, here, we use a video-analysis software in order to measure the main dynamic variables…

An Inquiry-Based Approach to the Distribution Concept in Statistical Mechanics

A mesoscopic mechanical model of the surface tension and some simulation results

Abstract Drops of mercury do not spread on a surface. A metal paper clip can float on water. These phenomena are macroscopic manifestations of molecular interactions and can be explained in terms of surface tension. In this study, we discuss a simple mesoscopic mechanical model of the surface tension and the results of numerical fluid dynamics simulations implemented on the basis of it. We study the droplet formation without and with gravity when it can drop from a narrow hole like a trickling tap and finally the behaviour of free surface liquid in a vessel. Teachers and students can be able to study the surface tension by using the computer simulation as a “tool” for analysing and discussi…

Elucidating the electron transport in semiconductors via Monte Carlo simulations: An inquiry-driven learning path for engineering undergraduates

Within the context of higher education for science or engineering undergraduates, we present an inquiry-driven learning path aimed at developing a more meaningful conceptual understanding of the electron dynamics in semiconductors in the presence of applied electric fields. The electron transport in a nondegenerate n-type indium phosphide bulk semiconductor is modelled using a multivalley Monte Carlo approach. The main characteristics of the electron dynamics are explored under different values of the driving electric field, lattice temperature and impurity density. Simulation results are presented by following a question-driven path of exploration, starting from the validation of the model…

Italian Primary School prospective teachers beliefs about knowledge construction: a case study about models

In this paper we discuss a study on the approaches to modeling of students of the 4-year Primary School Teacher program at the University of Palermo, Italy. The answers to a specially designed questionnaire are analyzed on the basis of an a-priori analysis made using a general scheme of reference on the epistemology of mathematics and physics. The study is performed by using quantitative data analysis methods, i.e. analysis of implicative and similarity trees. Dans ce papier, nous menons une étude relative à l’approche de la notion de modélisation par des étudiants de 4ème année de formation à la fonction de professeur d’école primaire à l’Université de Palerme, Italie. Les réponses à un qu…

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER FORMATION: EXAMPLES OF PEDAGOGIC ACTIVITIES BY USING ICT TOOLS

Computer simulations to approach surface tension by means of a simple mesoscopic mechanical model

A small insect can stand or walk on water surface, drops of mercury do not spread on a solid surface, and a meniscus is formed at the free surface of a liquid contained in a thin vessel. These phenomena can be seen as macroscopic manifestations of molecular interactions and can be explained macroscopically in terms of surface tension. In this study, we deal with an approach to surface tension from a mechanical point of view, presenting a simple mesoscopic mechanical model of surface tension and the results of its implementation in numerical fluid dynamics simulations. Particularly, phenomena like droplet formation without gravity and with gravity when it can drop from a narrow hole like a t…

Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science

This paper addresses the efficacy of an open-inquiry approach that allows students to build on traditionally received knowledge. A sample of thirty engineering undergraduates, having already attended traditional university physics instruction, was selected for this study. The students were involved in a six- week long learning experience of open-inquiry research activities within the highly motivating context of developing a thermodynamically efficient space base on Mars. They designed and carried out their own scientific investigations, which involved gathering information, collecting and analyzing data, providing explanations, and sharing results. A questionnaire containing fifteen open-e…

OBJECT BASED MODELLING ENVIRONMENTS TO DEVELOP PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE: A CASE STUDY OF PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHER EDUCATION

2D simulation of wave-particle coupling inspired by walking droplets

In recent years, a fluid dynamics phenomenon has been observed that shows interesting analogies with several quantum mechanical ones. Under specific experimental conditions, a liquid droplet released on a vibrating liquid persists in jumping, forming a localized wave-particle, and its behaviour resembles that of a de Broglie wave-particle. In this paper we discuss a simplified model for this phenomenon and the results of numerical fluid dynamics simulations implemented on the basis of the model. In spite of the relevant simplifying assumptions of our approach, we observe that a wave-droplet coupling is obtained and the droplet travels at nearly constant velocity, as it is observed in experi…

An inquiry-based approach to Maxwell distribution: a case study with engineering students

The concept of distribution is a fundamental component of statistical thinking. This paper describes a teaching approach for it that uses a specific activity related to the field of statistical mechanics. The concept of the velocity distribution of a particle system is dealt with using an inquiry-based approach involving an experimental examination of Maxwell’s distribution. Some outcomes of a teaching experiment held at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Palermo, Italy are described.

An inquiry based approach to physics teacher Education: the case of found properties

In this paper we describe some results of an approach to Pre-Service Physics Teacher Education whose general aim is to analyze how Problem-Based activities in pre-service teacher education courses can support the understanding of content, the development of inquiry skills and of pedagogical competences, as well as the merging of these in a form of knowledge appropriate for teaching. The experimentation has been performed with a group of non-Italian Trainee Teachers engaged in one-month mobility activities at University of Palermo, in the framework of the EU Project “Move’in Science”, focused in Physics and/or Mathematics Pre-Service Teacher Education. We briefly discuss a Teaching/Learning …

Hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering methods to study students algebraic thinking in solving an open-ended questionnaire

The problem of taking a data set and separating it into subgroups, where the members of each subgroup are more similar to each other than they are to members outside the subgroup, has been extensively studied in science and mathematics education research. Student responses to written questions and multiple-choice tests have been characterised and studied using several qualitative and/or quantitative analysis methods. However, there are inherent difficulties in the categorisation of student responses in the case of open-ended questionnaires. Very often, researcher bias means that the categories picked out tend to find the groups of students that the researcher is seeking out. In our contribu…

A New Approach to Investigate Students’ Behavior by Using Cluster Analysis as an Unsupervised Methodology in the Field of Education

The problem of taking a set of data and separating it into subgroups where the ele- ments of each subgroup are more similar to each other than they are to elements not in the subgroup has been extensively studied through the statistical method of cluster analysis. In this paper we want to discuss the application of this method to the field of education: particularly, we want to present the use of cluster analysis to separate students into groups that can be recognized and characterized by common traits in their answers to a questionnaire, without any prior knowledge of what form those groups would take (unsupervised classification). We start from a detailed study of the data processing need…

Learning Physics via Model Construction: Issues and Experimental Results

A phenomenological study about the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on teachers' use of teaching resources about reasoning & proving in mathematics

If we study the history of societies, we can find several pandemic events such as smallpox, cholera, plague, and SARS [1, 2]. Each one of these pandemics events af fected human life in many aspects from health to the economic sphere [3], education is one of these aspects. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (Covid-19) has had a massive impact on Education: many students of different countries have been affected by school and university closures due to the Covid-19. Italy was the first Western coun try to suffer a coronavirus emergency

Portraying Pedagogical Content Knowledge: a Case Study of Pre-Service Physics Teacher Education

An Inquiry-Based Approach to Physics Teacher Education: the Case of Sound Properties

In this paper we describe some results of an experimentation on Pre-Service Physics Teacher Education performed with a group of non-Italian Trainee Teachers engaged in one-month mobility activities at University of Palermo, in the framework of the EU Project “Move’in Science”. Some preliminary results of the experimentation of a Teaching/Learning Unit about Mechanical Wave propagation are presented, with particular reference to mental models about wave propagation evidenced by Trainee Teachers. Their understanding of the relevance of pupils’ mental model knowledge, in the framework of what a teacher should do to be an “effective” teacher, is also discussed.

Reply to comment on ‘Measuring longitudinal wave speed in solids: two methods and a half’

We provide a short response to Ganci's comment on our paper 'Measuring longitudinal wave speed in solids: two methods and a half'. The reply faces both the problems involved in the comment: the accuracy of experimental methods and pedagogical aspects.

Impact of IBSE Methods and IBSE Materials on Student/Teacher Learning

This study reports on the use of Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) materials and activities on the concept of Sound that have been used to teach lower and upper secondary school students by teachers who have participated in IBSE teacher education (Slovakia, Italy) as well as to teach pre-service teachers (Ireland). An IBSE method has been adopted by the ESTABLISH project (FP7, 2010-2013) to promote the implementation of innovative teaching and learning approaches for student-led inquiry based activities in the classroom. An IBSE approach is considered to encourage students´ active involvement in their learning compared to traditional methods. This project has developed teaching and lea…

Teachers’ competences about Inquiry Based approaches to the analysis of Thermal Phenomena: implications for an appropriate training

In this paper we present some preliminary results of a course for in-service teacher education held at University of Palermo in the framework of ESTABLISH, an EU FP7 Project aimed at extending the use of Inquiry Based Science Education in secondary level schools across Europe. In particular, we will report results of a survey performed with 15 second level Italian teachers about the ways they approach the analysis of a simple thermal physics situation, their typical conceptions and some aspects of their attitude with respect to methods aimed at performing classroom investigation in the light of the specific operative processes of an IB approach.

Exploring Historical Scientific Instruments by Using Mobile Media Devices

We describe an educational activity that can be completed with mobile media devices in order to understand the working principle of a pair of tuning forks, from the Historical Collection of Physics Instruments of the University of Palermo, and how they were used to explain acoustic interference and beats with the Lissajous optical method. This approach can be used with any tuning fork and it is a valuable teaching strategy that does not require specific laboratory equipment.

Responsible Research and Innovation in Science Education: the IRRESISTIBLE Project

The EU funded IRRESISTIBLE-project (Project Coordinator: Jan Apotheker, University of Groningen, Netherlands) develop activities designed to foster the involvement of high school and elementary students and the public in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). In the project, awareness about RRI is raised in two ways: increasing content knowledge about research by bringing topics of cutting edge research into the program; fostering a discussion among the students on RRI issues about the topics that are introduced. Responsible Research and Innovation focuses on six key issues: Engagement, Gender equality, Science education, Ethics, including societal relevance and acceptability of researc…

Conceptual Understanding of Newtonian Mechanics Through Cluster Analysis of FCI Student Answers

The Force Concept Inventory is a multiple-choice test and is one of the most popular and most analyzed concept inventories. It is used to investigate student understanding of Newtonian mechanics. A structured approach to data analysis can transform it in a “diagnostic” instrument that can validate inferences about student thinking. In this paper, we show how cluster analysis methods can be used to investigate patterns of student conceptual understanding and supply useful details about the relationships among student concepts and misconceptions. The answers given to the FCI questionnaire by a sample of freshman engineering have been analyzed. The analysis takes into account the decomposition…

PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT AND PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY

Abstract. This paper addresses the question of how to develop prospective teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in science teacher education. The main focus is on the knowledge transformation process and on the cognitive strategies used to shift prospective teachers’ explanations within the domain of modelling thermal physical phenomena. This study investigates the development of PCK within a group of 28 pre-service physics teachers during the first semester of their two-year post-graduate teacher education program. It focuses on the central issue of the relationships between observable phenomena, like macroscopic thermal properties of matter and their interpretation and /or explanat…

Inquiry Based Learning and Responsible Research and Innovation: Examples of Interdisciplinary Approaches at Different Schooling Levels

The Inquiry-Based approach to Science Education (IBSE) is presented in scienti#c literature (Hake, 1998; Sharma et al., 2010) and in research projects reports (e.g. ESTABLISH, 2010; SAILS, 2014) as a credible solution to the reported lack of ef#cacy of more ‘traditional’ educative approaches, especially when focused on Research and Innovation (RRI) (Sutcliffe, 2006; IRRESISTIBLE, 2013; Ark of Inquiry, 2013). IBSE is an inductive approach to science teaching that considers direct experience at the center of learning. IBSE activities and strategies actively involve students in the identi#cation of relevant evidence, in critical and logical reasoning on the evidence collected and in re+ection …

K-means Clustering to Study How Student Reasoning Lines Can Be Modified by a Learning Activity Based on Feynman’s Unifying Approach

Background:Research in Science Education has shown that often students need to learn how to identify differences and similarities between descriptive and explicative models. The development and use of explicative skills in the field of thermal science has always been a difficult objective to reach. A way to develop analogical reasoning is to use in Science Education unifying conceptual frameworks.Material and methods:A questionnaire containing six open-ended questions on thermally activated phenomena was administered to the students before instruction. A second one, similar but focused on different physical content was administered after instruction. Responses were analysed using k-means Cl…

Investigating the quality of mental models deployed by undergraduate engineering students in creating explanations: The case of thermally activated phenomena

This paper describes a method aimed at pointing out the quality of the mental models undergraduate engineering students deploy when asked to create explanations for phenomena or processes and/or use a given model in the same context. Student responses to a specially designed written questionnaire are quantitatively analyzed using researcher-generated categories of reasoning, based on the physics education research literature on student understanding of the relevant physics content. The use of statistical implicative analysis tools allows us to successfully identify clusters of students with respect to the similarity to the reasoning categories, defined as ``practical or everyday,'' ``descri…

THE PHYSICS OF THE AIRCRAFT PILOTAGE

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the mental models deployed by undergraduate students in explaining thermally activated phenomena

In this contribution we describe a research aimed at pointing out the quality of mental models undergraduate engineering students deploy when asked to create explanations for phenomena/processes and/or use a given model in the same context. Student responses to a specially designed written questionnaire are initially analyzed using researcher-generated categories of reasoning, based on the Physics Education Research literature on student understanding of the relevant physics content. The inferred students’ mental models about the analyzed phenomena are categorized as practical, descriptive, or explanatory, based on an analysis of student responses to the questionnaire. A qualitative analysi…

Introduction to Strand 14

Strand 14 of ESERA addresses an internationally increasingly recognized complex field of science education research: in-service teacher education and continued professional development of science teachers. It is obvious that the value and success of any educational system strongly corresponds with the quality of its teachers’ competences and practices. In this sense, it is not surprising that the strand on in-service science teacher education is always one of the most active strands of ESERA. Compared to the last ESERA conference proceedings, the number of papers presented in this strand was growing from 10 to 32 pieces.

Le concezioni sui processi di modellizzazione nei futuri insegnanti di matematica e fisica delle scuole secondarie superiori in italia

Unsupervised quantitative methods to analyze student reasoning lines: Theoretical aspects and examples

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Quantitative Methods in PER: A Critical Examination.] A relevant aim of research in education is to find and study the reasoning lines that students deploy when dealing with problematic situations. This can be done through an analysis of the answers students give to a questionnaire. In this paper, we discuss some methodological aspects involved in the quantitative analysis of a questionnaire by means of two different clustering methods, a hierarchical one and a nonhierarchical one. We start from the coding procedures needed to obtain analyzable data from the questionnaire and from a definition of a correlation coefficient suitable for measuri…

Measuring longitudinal wave speed in solids: two methods and a half

Three methods to analyse longitudinal wave propagation in metallic rods are discussed. Two of these methods also prove to be useful for measuring the sound propagation speed. The experimental results, as well as some interpretative models built in the context of a workshop on mechanical waves at the Graduate School for Pre-Service Physics Teacher Education, Palermo University, are described. Some considerations about observed modifications in trainee teachers' attitudes to utilizing physics experiments to build pedagogical activities are discussed.

In-service and pre-service physics teacher education and pedagogical content knowledge construction

A pedagogical flight simulator for longitudinal airplane flight

This article presents a bi-dimensional model of flight and describes the implementation of a flight simulator able to describe the different phases of longitudinal flight of a real airplane. After identifying the relevant physical variables, the equations of motion are written and solved using a numerical integration method. Using computer simulations, flight paths and time evolution of the kinematics variables are analyzed for a complete flight of a light commercial airplane. The simulations take into account and reproduce the basic actions of a pilot to control the flight. The main maneuvers involved in pilotage are also predicted and explained in terms of model parameter variations induc…

CHARACTERISITIC PROPERTIES OF SEMICONDUCTORS THROUGH EXPERIMENTS AND MODELLING

Visualising Statistical Mechanics. The Case of Energy Distribution

Prospective elementary teachers’ perceptions of the processes of modeling: A case study

In this paper we discuss a study on the approaches to modeling of students of the 4-year elementary school teacher program at the University of Palermo, Italy. The answers to a specially designed questionnaire are analyzed on the basis of an a priori analysis made using a general scheme of reference on the epistemology of mathematics and physics. The study is performed by using quantitative data analysis methods, i.e. factorial analysis of the correspondences and implicative analysis. A qualitative analysis of key words and terms used by students during interviews is also used to examine some aspects that emerged from the quantitative analysis. The students have been classified on the basis…

The explicative power of the vector potential for superconductivity: a path for high school

In the classroom practice the notion of the magnetic vector potential is never introduced, both because it is not contained in secondary school textbooks and because teachers usually associate this concept with complex topics they dealt with in their university courses. In our experience instead, we have found that the introduction of the vector potential can be of great help in students’ understanding of electromagnetism and modern physics topics. In this paper we will show how the use of the vector potential allows a phenomenological and consistent explanation of superconductivity at a level suitable for high school students. We will deal with the two main aspects of superconductivity: th…

Active Learning Methods and Strategies to Improve Student Conceptual Understanding: Some Considerations from Physics Education Research

Active learning methods and strategies are credited to be an important means for the development of student cognitive skills. This paper describes some forms of active learning common in Physics Education and briefly introduces some of the pedagogical and psychological theories on the basis of active learning. Then, some evidence for active learning effectiveness in developing students’ critical cognitive skills and improving their conceptual understanding are examined. An example study regarding the effectiveness of an Inquiry-based learning approach in helping students to build mechanisms of functioning and explicative models, and to identify common aspects in apparently different phenome…

Il Progetto ESTABLISH nel contesto della Scuola Italiana: uno studio relativo alla formazione “Inquiry Based” dei docenti di Scuola Secondaria

In questo articolo verranno discussi alcuni aspetti rilevanti dell’integrazione delle metodiche “Inquiry-Based Science Education” (IBSE) nella pratica di classe di 12 Scuole Secondarie di I e II Grado di tutta la Sicilia, durante il triennio 2010–2013 e nell’ambito del Progetto del VII Programma Quadro ell’UE ESTABLISH. Finalit`a principale del Progetto era quella di creare una rete di ricercatori in didattica delle discipline scientifiche e di docenti di Scuole Secondarie di tutta Europa che potessero lavorare insieme per promuovere il cambiamento nella didattica tramite la diffusione in classe delle metodiche proprie dell’indagine scientifica. In particolare, l’articolo presenta alcuni mo…

Profiling in-service teachers across Europe to determine their attitude to IBSE

The ESTABLISH FP7-funded project is involved with development and implementation of professional development workshops to support teachers in adopting more inquiry based approaches in their teaching. Identifying teacher views, goals, practices and the challenges they face in implementing inquiry activities, can inform teacher educators of the needs of their participating teachers. This can also inform them to provide the appropriate support in order to help teachers overcome obstacles and develop their own practice in inquiry. This paper outlines the initial results from a profiling instrument used to examine teachers’ beliefs about IBSE, attitudes to teaching science and teaching by inquir…

Teacher’s Education Using The Project Approach: Modeling the Airplane Flight Using ICT Based Strategies”

MODELLING PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHER PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD OF MECHANICAL WAVE PROPAGATION

Investigating Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Scientific Inquiry

This paper analyses the scientific inquiry in the context of modelling physical systems and point out some related teaching/learning strategies. Two relevant points are also discussed: i)- the different representations of scientific inquiry held by a sample of secondary school physics teachers and their competencies in conducting investigations aimed at solving scientific problems; ii)- what kind of supports can be supplied to teachers in order to modify their misconceptions about scientific inquiry and develop adequate competences related to Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Scientific Inquiry. The topic will be analysed in the light of some preliminary results of a course for in-service ph…

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOLTZMANN FACTOR BY USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS

We present an experiment and simulations aimed at introducing the Boltzmann factor mathematical expression and at illustrating the fundamental concepts on which it is grounded. The experiment uses an easily available Microcomputer Based Laboratory apparatus. Simulations are developed in the Net-Logo environment that, besides having a friendly user-interface, allows an easy interaction with the algorithm. The approach supplies a pedagogical support for the introduction of the Boltzmann factor at undergraduate level to students without a background in statistical mechanics.

Effects of emergency remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic on university physics students in Italy

We surveyed a convenience sample of 362 Italian university physics students, asking them to retrospectively assess their experience of emergency remote instruction due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We looked at their psychological well being, motivation for physics, academic orientation, attitude towards physics and physicists, and tried to link these factors to their overall perception of the online instruction. Our results show a general appreciation for the organization and effectiveness of online courses. However, online teaching negatively impacted on engagement and interaction between peers and with the instructors. Only 22% of students in our sample complained of the psychological distre…

A Phenomenological Study About the Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Use of Teaching Resources in Mathematics

In this contribution, we discuss phenomenological research related to a pilot study carried out by the Consortium of the MaTeK Horizon 2020 project during the 2020–21 academic year. The research aims to analyse the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the use of teaching resources in mathematics in five coun- tries. A questionnaire made of seven questions was administered to a data sample made of teachers of all grades. The answers coming from the questionnaire were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. Closed-ended questions were analysed by using a clustering methodology called k-means. Open-ended questions were qualitatively analysed. The results show that almost all the teachers are…

Elastic Waves: Common Representations and Related Teaching/Learning Sequences

Designing and Validating a Teaching/Learning Sequence about Elastic Wave Propagation: The Role of Pedagogical Tools

A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH TO MODELLING ELECTRIC CONDUCTION IN SOLIDS

Collisions and Mechanical Wave Propagation in Elastic Rods

Some results from experiments intended to measure the propagation speed of sound waves produced by collisions between small bodies and metallic rods are analysed. Elementary models of elastic collision and of the reflection and transmission of waves at media boundaries are discussed and tested with experimental data, in the framework of a workshop on mechanical wave propagation that featured at the University of Palermo in a two-year graduate programme for prospective physics teachers and in courses for undergraduate engineering and physics students.

Analysing the conceptions on modelling of engineering undergraduate students: A case study using cluster analysis

The problem of taking a set of data and separating it into subgroups where the elements of each subgroup are more similar to each other than they are to elements not in the subgroup has been extensively studied through the statistical method of Cluster Analysis . This method can be conveniently used to separate students into groups that can be recognized and characterized by common traits in their answers, without any prior knowledge of what form those groups would take (unsupervised classification). In the last years many studies examined the consistency of students’ answers in a variety of situations. Some of these papers have tried to develop more detailed models of the consistency of st…

A study on science teaching efficacy beliefs during pre-service elementary training

Two science teaching workshops for students of the elementary teacher education degree course at the University of Palermo, Italy are discussed, one based on inquiry-based methods and the other on "traditional" teaching methods. A questionnaire aimed to understand the teaching styles preferred by students, their reasons for learning/teaching science, and their beliefs about the difficulties a teacher faces when planning and trying out science teaching activities in the class were completed by the students before the first workshop, at its end, and the end of the second workshop. The answers given by the students were studied using cluster analysis methods. The results of the analysis of ans…

A quantitative analysis of Educational Data through the Comparison between Hierarchical and Not-Hierarchical Clustering

Many research papers have studied the problem of taking a set of data and separating it into subgroups through the methods of Cluster Analysis. However, the variables and parameters involved in Cluster Analysis have not always been outlined and criticized, especially in the field of Science Education. Moreover, in the field of Science Education, a comparison between two different Clustering methods is not discussed in the literature. Conceptions of students about modeling in physic are investigated by using an open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire is analyzed through Clustering methods. The clustering results obtained by using the two methods are compared and show a good coherence bet…

A quantitative analysis of university student reasoning lines in the field of thermally activated phenomena

In this contribution we present a research aimed at studying the effectiveness of two workshops in improving reasoning skills in undergraduate students. Both the workshops are based on the Feynman Unifying Approach. A questionnaire containing six open-ended questions on the temperature dependence of evaporation of a liquid and of a chemical reaction was administered to the students of both groups before instruction. A second one, similar to the first but focused on a physical content different from both the pre-instruction test one and the content dealt with during the workshops, was administered after instruction. The responses to the pre- and post-instruction questionnaires are analyzed b…

Freshman Engineering’ Reasoning Strategies When Answering FCI Questions: A Case Study

Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is a questionnaire commonly used to assess students’ conceptual understanding of Newtonian Mechanics. We show that Cluster Analysis methods can be used to study student answers to FCI by finding their reasoning strategies on Newtonian Mechanics. Our analysis is performed to data obtained by a sample of freshman engineering students just at the beginning of their first General Physics course. The analysis takes into account the decomposition of the force concept into the conceptual dimensions suggested by test authors and successive researches. We identified groups of students with similar answering strategies, characterised by correct answers, as well as by non…

Energy exchange by thermal radiation: hints and suggestions for an Inquiry Based lab approach

In this paper we present some laboratory activities developed in the framework of an inquiry-based, context-to-content teaching/learning approach to the study of energy exchange by thermal radiation. These activities have been developed in the context of “Establish”, a FP7 European Project aimed at promoting and developing Inquiry Based Science Education in European Secondary Schools. By starting from real life, meaningful situations, students are engaged in designing and carrying out laboratory activities by collecting, processing and analysing data. Particular attention is paid in building data interpretation by taking into account the effects of parameters like the environmental temperat…

Teaching/Learnig strategies for object based modelling environments applied to Science Education

DEVELOPING PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE BY USING MODELING ENVIRONMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHER EDUCATION.

The Boltzmann factor through experiments and simulations

The Boltzmann factor is at the basis of a great amount of thermodynamic and statistical physics, both classical and quantum. It describes the behaviour of natural systems that are exchanging energy with the environment. However, why does the expression have this specific form? The Feynman Lectures on Physics justifies it heuristically by reference to the “exponential atmosphere” example. Thermodynamics textbooks usually give a more or less complete explanation that mainly involves the mathematical analysis, where it is hard to see the logic flow. Moreover, the necessary mathematics is not at the level of high school or college students’ preparation. Here we present an experiments and a simu…

An experiment on the velocity distribution of thermionic electrons

This paper describes an undergraduate experiment that yields the velocity distribution of thermionic electrons by analyzing the I-V characteristics of diodes and triodes. The experiment allows students to focus on the distribution function more than on difficulties arising from the complexity of thermionic emission. By using a simple model, the velocity distribution of thermionic electrons emitted by the vacuum tube cathode can be described by Maxwell’s distribution.

Crossing Disciplinary Knowledge Boundaries and Bridging the Gap Between Science Education Research, Educational Practices, Society and Citizens: Inquiry Based Learning and Responsible Research and Innovation

It is widely acknowledged today that an Inquiry-Based approach to Research and Innovation processes can improve the interest of students in studying scientific topics. Such approaches can enable students to have the opportunity to interact with cutting edge topics, research results and work with researchers and other societal actors to better align research processes and their outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of today's society. However, there is still no clear consensus between researchers about the impact that inquiry-based approaches have on the student scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding at different ages and cultural levels. This paper discusses these aspe…

Motivating and Exciting Methods in Mathematics and Science, IT Team

A Problem Based Approach to Sound Propagation in Different Materials

In this paper we present a problem-based approach to the study of sound propagation devoted to pre-service physics teacher education at University of Palermo, Italy. Small groups of trainee teachers are proposed with real life situations and must organize themselves, define objectives, conduct researches, analyze results, and present conclusions. In particular, the problem of wave propagation in different materials is discussed, by starting from the real life situation of soundproofing a house. Examples of experiments performed by the trainee teachers with Real Time Laboratory (RTL) equipment and of interpretative models built and tested by using computer simulation environments are reporte…

A Problem Based Approach to Elastic Wave Propagation: The Role of Constraints

A problem-based approach to the teaching of mechanical wave propagation, focused on observation and measurement of wave properties in solids and on modelling of these properties, is presented. In particular, some experimental results, originally aimed at measuring the propagation speed of sound waves in metallic rods, are used in order to deepen the role of constraints in mechanical wave propagation. Interpretative models of the results obtained in the laboratory are built and implemented by using a well-known simulation environment. The simulation results are, then, compared with experimental data. The approach has been developed and experimented in the context of a workshop on mechanical …

Nanotechnology for Solar Energy Conversion

Nel presente lavoro è descritto un modulo didattico sviluppato, nell’ambito del progetto europeo IRRESISTIBLE, dall’unità di Palermo sul tema dell’applicazione delle nanoscienze allo sfruttamento dell’energia solare. L’attività è stata rivolta ad alunni del biennio dell’Istituto Tecnico, nell’ambito delle discipline Scienze Chimiche Integrate e Scienze e Tecnologie Applicate Chimca e ad alunni dell’ultimo anno del Liceo Scientifico, nell’ambito della disciplina Fisica. Tra le varie attività , anche sperimentali, è stata realizzata una cella DSSC che, insieme ad altro materiale di comunicazione preparato dagli stessi studenti, è stata presentata alla mostra scientifica Esperienza inSegna e a…

The Boltzmann Probability as a Unifying Approach to Different Phenomena

We discuss a pedagogical approach to the role of the Boltzmann probability in describing the temperature dependence of three simple experimental situations. The approach has been experimented in an introductory course on statistical mechanics for undergraduate engineering students at University of Palermo.

Seeing reality through Einstein's eyes: a teaching proposal for special relativity

The teaching of Special Relativity is still a critical issue not only for students but also for teachers. In this paper, we describe the trial of a learning unit on the Special Relativity topic based on Minkowski's approach through spacetime diagrams, following the results in pedagogical researches in this field. The main innovation of our project consists of a mechanical instrument: it allows to physically and mechanically represent Lorentz’s transformations by hands, exploring the effects of a change of the reference frame. Teachers and students can deal “by eye” with unusual phenomena as the loss of simultaneity, time dilation, length contraction, relativistic addition of velocities and …

Conceptions on modelling processes in Italian high school prospective mathematics and physics teachers

Non-Hierarchical Clustering as a method to analyse an open-ended questionnaire on algebraic thinking

The problem of taking a data set and separating it into subgroups, where the members of each subgroup are more similar to each other than they are to members outside the subgroup, has been extensively studied in science and mathematics education research. Student responses to written questions and multiple-choice tests have been characterised and studied using several qualitative and/or quantitative analysis methods. However, there are inherent difficulties in the categorisation of student responses in the case of open-ended questionnaires. Very often, researcher bias means that the categories picked out tend to find the groups of students that the researcher is seeking out. In this paper, …

Different approaches to research and innovation in physics education at college and university

Abstract In this article we report a Symposium organized by GTG-Physics Education Research at University (PERU) with different proposals that includes innovative educational approaches and research on problems of teaching-learning physics at university. In the second section, two research projects are described on teaching specific curriculum topics that present special difficulties for students. In the next section the third project on a work experience in the laboratory that takes into account the characteristics of scientific work, is presented. Finally, the fourth project presents a way to investigate the types of student reasoning. In the discussion, the importance of research projects…

Pre-Service Teacher Preparation: Examples Of Pedagogic Activities By Using ICT Tools

Conduction as a prerequisite to superconductivity

As the number of high school students interested in modern physics is always increasing, the University of Milan is developing a project on superconductivity in which experiments and theory are proposed to students. The present paper is divided into two main parts. The first analyzes the basic concepts necessary to understand superconductivity. For a start we propose the first step of a designbased research were students learn the London phenomenological approach. In this way students’ can get the explanation of experiments easy to obtain in the lab-room, such as Meissner effect and the measure of the critical temperature of a type II superconductor. The second part analyzes the results obt…

Heating and Cooling: Designing a Low Energy Home

This unit is aimed at engaging students in designing and building an energy-efficient scale model house through the understanding of relevant concepts of energy flow in thermal systems. It is developed into 4 subunits that analyse the different processes of thermal energy transfer (conduction, convection and radiation). The project intends also to introduce pupils to infrared thermography, thermal imaging and thermograms, i.e. infrared imaging science. The content area of the unit is energy and power in thermal systems. The subunits are suitable for 14-16 year old students while the data analysis and more theoretical parts of the unit are suitable for 16-18 year old students. The estimated …

Epistemological Difficulties and Improvement of Conceptual Understanding in the Context of Thermal Sciences: An Open Inquiry Approach with Undergraduate Engineering Students

We provide evidence that these OI experiences contribute positively to improve physics conceptual understanding and increase student abilities in problem solving, by providing the activation of appropriate epistemological resources.

MASTER IDIFO (INNOVAZIONE DIDATTICA IN FISICA E ORIENTAMENTO): A COMMUNITY OF ITALIAN PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCHERS AND TEACHERS AS A MODEL FOR A RESEARCH BASED IN-SERVICE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT IN MODERN PHYSICS.

Since 2005, the Italian Universities have promoted initiatives for school-university cooperation in the framework of a national project (PLS) to face the problems of a substantial scienti c illiteracy in young people and a worrying decreasing interest in physics emerging from OCSE-PISA data. The project PLS is nanced by the Ministry for Education and Universities and coordinates 65 local university projects in mathematics, physics, chemistry and material science. The collaboration of Universities with teachers in the PLS physics section is an important goal realized in different ways. The Italian university Physics Education Research Unit (IPERU), cooperating with national research projects…

Complex Systems: an Interdisciplinary Approach

Two main peculiarities characterize complex systems: the nonlinearity and the noisy environmental interaction. The comprehension of noise role in the dynamics of nonlinear systems plays a key aspect in the efforts devoted to understand and model so-called complex systems.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Modelling-Oriented Workshops for Engineering Undergraduates in the Field of Thermally Activated Phenomena

Two 20-h modelling-based workshops focused on the explanation of ther- mally activated phenomena were held at the University of Palermo, Italy, during the Academic Year 2014–2015. One of them was conducted by applying an inquiry-based approach, while the other, still based on laboratory and modelling activities, was not focused on inquiry. Seventy-two students belonging to the Undergraduate Program for Chemical Engineering attended the two workshops. The related content was focused on an à la Feynman unifying approach to thermally activated phenomena. Question- naires were administered to the students of both groups, before and post instruction. Responses were analysed using k-means cluster…

Dynamic measurement of the elastic constant of an helicoidal spring by a smartphone

Abstract We describe an educational activity that can be done by using smartphones to collect data in physics experiments aimed to measure the oscillating period of a spring-mass system and the elastic constant of the helicoidal spring by the dynamic method. Results for the oscillating period and for the elastic constant of the spring agree very well with measurements obtained by different methods. We also discuss the error analysis that can be done in an introductory physics laboratory at undergraduate level.

Open Inquiry Investigations on Heat Transfer Performed by Undergraduate Engineering Students

Many researches have shown the pedagogical effectiveness of structured inquiry as a high performance tool in science education of undergraduate engineering students. In this paper we report the preliminary results of an extended investigation on the efficacy of the application of an open inquiry approach to the consolidation of the physics concepts regarding the topic of thermal energy transfer. We selected a sample of undergraduate mechanical engineering students, who passed the examination of the basic physics courses with good marks. Firstly, we investigated about resistant misconceptions in thermal physics by administrating a pre-activity questionnaire. Even the best marked students sho…

Using cluster analysis to study the modelling abilities of engineering undergraduate students: a case study

In this contribution we discuss the application of a quantitative, non-hierarchical clustering method to make sense of the answers that 120 engineering undergraduates students at the University of Palermo, Italy, gave to four open-ended questions on the meaning of the modeling processes in Science. We will show that the use of non-hierarchical analysis allows us to easily separate students into groups that can be recognized and characterized by common traits in students’ answers without any prior knowledge on the part of the researcher of what form those groups would take (unbiased classification).

Onde Elastiche: Rappresentazioni Comuni e Sequenze di Insegnamento/Apprendimento

Open inquiry-based learning experiences: a case study in the context of energy exchange by thermal radiation

An open inquiry (OI)-based teaching/learning experience, regarding a scientific investigation of the process of energy exchange by thermal radiation, is presented. A sample of upper secondary school physics teachers carried out this experience at the University of Palermo, Italy, in the framework of ESTABLISH, a FP7 European Project aimed at promoting and developing inquiry-based science education. The teachers had the opportunity to personally experience an OI-based learning activity, with the aim of exploring the pedagogical potentialities of this teaching approach to promote both the understanding of difficult concepts and a deeper view of scientific practices. The teachers were firstly …

PROSPECTIVE TEACHER KNOWLEDGE OF WAVE PROPAGATION AND DESIGN OF APPROPRIATE EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTS

The elastic body model: a pedagogical approach integrating real time measurements and modelling activities

In this paper, we describe a pedagogical approach to elastic body movement based on measurements of the contact times between a metallic rod and small bodies colliding with it and on modelling of the experimental results by using a microcomputer-based laboratory and simulation tools. The experiments and modelling activities have been built in the context of the laboratory of mechanical wave propagation of the two-year graduate teacher education programme of Palermo’s University. Some considerations about observed modifications in trainee teachers’ attitudes in utilizing experiments and modelling are discussed.

Pedagogical models of surface mechanical wave propagation in various materials

We report on a teaching approach oriented to the understanding of some relevant concepts of wave propagation in solids. It is based on simple experiments involving the propagation of shock mechanical waves in solid slabs of various materials. Methods similar to the generation and propagation of seismic waves are adopted. Educational seismometers, interfaced with computers, are used to detect and visualize the shock waves and to analyse their propagation properties. A qualitative discussion of the results concerning the propagation and the attenuation of the waves allows us to draw basic conclusions about the response of the matter to solicitation impacts and their propagation.

A study of capillarity phenomena by using a computer-based simulation approach

Liquid properties are relevant for the understanding of fundamental and applied sciences. Among these properties, those that can be traced back and explained through the surface tension are particularly interesting to study and reconstruct in educational terms. Traditional educational treatment of surface tension is often obscure or too complex, sometimes superficial or completely neglected. The aim of the research here described is to discuss in detail a mesoscopic model of liquids and show quantitative results obtained by a computer simulation approach. Looking at the educational aspect, the main advantage of this approach is that it allows the student/teacher to control the simulation pa…

Exploring the Coherence of Student Reasoning when Responding to Questionnaires on Thermally Activated Phenomena

Many research results show that students often highlight “mixed-type” reasoning when tackling problematic situations and problems. This reasoning is based on the simultaneous use of common-sense and mere descriptions of facts, perceived as sufficient to build an “explanation” of observed or proposed situations and problems. This fact can be interpreted as a lack of coherence. In this paper, we study the coherence of responses that a sample of undergraduate chemical engineering student give when they are asked to face real-life situations, to create explanations, and to use models in different contexts. We administered open-ended questionnaires before and after a twenty-hour Inquiry-Based wo…

MICROSCOPIC AND MACROSCOPIC ASPECTS OF STUDENT KNOWLEDGE IN ELECTRIC CONDUCTION IN METALS

This paper presents some preliminary results of a research aimed at portraying individual models of description/explanation of electrical conduction in metals shown by physics prospective teachers and at studying how a specifically designed pedagogical environment can support an adequate evolution of their knowledge and disciplinary competencies. A teaching/learning sequence (TLS) on the subject matter, making use of custom Information Technology tools, aimed at facilitating and scaffolding learning, is shortly described. Some relevant points of the research pilot phases, like the analysis of prospective teachers’ spontaneous models of electrical conduction, the identification of significan…

Training pre-service and in-service secondary school teachers: Analysis of changes in perceptions about quantum physics concepts and NoS views

In this work we focus on the study of the changes in perceptions about Quantum Physics concepts and Nature of Science (NoS) Views of secondary school teachers attending three different typologies of professional development courses on Modern Physics . An open-ended questionnaire has been properly developed and administered in order to investigate Quantum Mechanics conceptual issues, NoS views and motivational aspects for all involved teachers. The same questionnaire has been submitted to the teachers both prior-to and after the courses. The analysis of teachers’ pre-instruction answers highlights that the majority of them show several difficulties on both conceptual knowledge and epistemolo…

Vector Potential at High School: A Way to Introduce Superconductivity and to Review Electromagnetism

Superconductivity is a rich and complex topic that generates great interest and curiosity in high school students. Most of the presentations of superconductivity give a great importance to magnetism. But typically in these presentations the physical role is played by the magnetic field B while the magnetic vector potential A is never mentioned. Moreover the explanation of the quantum phenomena at the base of the superconductivity are often not enough developed and generally given only at a popular level. We think that the key point for a meaningful presentation at high school is the vector potential. In this paper we present a teaching path on the vector potential and a pilot experimentatio…

Il modulo "Meccanica Statistica e Struttura della Materia"

Object based modelling environments applied to Science Education

Complex conductivity in high-Tc single crystal superconductors

The electromagnetic surface impedance of single crystal high-T c superconductors has been examined within the framework of the two-fluid model and the hypothesis that the em field modulates the partial concentrations of both normal and condensate fluids. A comparison with experimental data is reported

Reconsidering Some Aspects of Inquiry Based Science Education: A Case Study on Model Based Inquiry

Multidimensional Scaling in Cluster Analysis: examples in Science and Mathematics Education

Several researches in STEM education research highlight the advantages of an inte- grated approach to these disciplines that relates knowledge and know-how, design and implementation, theoretical and practical problems [5, 4, 6]. In some researches, the effectiveness of these approaches on students conceptual understanding and motivation and has been studied through the use of quantitative analysis tools such as cluster analysis (CLA) [1, 7]. Through CLA it is possible to characterize students analyzing the strategies they deploy to tackle, for example, questionnaires built so as to investigate the lines of reasoning implemented by them when they are proposed with problematic situations. In…

Fluids in Equilibrium and Hydrodynamics

Teaching fluid mechanics applied to undergraduate and graduate students of STEM disciplines has traditionally been a difficult task for the teacher. It connects to the use of more or less complex mathematics, computer science, and numerical methods. In this chapter, after a brief discussion about the development of pedagogical approaches to introduce students to fluid mechanics from 1950 to today, we discuss some relevant examples of Physics Education Research (PER) literature pieces related to teaching and learning specific aspects of fluid mechanics. The aim is to understand how PER has contributed to our current knowledge in that field, how it has evolved in terms of methodologies used, …

EDUCATIONAL ICT TOOLS TO IMPROVE WAVE PHYSICS UNDERSTANDING

Un esperimento sulla distribuzione di velocità degli elettroni in una valvola termoionica

In questo lavoro è discusso un approccio sperimentale alla distribuzione di Maxwell- Bolzmann. A partire dallo studio delle caratteristiche I-V dei triodi a vuoto, si perviene, utilizzando un semplice modello, alla distribuzione di velocità degli elettroni emessi dal catodo dei dispositivi utilizzati. L’esperimento qui proposto può aiutare gli studenti a focalizzare l’attenzione sul concetto di distribuzione di velocità in un sistema di particelle, senza distrarli dalle difficoltà concettuali connesse alla complessità del fenomeno dell’emissione termoionica.

Outcomes of a Teaching Learning Sequence on Modelling Surface Phenomena in Liquids

In this paper we discuss the effects of modelling and computer simulation activities in promoting student use of lines of reasoning useful to explain proposed or observed situations. The activities are part of a structured Teaching/Learning Sequence on surface phenomena in liquids. We outline a model of liquid based on a mesoscopic approach, examples of computer simulations students can use during the activities, and we describe the Teaching/Learning Sequence. During the pedagogical activities, students can simulate the liquid behaviour by controlling many simulation parameters, such as the interaction intensity among liquid and solid particles. The results of the analysis of student answer…

An approach to the Venturi effect by historical instruments

Student understanding of the laws that describe the flow of a fluid is often hampered by a defective knowledge of basic classical mechanics (kinematics, statics, dynamics, and conservation laws) and by wrong common-sense ideas about quantities related to fluids, such as velocity and pressure. A pedagogical discussion about the Venturi effect, based on experiments inspired by historical instruments, may be an effective way to introduce students to these laws. In this paper, we discuss an approach to the understanding of the Venturi effect based on the study of historical instruments and on simple experiments. In particular, after a presentation of the Venturi effect, also from a historical p…

Una trattazione unitaria di fenomeni diversi: il caso del modello esponenziale

LE CONCEZIONI DEI FUTURI INSEGNANTI DI MATEMATICA E FISICA SUI PROCESSI DI MODELLIZZAZIONE

Comparing Traditional Pedagogical Approches in Science to Inquiry Based Ones: A Case Study with Pre-Service Primary School Teachers

In this contribution we discuss a teaching/learning experiment focused on comparing traditional teaching/learning methods to the IBSE approaches in the framework of pre-service primary school teacher education. We discuss the main phases of the pedagogical activities developed during a physics education course in the framework of the undergraduate course for pre-service primary school teacher education at the University of Palermo (Italy). In this course, the students first produced examples of pedagogical paths based on a traditional, pedagogical laboratory-based approach. Then, after a workshop focused on IBSE and on how to plan IBSE-optimized activities, the students were asked to produc…

An unsupervised quantitative method to analyse students' answering strategies to a questionnaire

Questionnaires are perhaps the most widely used instruments to assess conceptual learning in physics as well as in mathematics. In the field of physics and mathematics education research it is surely interesting to be able to use a questionnaire as a “diagnostic instrument,” i.e., to know details about relationships among student answers to the different questions. In recent years several research works focused on this goal by using different quantitative methodologies, like Factor, Model and Cluster Analyses. However, very few research works deepened the theoretical aspects of the Cluster Analysis. In this contribution, we discuss two Cluster Analysis methods with respect to this issue. By…

Modelling systems of classical/quantum identical particles by focusing on algorithms

A procedure modelling ideal classical and quantum gases is discussed. The proposed approach is mainly based on the idea that modelling and algorithm analysis can provide a deeper understanding of particularly complex physical systems. Appropriate representations and physical models able to mimic possible pseudo-mechanisms of functioning and having predictive validity are developed.

Un Approccio Innovativo allo Studio delle Proprietà delle Onde Elastiche in Mezzi Diversi