Modelling Environments to Scaffold the Construction of Phenomenological Mental Models: An Experimental Survey

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 …

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.

Developing Epistemologically Empowered Teachers: An Approach to Preservice Physics Teacher Education Focusing on History and Philosophy of Science

It has been extensively acknowledged by educational researchers and teacher educators that the main goal of science education is to make student aware that science is an important component of our cultural heritage, with the final purpose of forming the citizen. In order to realize this goal, school science teachers need to possess a basic knowledge of History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) that gives an overall perception of the subject taught in its relationships with other fields and everyday life. In the present chapter, attention is given to the problem of HPS in physics teachers education, by designing a model of intervention aimed at deepening and widening the teachers’ disciplinary…

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

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

New Teaching Strategies and ICT for Science Education: Computer Modelling for Physics Teaching

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…

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 …

Learning Physics via Model Construction: Issues and Experimental Results

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.

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.

THE PHYSICS OF THE AIRCRAFT PILOTAGE

Cinematica Generalizzata

Visualising Statistical Mechanics. The Case of Energy Distribution

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

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…

Elastic Waves: Common Representations and Related Teaching/Learning Sequences

Modelling Dynamic Systems: Examples Involving an Iconic Oriented Environment

We present a modelling environment based on the use of iconic representations consisting of elements, as containers and connected flows, able to describe the relationships between relevant variables of dynamic systems. The procedures involved are aimed to make students aware of the reasoning processes to describe, formalise and explain complex system behaviours. Moreover, we show how these strategies may allow the overcoming of some well-known difficulties involved in pupil understanding of mathematical formalisms, such as derivatives and differential equations and their real meaning. Our reported modelling examples were experimented on during some laboratory sessions of the Pre-Service Sch…

Innovazione nella didattica della fisica e formazione degli insegnanti: esperienze e problemi

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…

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

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…

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

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 …

Challenges in Primary and Secondary Science Teachers Education and Training

The Girep Seminar of 2003 made an important contribution to the problem of Quality Development of Teacher Education and Training, following the Barcellona Girep Conference of 2000 on Physics Teacher Education Beyond 2000. A number of important problems are still unresolved and a broad research study has been carried out and documented (Abell, 2007). Group 3 of the EU-Project STEPS2 is now dealing with this topic and discussing the main open problems. The Symposium will contribute by analyzing and discussing some of the main problems of teacher education and training in physics both with an institutional perspective, and in relation to curriculum through updating and school reform. The study…

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…

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…

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

An Inquiry Based Approach to the study of energy exchange by thermal radiation

A teaching-learning sequence regarding the investigation of energy exchange by thermal radiation, conduction and convection is under development within the context of “Establish”, a FP7 European Project aimed at promoting and developing Inquiry Based Science Education in European Secondary Schools. Here we present some relevant laboratory activities of this inquiry-oriented teaching/learning sequence for secondary school level students (or even first-level university ones), aimed at investigating the physics of energy transmission by thermal radiation. In traditional laboratory work, the focus of students activities is mostly dedicated on verifying information previously transferred by the …

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…

Object based modelling environments applied to Science Education

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

Modelling dynamic systems: an example involving graphic oriented computer programs

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

MODELLING THE DISPERSION PROPERTIES OF MASS LINEAR CHAINS: EXPERIMENTS AND SIMULATIONS

We analyze and discuss the results of an experiment with the goal of revealing the phonon-like acoustic dispersion curve. The experimental apparatus consists of a sonometer and an electromagnetic driver connected to a signal generator in order to establish standing waves along a stretched metal string (a guitar string) upon which a set of beads (used normally for fishing) has been fixed. The oscillation amplitude is measured by means of a detector connected to an MBL interface. We detect the resonance frequencies as function of the wave-number and obtain the corresponding dispersion curve. The results show that deviations from linearity occur when the wavelength is comparable with the dista…

Diffusion of neutrons by a slab of moderating material