- Docente: Olivia Levrini
- Credits: 6
- SSD: FIS/08
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
-
Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
Mathematics (cod. 8208)
Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Physics (cod. 8025)
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Physics (cod. 9245)
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the student will have competences for
designing effective and meaningful paths for teaching physics at
the secondary school level. Particular attention will be paid to
the crucial passage from classical to modern physics
(relativity and quantum physics).
In more detail, the student will be provided with cultural and
professional tools for: - analysing and discussing results of the
research in Physics Education about how secondary and university
students cope with key-concepts; - analysing research
materials (audio- and video- recording) concerning emblematic
moments of learning; - using various texts and materials for
teaching (textbooks, original papers, historical and
epistemological texts, popular science books, web-sites, and so
on); - analyising innovative proposals for teaching physics at the
secondary school level and constructing criteria for desinging new
paths.
Course contents
The course will address the following topics:
- Physics Education as research field: the origins, the constructivist paradigm, the research on students' knowledge, models of conceptual change (from the model of Posner, Strike, Henson and Herzog to the coordination classes by A. diSessa);
- The teaching of Special Relativity: students' difficulties on the concepts of event, frame of reference, relativity of simultaneity, proper time, length contraction; Einstein's and Minkowski's approaches compared from an educational perspective; the debate on the concepts of space and time in physics as example of the contribution that history and epistemology can provide to physics teaching/learning;
- The teaching of Thermodynamics: students' difficulties on the concepts of temperature, heat, internal energy, entropy; macroscopic and microscopic approaches compared from an educational perspective; thermodynamics as an example to design inclusive learning environments; the construct of appropriation and orchestration strategies;
- The teaching of Quantum Physics: students' difficulties on the old quantum physics; analysis of results in History and Foundation of Physics and of their “didactical transposition”; interdisciplinary between mathematics and physics; the role of metaphors in teaching/learning quantum physics at the secondary school level.
Texts of different nature (e.g.: sections from school textbooks, research articles, historical-epistemological essays, research materials) will be analysed in order to become familiar with the various aspects of Physics Education: the conceptual/disciplinary, the cognitive, the epistemological, the educational practical ones.
During the course a special attention will be paid to analyze and discuss the following transversal themes:
- gender issues in teaching/learning physics;
- science & society;
and the following transversal competences will be developed:
- critical thinking;
- competences of team-working;
- communication skills.
Tre course can be part of the "24 CFU path" needed to apply for the FIT program (the italian program of pre-service teacher education): https://www.unibo.it/it/didattica/formazione-insegnanti/percorso-di-formazione-inserimento-e-tirocinio-fit.
Readings/Bibliography
Teaching materials will be uploaded on a dropbox folder and made available on the Moodle platform of the course.
The materials include slides and presentations, research articles and other materials for study (e.g.: tutorials, guides for group activities, research tools, students' protocols, etc.).
The following texts are suggested for deeper study of the course topics.
Besson U. (2015), Didattica della fisica, Carocci.
Vicentini M., Mayer M. (a cura di) (1999). Didattica della Fisica, Loescher Editore.
Grimellini Tomasini N., Segré G. (a cura di) (1991). Conoscenze scientifiche: le rappresentazioni mentali degli studenti, La Nuova Italia, Firenze.
Teaching methods
The course is designed as to illustrate a large variety of educational methods.
Students will experience on themselves different types of lesson (socratic/dialogical vs. academic lectures), micro teaching activities, peer-to peer evaluation, cooperative learning, group work supported by tutorials.
Since interactive teaching methods will be implemented, attendance at lessons is strongly recommended.
Assessment methods
The exam consists of an oral task divided into two parts.
I part
- Presentation and discussion of the analysis of
a text or a teaching support concerning a topic of contemporary
physics. The text/support can be a chapter of a textbook, a
research paper in physics education, a popular scientific book, an
original article, an historical-epistemological essay, a web-site,
an educational movie, applet. The presentation of the analysis has
to include a discussion of: i) the criteria for selecting the
text/support, ii) the general and specific criteria chosen to carry
out the analysis, iii) the research references used to carry out
the analysis; iv ) the results of the analysis; v) a global
assessment of the material from the perspective of its possible
implementation in class.
II part
- Discussion about concepts or topics addressed
in the course both from a disciplinary and an educational point of
view.
The first part of the exam will assess student's ability to: 1) move within the sources and bibliographical references in order to select significant materials for the teaching of physics, 2) find and and use results in physics education research in order to build specific analysis criteria, and 3) integrate the different dimensions involved in the teaching of physics (disciplinary, cognitive, epistemological, educational).
The second part of the exam will evaluate: 1) the level
of comprehension of a concept or topic addressed during the course,
2) student's ability to analyze such a concept or topic from an
educational perspective, that is the ability to recognize what aspects of the
concept/topics are problematic for understanding, and 3)
student's ability to situate the discussion of this theme or concept
within a wider cultural and educational perspective and/or within a
teaching path.
For the students who can not attend classes, the assessment methods will be different. There is a guided plan for reading and analyzing texts and teaching materials. The reading and analysis plan will lead to the production of written reports, that are preparatory to an oral examination. The methods are described in detail in the appropriate folder that is uploaded to the platform at the beginning of the course. However, NON-attending students are asked to contact the teacher.
Teaching tools
Power-point presentations, educational movies, web-sites
Links to further information
https://iol.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=23792
Office hours
See the website of Olivia Levrini