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Online laboratory
Get PDFMany studies have indicated the loss of learning in the experimental part of the curriculum during the pandemic situation. Many universities started exploring various alternatives like simulations, sending experimental kits to students, and providing images and videos of experimental procedures to compensate for the lack of availability of laboratories. Though students could explore and collect data using these alternatives, it is imperative that they understand the reason behind adopting these procedures (procedural understanding) and the choice of instruments. Unless deliberate efforts are made to convey these aspects, students might develop an inadequate understanding of these aspects of the experiment.
Therefore, we designed our online laboratory (https://shirishpathare.com) with the specific purpose of helping students to develop some of these experimental reasoning skills. Our methodologies for designing and implementing these experiments were based on a modelling framework (Dounas-Frazer & Lewandowski, 2018) and model making - model breaking approach (Vonk, Bohacek, Militello & Iverson, 2017). In the modelling framework, students have to develop empirical models and troubleshoot any discrepancies that they encounter in this process. With the help of the model-making and model-breaking approach, students can devise different data collection and data analysis procedures for video and simulation experiments.
The experiments designed for our online laboratory were (1) Diffraction of light using one-dimensional diffraction grating, (2) Repulsion between two magnets, and (3) Angular speed of a ceiling fan. These experiments were given to the students in two national-level online camps. In the first camp, we interacted with the students of the Indian Physics Olympiad program, and in the second camp, we worked with post-graduate women students from different universities in India. In both the camps, students were initially provided with some orientation about aspects of procedural understanding. Later, we gave them the three online experiments and asked them to attempt them individually.
In each of these experiments, information related to the apparatus was provided through descriptive text. Videos and images of the experiment were given. During the data collection, measurements of the corresponding variables were to be carried out within specified levels of uncertainty. Based on this, students had to accordingly devise their measurement procedures and choose the appropriate measurement apparatus. We expected them to use their knowledge and understanding, possibly developed through the preliminary orientation, for the data collection and data analysis process.
Students were asked to submit their data in a specific format and respond to questions in a Google Form. These responses and the submissions helped us to probe their knowledge with respect to their procedural understanding skills. From their responses, we could see that students had used their own reasoning to make their choices about variables, measurement procedures, and analysis methods. Students’ responses were discussed in detail in another session with them. Later, students provided feedback about this new open-ended way of performing an experiment. In this presentation, we discuss the design and implementation of our experiments along with students’ responses.
REFERENCES
Dounas-Frazer, D. R., & Lewandowski, H. J. (2018). The modelling framework for experimental physics: Description, development, and applications. European Journal of Physics, 39(6), 064005.
Vonk, M., Bohacek, P., Militello, C., & Iverson, E. (2017). Developing model-making and model-breaking skills using direct measurement video-based activities. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 13(2), 020106
The Digiphyslab Project: Digital physics laboratory work for on-campus and distance learning
Get PDFEXPERIMENTAL WORK AND COVID-19
With the emergence of the COVID-19 in spring 2020, physics teaching at university level needed to be rapidly transformed into a distance learning mode all around the world. While lectures and tutorials could rather easily be substituted with video conferences, self-study materials, or recorded videos, transforming a hands-on laboratory course into distance learning is much more challenging facing its traditional structures, manifold learning objectives, and the essential use of typical laboratory equipment (Hut et al., 2020; Jelicic et al., 2022; Werth et al., 2021).
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AS A PROMISING APPROACH
A promising approach to develop laboratory courses especially, and to offer these courses in a distance learning mode, is to use digital technologies like smartphones. Smartphones are widely used, often cheaper than traditional equipment and allow convenient data collection and analysis by utilising built-in sensors. Thus, smartphones provide an affordable opportunity to conduct experiments beyond the laboratory. Additionally, they can enhance inquiry-based learning processes due to the reduction of students’ extraneous cognitive load (Becker et al., 2020).
THE DIGIPHYSLAB-PROJECT
The DigiPhysLab-project (Lahme et al., in press), co-funded by the European Union, follows this approach of utilising digital technologies like smartphones for physics experiments by developing 15 high-quality, competence-centered experimental tasks that can therefore be implemented either in on-campus or distance learning settings. All developed tasks are linked to a theoretical framework for design principles of experimental tasks and evaluated with students at the participating universities. The task instructions and further materials are published as open educational resources on the project website (www.jyu.fi/digiphyslab). In the presentation, the framework, the tasks, and the evaluation scheme are presented, and the usability of the tasks is discussed.
REFERENCES
Becker, S., Klein, P., Gößling, A., & Kuhn, J. (2020). Using mobile devices to enhance inquiry-based learning processes. Learning and Instruction, 69, 101350.
Hut, R. W., Pols, C. F. J., & Verschuur, D. J. (2020). Teaching a hands-on course during corona lockdown: from problems to opportunities. Physics Education, 55(6), 065022.
Jelicic, K., Geyer, M. A., Ivanjek, L., Klein, P., Küchemann, S., Dahlkemper, M. N., & Susac, A. (2022). Lab courses for prospective physics teachers: what could we learn from the first COVID-19 lockdown? What could we learn from the first COVID-19 lockdown? European Journal of Physics, 43(5), 55701.
Lahme, S. Z., Klein, P., Lehtinen, A., Müller, A., Pirinen, P., Susac, A., & Tomrlin, B. (in press). DigiPhysLab: Digital Physics Laboratory Work for Distance Learning. PhyDid B - Didaktik der Physik - Beiträge zur DPG-Frühjahrstagung - online 2022.
Werth, A., Hoehn, J. R., Oliver, K., Fox, M. F. J., & Lewandowski, H. J. (2021). Rapid Transition to Remote Instruction of Physics Labs During Spring 2020: Instructor Perspectives. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2112.1225
A case study on the teaching of Physics of Sound and Acoustics in Brazilian federal public universities
Get PDFAcoustics and the Physics of Sound are interdisciplinary subjects that can involve many different areas of study, such as Physics, Engineering, Architecture, Urbanism, and Environment Education. In Brazil, most of the research studies and development works in Acoustics come from postgraduate programs of federal public universities, especially mechanical engineering ones, and there is only one specific undergraduate course of Acoustical Engineering in the country, offered by the Federal University of Santa Maria. The absence of studies about the institutions that research Acoustics and Physics of Sound motivated the present systematic bibliographic work, aiming to verify which are the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Physics, Engineering, and Architecture in Brazilian federal public universities that offer disciplines related to this area. The methodology for the analysis used databases: the Sucupira platform of the CAPES institution (a branch of the Brazilian Ministry of Education) and the Lattes platform of the CNPq institution (a branch of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology); in which all the evaluated and recognized undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Brazil are included. The conclusions made it possible to identify the concentration of courses on acoustics and physics of sound, providing scope for different analyses, such as discussions about curriculum contents, the deficiencies in student formation in the area, and the paths for collaborative scientific interactions in this area of knowledge
“The elegance of quantum mechanics”: An at-distance proposal for secondary school students
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: THE STATE OF THE ART AND OPEN PROBLEMS
Quantum Mechanics has been the focus of physics education research since the 90s and, nowadays, researchers no longer express doubts on the fact that it is fundamental for the culture and the awareness of the individual citizen and of the whole society (Redish, 2000; Besson, 2017). From surveys on teacher training (Stefanel, 2008; Fera, 2011; Giliberti, 2014; Krijtenburg-Lewerissa, 2017), it emerged that most teachers - mainly with a degree in mathematics - often do not have a coherent framework of modern physics in general, and of quantum physics in particular. Furthermore, the didactic path presented in textbooks is limited to a pseudo-historical presentation, which provides a hyper-simplified explanation of the fundamental concepts, in an attempt to bypass the problems associated with students’ lack of adequate mathematical tools, leading to deep misconceptions.
OUR COURSE: “THE ELEGANCE OF QUANTUM MECHANICS”
In this presentation we describe the work of designing, testing, and evaluating the effectiveness of a course entitled, “The elegance of quantum mechanics”, presented in Academy Year 2021/22. The activity - done online - was offered to teachers and students of the last three years of high school (120 participants overall), from October 2021 to January 2022, through weekly appointments of one and a half hours each. Lessons were integrated with slides, questions with Kahoot! and graphic examples with GeoGebra (https://www.geogebra.org/m/aqf2dgn3).
Course effectiveness was assessed by collecting and analyzing different types of data deriving from an anonymous satisfaction survey, 9 Google Forms (given after each of the first nine lessons, with a total of 38 open questions and 24 exercises; for example: https://forms.gle/Nr2umPc53FCCi3KZ9), and 19 individual interviews, aimed at investigating strengths and criticalities. This analysis allowed us to identify the reasoning that students commonly use in facing some conceptual issues of quantum mechanics. The following will be discussed:
strengths of the activity, regarding the mathematical aspects, the use of GeoGebra and Kahoot!;
criticalities, especially in dealing with spaces with more than 3 dimensions, with the concept of self-adjoint operator, and concerning the confusion between states and operators;
materials (https://pls.fisica.unimi.it/materiali/).
A new course, implemented with the improvements mentioned above, is expected to start in October 2022.
REFERENCES
Besson, U. (2017). Didattica della fisica. Rome: Carocci Editore.
Fera, G., Challapalli, S. R., Michelini, M., Santi, L., Stefanel, A., & Vercellati, A. (2011). Formare gli insegnanti all’innovazione didattica e all’orientamento, Connessi! Scenari di Innovazione nella Formazione e nella Comunicazione, 411-420.
Giliberti, M. (2014). Theories as Crucial Aspects in Quantum Physics Education. Frontiers of Fundamental Physics and Physics Education Research. Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 145. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00297-2_51
Krijtenburg-Lewerissa, K., Pol, H.J., Brinkman, A., & Van Joolingen, W. R. (2017). Insights into teaching quantum mechanics in secondary and lower undergraduate education. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 13(1).
Redish, E. F. (2000). Who needs to learn physics in the 21st century and why? Plenary lecture, GIREP Conference 2000.
Stefanel, A. (2008). Impostazioni e percorsi per l’insegnamento della meccanica quantistica nella scuola secondaria. Giornale di Fisica 49, 15-53
An online physics degree for science teachers
Get PDFThere is a shortage of physics trained high school teachers in Australia, like in many countries. The fraction of high school students choosing to study physics in their final years of schooling has been dropping. In 2021, only 12.8% of final year students chose to study physics in New South Wales (NSW). The proportion of students choosing to study physics is even worse for female students, with only 17.9% of the students studying physics identifying as female, the average over the past five years has been 22.3% (Board of Studies NSW, 2022). The gender ratios among teachers closely matches the gender ratios of students, while over 55% of secondary teachers are female, in physics, under 30% of teachers are female (Weldon, 2015). The fraction of students choosing physics in rural high schools is even lower, and the shortage of physics teachers even more dire. In Australia, we also have a problem with teacher attrition, with many sources reporting that around 30% of teachers are leaving the profession in the first five years (Weldon, 2018). To increase the number of students choosing to study physics and improve diversity among this cohort, we need well trained physics teachers who can enthuse students in junior high school.
To address these problems, in 2018, I introduced an online Graduate Certificate in Physics for Science Teachers. Since its introduction, 33 students have completed the degree, 26 women and 7 men, with numbers trending upwards (there was a dip in 2021 because of COVID workloads on school teachers). Around half the teachers enrolled in the degree work in rural schools. By training established teachers in physics, rather than training physicists how to teach, there is a lower attrition rate among the Graduate Certificate graduates than among graduates from teaching programs. Feedback from the Graduate Certificate graduates has been very positive: many have commented that it has improved their teaching of junior science. Inspiring students in junior high school, before they make their decision about what to study for their final two years, is key to shifting the fraction of students choosing physics related careers.
An online degree aimed at established teachers that covers both physics content and pedagogy is a useful tool to address the shortage of physics trained teachers and influence the teaching of physics in junior high school. Teachers who are confident in physics can link related concepts, helping students with their conceptual understanding, and contextualise what they are teaching to make it relevant to the students in their class. This has been shown to improve one’s “Physics Identity”, which in turn is linked to students persisting in physics (Hazari et al., 2010). A degree such as this one has the potential to address similar problems in other countries.
REFERENCES
Board of Studies NSW (2022). Complete Board of Studies NSW statistics archives. Retrieved 21 July from https://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ebos/static/ebos_stats.html
Hazari, Z., Sonnert, G., Sadler, P., & Shanahan, M.C. (2010). Connecting High School Physics Experiences, Outcome Expectations, Physics Identity, and Physics Career Choice: A Gender Study. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(8), 978-1003. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20363
Weldon, P. R. (2015). The teacher workforce in Australia: Supply, demand and data issues. Policy Insights, Issue 2 Melbourne: ACER.
Weldon, P. (2018). Early career teacher attrition in Australia: Evidence, definition, classification and measurement. Australian Journal of Education, 62(1), 61-78
Development of a choose-your-own adventure physics course
Get PDFEveryday Physics is an online, algebra-based, contextualised introductory physics course that has been running since 2013 with increasing student enrolments. In 2018, over 1,000 students took this course as an elective (not core to any program). The course is designed such that students explore the physics underlying common phenomena such as hot air balloon flight and flowing rivers. The course was designed with twelve topics, one for each week of a twelve-week semester. In 2019, with the University of New South Wales’ shift from semesters to nine-week terms, students could not complete all twelve topics in the compressed format. To address this, we redesigned the course, allowing students to pick eight of the twelve available topics. We expected this change to be popular with students, because giving students choice allows them to be in control of their learning, as per self-determination theory (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009).
To make this work practically, the twelve topics were divided into three streams and assigned a level. Comprehension of higher-level topics is dependent on a sufficient understanding of lower-level topics; students had to complete the lower-level topics to “unlock” the higher ones. For example, a level 1 topic is, “How does a street light work?”, which covers basic circuit theory. The level 2 topic that follows on from this is, “Why does your kettle boil?”, which covers electrical power and some thermal physics. In the final exam, students are given twelve questions, one from each topic, and their eight highest marks count. This motivates many students to complete more than the required eight topics.
Students complete three experiments at home throughout the course, which are due at fixed points during the term. The experiments, of which there are six in total, are designed to be completed with common household equipment and are associated with certain topics. We made sure that these were distributed in such a way that no matter what path the students chose through their learning (i.e., what topics they decided to complete), they would have completed the right number of topics with experiments at the required times. A major assessment in the course is a report where students design their own experiment to explore a concept of interest to them. This assessment includes a peer-review exercise to ensure students feel supported and allow them to learn from each other. These assessments are available from the ACDS resource repository (Angstmann et al., 2021).
These changes have improved the course, and students are responding positively to the increase in autonomy that it allows.
REFERENCES
Angstmann, E., Jackson, J., Dixon, T. & de la Pena, M. (2021). At-Home Labs for First Year Physics. ACDS Resource repository: https://www.acds.edu.au/resource/at-home-labs-for-first-year-physics/
Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/147787850910431
Revisiting the image of a magnetic dipole in front of a superconducting sphere
Get PDFThe method of images to solve certain electrostatic boundary-value problems is taught worldwide in undergraduate-level physics courses. Though it is also possible to employ this technique for solving the magnetostatic boundary value problems, examples of this usage are not commonly found in textbooks, or in physics pedagogy literature. In particular, the problem of finding the field due to a magnetic dipole kept in front of a superconducting sphere is an interesting one, because (i) it helps the students to compare with the grounded conducting sphere image problem in electrostatics, (ii) offers a greater degree of difficulty since the source is a dipole (vector), rather than an electric charge (scalar). The problem has been solved using the method of images in the traditional research journal (Qiong-Gui, 2006) by first examining the pattern of the image of a magnetic monopole, and then by superimposing the images of closely spaced monopoles. In the present work we are presenting, however, we demonstrate a simple but instructive method of solving the problem. The case in which the source dipole is oriented with respect to the centre of the sphere is solved with a single dipole image. In our presentation, we will also make general comments on the case where the dipole is oriented transversely with respect to the centre and corresponding boundary conditions.
REFERENCE
Qiong-Gui L. (2006). Theoretical development of the image method for a general magnetic source in the presence of a superconducting sphere or a long superconducting cylinder. Physical Review B, 74(2):024510
Understanding student engagement: Improving enrolments and grades in the high school Physics classroom
Get PDFSCHOOL CONTEXT
The College at which this investigation was completed is a suburban P-12 school, managed by Brisbane Catholic Education, Queensland, Australia. While it is a fee-paying private school, the fees are relatively low, and is non-selective in terms of the academic ability of students. It offers a broad curriculum offering that is similar to the local state high schools in the same catchment area.
IMPROVING PHYSICS ENROLMENTS AND RESULTS
Falling enrolments in secondary school mathematics and science is frequently identified as a concern in Australia. In Queensland, typically less than 4% of the statewide Year 12 cohort complete Senior Physics (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre [QTAC], 2021). Against this backdrop, The College, over the last 8 years, has increased the percentage of its senior cohort undertaking Senior Physics from less than 7% to consistently enrolling more than 20% in the last 3 years, with no students failing Physics since the introduction of the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) syllabus in 2019. Over this same period, enrolments at The College in other science and mathematics subjects of equivalent rigour have fallen or remained steady.
A key element in the success has been applying an understanding of student engagement, as described in a model of engagement by Philip Schlechty (2011). In Schlechty’s work, engagement is described as a spectrum with 5 distinct levels, measured against two dimensions of Attention and Commitment.
Student engagement measured in this way is not a characteristic of a student, but can vary from day to day depending on their environmental factors. In addition to identifying student engagement in this way, a framework of learning theories, teaching techniques (Schuh & Barab, 2008) and supportive processes focused on authenticity in learning (Lombardi, 2007) has been identified that can help to shift a student from one level of engagement to the next. The positive results of this framework in terms of student engagement can be seen in the increase in enrolments and student success in what is seen as a difficult and challenging subject.
REFERENCES
Lombardi, M. M. (2007). Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview. In D. G. Oblinger (Ed.), EDUCASE Learning Initiative.
Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (2021). QTAC ATAR Report 2021. Retrieved August 19th, 2022, https://www.qtac.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/QTAC-ATAR-Report-2021.pdf
Schlechty, P. (2011). Schlechty Centre on Engagement. Retrieved September 20, 2015, from Schlechty Centre: http://www.schlechtycenter.org/system/tool_attachment/4046/original/sc_pdf_engagement.pdf?1272415798
Schuh, K. L., & Barab, S. A. (2008). Philosophical Perspectives. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. v. Merrienboer, & M. P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology. Routlege
Interdisciplinary practices in natural sciences teaching: An integration of Biology and Physics contents
Get PDFWe understand that research with a focus on emancipatory teaching, which highlights freedom and autonomy of thinking, placing the student as an active subject within the learning process, are of great relevance when it comes to the restructuring of Physics and Science curriculums and teaching. Unfortunately, this has been suffering in Brazil due to the new education guidelines (BNCC, in Portuguese). In order to meet the expectations of the contemporary education and prepare students for the future, the development of scientific literacy has been considered a goal of science teaching. It aims to give students intellectual autonomy through the development of conceptual knowledge, understandings about aspects of nature of science and the factors that influence its practice and perception of the existence of relationships between science, technology, society and environment (Fourez, 1994, Sasseron & Carvalho, 2008). However, one of the obstacles in science teaching is the fragmentation of scientific contents and the lack of relationship between what is taught and what is lived.
The high school state school Sérvulo Mello is located in Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro. The city stands out for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest and its biodiversity. Given our goal is to work on scientific contents in an integrated way, a plan of educational actions was prepared with high school students of the teacher training course. Firstly, a field trip to view the golden lion tamarin in nature, where individuals are monitored through telemetry equipment. These devices are attached to their neck and emit radio waves at certain frequencies possible to be captured by mobile antennas. This monitoring is carried out by the Mico-Leão-Dourado Association, a Non-Government Organisation that acts with the mission to preserve and raise the golden lion tamarin’s population. The strategy used to locate individuals of the species was fundamental for approaching wave concepts. Secondly, realization of the Science Fair. The students carried out their presentations for the Science Fair based on the experiences they had during the field trip. The students proposed a differentiated intervention, an alternative to the traditional experiments of this school practice. As a result, the group set up a sensory room at school with elements from the Atlantic Forest covering the floor with dry leaves to simulate the forest soil; plants scattered throughout the space; they also brought the smell and sound of the forest. The visitors were invited to take off their shoes and blindfolded before entering the room. As protagonists, the students managed to bring physics to this work, explaining sound as a mechanical wave that needs a material means of propagation, such as the air that conducts all the sound produced by the forest. Also, they explained how some equipment which capture radio waves are used to protect the golden lion tamarin’s population. In addition, they presented light as a fundamental factor for the perception of the diversity of colors that nature presents.
This project enabled an interaction between school Natural Sciences contents. During the activities, the class stopped being the recipient of ready-made content. They became active subjects, who began to question, research, and propose socio-environmental responsibility actions for the local community through the integration of Physics and Biology contents.
REFERENCES
Fourez, G. (1994). Alphabétisation Scientifique et Technique: Essai sur les finalités de I’enseignement des sciences. Bruxelas: DeBoeck-Wesmael.
Sesseron, L. H. & Carvalho, A. M. P. DE. (2008). Almejando a Alfabetização Científica ao Ensino Fundamental: a proposição e a procura de indicadores do processo. Investigações em Ensino de Ciências. 13(3), 333-352
Efficacy of a blended learning mastery progression cycle on student achievement and attitude in high school science
Get PDFThis study was conducted to examine the effect of a Blended Learning Mastery Progression Cycle (BLMPC) on student achievement and attitude in a High School Physics context, specifically through the use of the Minds on Physics (MOP) (Minds on Physics, 2022) application for the formative assessment and corrective activity components of the Mastery Learning cycle.
The sample (N = 199) consisted of mixed gender classes from Year 10 cohorts in a single Queensland high school. Classes were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition. An experimental pretest–posttest approach was used to measure any changes in students’ understanding of the Newtonian Force concept, measured using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) (Hestenes et al.,1995), and Attitudes toward Science, measured using the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) (Fraser, 1982). All students were exposed to the same initial learning activities; the control group then continued through the course content in a linear manner followed by working through non-personalized revision material, whilst the treatment group completed the relevant MOP module at the end of each subtopic.
Data were analyzed in terms of FCI and TOSRA mean pre- and post-unit scores, the distribution and standard deviation of scores, a t-test comparison of the pre- and post-unit scores, and the FCI normalized change and effect size. When comparing the control and treatment group FCI scores, the latter demonstrated significantly more improvement in the raw score, normalized gain and effect size, demonstrated a larger improvement in all dimensions of the Newtonian Force Concept, and showed greater stability in correct responses from the pre- to post-unit test. An analysis of TOSRA results showed there was no significant difference between the control and treatment groups.
It was concluded that the use of the MOP platform in a BLMPC led to improvements in understanding of the Newtonian force. These findings indicate that the use of Blended Learning activities as correctives is an effective way of improving students’ understanding of the Newtonian Force Concept.
REFERENCES
Fraser, B. J. (1982). TOSRA Test of Science Related Attitudes handbook. Australian Council for Educational Research.
Hestenes, D., Wells, M., Swackhamer, G., Halloun, I., Hake, R. R., & Mosca, E. (1995). Revised force concept inventory. The Physics Teacher. Retrieved from http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/Research.html
Minds On Physics (2021). Retrieved from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Minds-on-Physics