Physics in Context – Aims and Conception

www.physik-im-kontext.de

Reinders Duit

IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science EducationOlshausenstr. 6224098 Kiel

duit@ipn.uni-kiel.de

www.ipn.uni-kiel.de

Woudschotenconferentie 15. – 16.12. 2006

Aims of the project1. Development, implementation and

evaluation of new concepts for physics instruction (topics, instructional methods, media)

2. Development of teachers‘ content-specific pedagogical knowledge to improve instructional practice

1.Developing a new culture of teaching and learning

Guidelines of the project„Physics in Context“

2. 3.Improving students‘ Integrating competencies of topics of modern thinking and working physics and like scientists technologies

Contexts

• Every day life, Technology, Society• Learning environment• Informal and formal learning outside school

Physics in Context – A brief overview

Directed: Manfred Euler, Reinders Duit, Silke Mikelskis-Seifert (IPN Kiel)Cooperating partners: Raimund Girwitz (PH Ludwigsburg), Rita Wodzinski (Uni Kassel), Peter Reinhold (Uni Paderborn), Lutz Schön (HU Berlin)

Results of a Videostudy on German introductory Physics Instruction – Grades 7 to 9

63 Teachers participating

Instruction

Instruction is very teacher focused – only about 15% student work

A rather teacher dominated mode of dyadic discourse predominates (fragend entwickelndes Verfahren)

Experiments play a major role – but students have only little opportunities to follow own ideas when planning, carrying out expriments and analysing results.

Science processes play a very minor role

Instruction offers very litle opportunities for students‘ active and self-directed work

Teachers‘ Thinking

Teachers‘ thinking about „good“ instruction is very much science content oriented – student learning is given very minor attention

Major results of research on teaching and learning science are not familiar.

11 School Sets (about 80 teachers)

Development & Evaluation of Innovative Instructional Concepts,

Materials and IdeasTeacher

Professional Development

piko-letters

Teacher professional development by developing and evaluating concepts, materials and ideas

Symbiotic cooperation of practice and science education

Piko LettersBrief summaries of research findings

Students‘ conceptions and learning physics

Educational Reconstruction

The variety of instructional methods (2 letters)

Modelling

Modern Technologies

Inquiry based learning

Assessment – Theory

Assesment – Practice

Characteristics of good physics instruction

.... Further letters will follow

The letters may be downloaded from the homepage: www.physik-im-kontext.de

Overview of Pico Letter 1:Students‘ Conceptions and Learning Physics

(1) Students‘ conceptions are usually not in accordance with the science view.

(2) Conceptions determine what students see, read, hear in instruction.

The First and the Second Law

Students make their own sense of everything presented to them in instruction: explanations by the teacher, experiments, analogies, texts, etc.

To provide the correct science view is not good enough - it may even lead to false ideas constructed by the students.

Constructivist view: learning = active construktion teaching = to support students‘ constructions

Content structure of science

Content structure for instruction

Elementary ideas of the content

Aims of Instruction

Student perspectives: Conceptions, Interests

ElementarisationConstruction of content structure for instruction

Pico Letter 2: Educational Reconstruction

AimsWhy?

ContentWhat?

MethodHow?

Mediawhereby?

Fundamental Interplay of components

determining instruction

Model of Educational Reconstruction

Pico Letter 10: Features of „good“ science instruction

Students are challenged tothink harder Students‘

Preinstructionalconceptions are taken

into account Content is sound and consistent from

the science point of view

Learning is persisistently supported

Various methods and media are

used in instruction.But arbitrariness

is avoided

Classroom interactions give also

students a voice

Opportunities to learn from mistakes

are provided

„Previews“ of the issues to be learned

are given.

Experiments are

carefully embedded in instruction; various -experiments are used

Narrow interactions

between students andthe teacher

are avoided

Content is embedded incontexts that make sense

to studentsOpportunities to

practice new knowledge are provided

Various linkages between the new and the

already known areprovided

Four Pilars of Thinking about „good“ Science Instruction

(1) Is the fundamental interplay of the components determining instruction taken into account?

(2) Is it taken into account that instruction should not only include science concepts and principles but also science processes, as well as views of the nature of science and the significance of science in daily life and society?

(3) Are science issues and student perspectives given the same attention in instructional planning?

(4) Do students are given opportunities for own acvtivities and self-responsible learning?

Characteristics of Set Work

Inputs

(1) Workshops Videoanalysis of physics instruction (IPN Videostudy Physics)

(2) Piko Letters

(3) Coaching

Topics of Materials and Ideas developed

Traffic safety – Introduction into the force concept

Bodily experiences as basis for understanding force

Constructing bridges

Transition from primary science to lower secondary physics

Modelling – Experimenting- Arguing – Science Processes in grade 5 and 6

Energy in daily life

Feeling forces

Nano – Basic ideas for lower secondary students

Modern sensors in everyday appliances

Problem based physics instruction – e.g. weather and climate

Results of EvaluationQuestionnaire on student affective variables and evaluation of

instructionTo piko group and control groupBefore and end of school year

Development of student affective variables (Brandenburg Set):

Nearly no decrease of interest and condidence to be able to learn physics for the piko group

Significant decrease for the control group

Change of instructional style?

Piko group: Increase of inquiry like activities

Control group: No increase

Results of EvaluationTeachers views of participation

Questionnaire on „acceptance of the program“

Teachers experience participation as useful for them

They – especially – appreciate cooperation with colleagues

Many teachers think their instruction changed during participation

Teacher Interviews (3 teachers in each set)

Basically reconfirm the above results on acceptance of the program piko.

It appears however, that development of teachers‘ thinking about good physics instruction for a number of teachers is less sufficient.

For some 50% of teachers this thinking is still focused at science content issues and instructional methods. Student learning seems to be modelled not adequately by these teachers

www.physik-im-kontext.de

Initiatives to improve science instruction in Germany

Physics in Context

TIMSS 1995PISA

2000/2003/2006

Large scale programs1998 - 2003: SINUS 180 schools (grades 5 to 13)2003 - 2007: SINUS-Transfer (including primary) 700 schools, later further 500 schools

Chemistry in Context

Biology in Context

German Science Foundation

Priority Program 25 projects on various facets of science and math instruction, e.g. Videostudy Physics

2000 - 2006

Learning location laboratory (LeLa)Coordination of out of school labs

Many initiatives on local and regional level on cooperation between universities, industry and schools to foster public understanding of science;

e.g. science centres, science in kindergarten

Standards (grade 10)

2004