Physics Education, History, and Foundations of Physics: Physics Education
The activity is directed to identify instruments and methodologies that might contribute to improve the physics learning/teaching at various levels of school education, as well as providing refresher courses for high-school teachers. Present researches aim to elaborate educational approaches on relevant topics in different areas of Physics; to design and test models for high school teachers’ training; to achieve the pedagogical reconstruction of physics topics through the analysis of basic physical concepts and of specific case studies in the historical development of the discipline.
In particular, researches are developed along the following lines:
- the role of computer simulations, closely correlated to students' experimental activity, in the formalisation process;
- the use of MBL (Microcomputer Based Laboratories) tools to favour the teaching/learning of physics at different school levels;
- the reconstruction of historical experiments as a significant tool for the acquisition of basic physics concepts;
- the planning and the experimentation of didactic sequences, based on research findings about students' difficulties in understanding physics concepts;
- the possibility of introducing topics of modern physics, in particular Special Relativity and Quantum Physics and Cosmology in high school curriculum;
- the role of models in physics teaching and learning;
- the study of the process teachers have to go through in order to appropriate an innovative teaching approach.
In the context of the National Project “Lauree Scientifiche” the physics education group organizes laboratory activities and lectures for high school students and training activities for teachers, based on research results.
Staff: Anna De Ambrosis, Lidia Falomo Bernarduzzi
Web page didattica - Piano Lauree Scientifiche
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