Physics Education

504 Pages·2022·8.813 MB·English

by  Hans Ernst Fischer, Raimund Girwidz

Challenges in Physics Education
Hans Ernst Fischer
Raimund Girwidz   Editors
Physics
Education
Challenges in Physics Education
SeriesEditor
MarisaMichelini,DipartimentodiFisica,UniversityofUdine,Udine,Italy
This book series covers the many facets of physics teaching and learning at all
educationallevelsandinalllearningenvironments.Therespectivevolumesaddress
a wide range of topics, including (but not limited to) innovative approaches and
pedagogicalstrategiesforphysicseducation;thedevelopmentofeffectivemethods
tointegratemultimediaintophysicseducationorteaching/learning;innovativelab
experiments; and the use of web-based interactive activities. Both research and
experiencedpracticewillfeatureprominentlythroughout.
The series is published in cooperation with GIREP, the International Research
Group on Physics Teaching, and will include selected papers from internationally
renowned experts, as well as monographs. Book proposals from other sources are
entirelywelcome.
Challenges in Physics Education addresses professionals, teachers, researchers,
instructors and curriculum developers alike, with the aim of improving physics
teachingandlearning,andtherebytheoverallstandingofphysicsinsociety.
BookproposalsforthisseriesmybesubmittedtothePublishingEditor:Marina
Forlizzi;email:[email protected]
Moreinformationaboutthisseriesathttps://link.springer.com/bookseries/16575
·
Hans Ernst Fischer Raimund Girwidz
Editors
Physics Education
Editors
HansErnstFischer RaimundGirwidz
UniversitätDuisburg-Essen Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität
Essen,Germany München,Germany
ISSN2662-8422 ISSN2662-8430 (electronic)
ChallengesinPhysicsEducation
ISBN978-3-030-87390-5 ISBN978-3-030-87391-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87391-2
©SpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2021
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Theideasforpublishing PhysicsEducation
developedfromnumerousdiscussionswith
colleaguesinourscienceeducation
community.
WithNormanG.Lederman,Idiscussedmany
aspectsofscienceeducationwhenwemetat
conferences.Hecontributed manyideasto
thisbookuntilhepassedawayinearly2021.
Wetriedtoimplementtheseideasinourown
contributions. Normgreatlyencouragedme
tomaketheEuropeanviewofphysics
educationinternationally visible,atleastto
someextent,aspossiblewithinthelimitations
ofsuchabook.
Ihavealwaysbeendeeplyimpressedbyhis
theoreticallysoundbut practice-oriented
approach,whichisalsoevidentinhis
contribution inChap.5entitled“Natureof
ScientificKnowledge”.
WemissNormverymuch.Wethinkthathis
contributions andgreatideasforscience
educationhavealwaysmovedusforward!We
dedicatethisbooktoNorm.
HansE.Fischer
Preface
This book on physics education built on its German edition1 is addressed to
researchers, teacher educators and teachers in pre-service and in-service training.
The chapter authors are experts in physics education who represent the subject in
researchandteachingintheiruniversities.Eachchapterdealswitharespectivetopic
byintegratingcurrentresearchandexamplesfrompractice.Thechaptershavebeen
peer-reviewed by colleagues from different disciplines as the content of the chap-
ters covers different aspects of learning psychology, pedagogy or subject-specific
education.
Physicseducationdealswiththequestionsofwhat,whyandhowphysicsshould
betaughtandlearnedinlessonsandthereforeshouldalwaysberegardedasavery
complex and interconnected social field of activity. This is especially true for the
naturalsciencesastheyplayanincreasinglyimportantroleinourmodernsocietiesin
termsofcontentandmethodology.Ourinteractionwithnaturecanonlybepurposeful
if we investigate nature empirically and if we understand the methods with which
theinvestigationiscarriedout.Scienceeducationalreadystartsinkindergartenand
continues for all students at school; it is not limited to those who later become
biologists,chemistsorphysicists.
Since citizens can only respect and appreciate what they know about science,
at least to some extent, if they can assess its connections with the development of
their respective society. Science teachers therefore have to fulfil responsible and
demandingtasksofteachingscience.Professionalteachereducationthereforealso
hastobeorientedtowardsthesedemands.Teachingandlearningstrategiesalsohave
to be adapted to the target groups and the fields of education. We have chosen to
focusonphysicsteachingratherthanaddressingteachingscienceingeneral,asthe
content of the lessons naturally plays a central role in teaching physics. Content-
relatedresearch,teachereducationandthedesignofbiologyandchemistrylessons
shouldthereforebepresentedinothervolumes.Manyproblemsoflearningtheories
andteachingmethods,themotivationofteachersandstudentsand,lastbutnotleast,
1Kircher, E., Girwidz, R., & Fischer, H. E. (Eds.) (2020) Physikdidaktik—Grundlagen, Berlin:
SpringerSpektrum.
vii
viii Preface
the relevance of the subjects to society must be discussed and described for each
subjectarea.
We start with the general aspects of physics and physics education to relate
historical, learning-theoretical and general pedagogical basics to the subject and
theprofessionalismofphysicsteachers.Itbecomesclearthatteachersbearagreat
responsibility,whichcanbecomparedtothatofmedicalprofessionalsorlawyers.
Theprofessionalismofteachersthereforerefersnotonlytosubjectmatterexpertise
but also to psychological and educational expertise and even the maintenance of
their own physical and mental health. Accordingly, we describe the conditions for
teacher education, methodological principles for structuring lessons as well as the
content-relatedandstructuralbasicsofphysicsteaching.Inorderforfuturephysics
teacherstobeabletoclassifynewresearchresultsonteachingandlearningphysics,
wedescribethebasicsofempiricalresearchattheendofthisbook.
Thetheoreticalapproachesandresearchfindingspresentedalsocharacterisethe
basics for future research in physics education. However, they only make sense if
theyareintegratedintoteachertraining,thepracticeofteachingandlearningphysics
under the given social and school conditions. This book alone cannot achieve the
connectionoftheoryandresearchtoteachingpractice,butitcanbesupportive.We,
as teacher educators, should make even more effort to link empirical research and
teachingpractice.Ourdisciplineofteachereducationisstillratheryoung.However,
we are not always effective in communicating our research findings more widely
and in using them to improve teaching and learning in schools via teacher educa-
tion. Therefore, it is important that this topic has a fixed place in our professional
conferenceprogrammes.
Professionalknowledgeofteachersisusuallydefinedaspedagogicalknowledge,
contentknowledgeandpedagogicalexpertise.Inthisbook,professionalcompetence
isusedasanoverarchingtermforextendingtheprofessionalknowledgeofphysics
teacherstootherareasofteachers’professionalism,suchastheirprofessionalbeliefs
ingeneral,theirbeliefsaboutthesubjectmatterorcontentinparticular,aswellas
theirvaluesandattitudestowardstheirprofessionasteachers.
Wehopewecanofferyouatleastsomenewinsightsorpointsofdiscussionto
improveteachingandlearningofphysics.
Essen,Germany HansErnstFischer
München,Germany RaimundGirwidz
Acknowledgements
This book Physics Education would not have been possible without the enormous
commitment, enthusiasm and competency of the colleagues whose contributions
havealloweditspublication.Thereishoweveralotofmoreworkthatneedstobe
doneinadditiontowritingthechapters.ThetechnicaleditingofChaps.1,2,4,8–
15and17wasdonebyChi-YanTsui(Auckland,NewZealand).Weappreciatehis
extremelythoroughandconscientiousworkthatwasmorethanjustimprovingthe
English and checking the references. Chi-Yan’s work also included improving the
comprehensibility of the text, the argumentation and the logical flow of thoughts.
ManythankstoChi-Yan!
HansErnstFischer
RaimundGirwidz
ix
Contents
1 TopicsofPhysicsEducationandConnectionstoOtherSciences ... 1
HansE.Fischer,RaimundGirwidz,andDavidF.Treagust
2 ProfessionalCompetenciesforTeachingPhysics .................. 25
HansE.FischerandAlexanderKauertz
3 How to Teach a Teacher: Challenges and Opportunities
inPhysicsTeacherEducationinGermanyandtheUSA ........... 55
BenVanDusen,ChristophVogelsang,JosephTaylor,andEvaCauet
4 InstructionalDesign ........................................... 83
HeikoKrabbeandHansE.Fischer
5 Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Nature of Scientific
InquiryinPhysicsLessons ..................................... 113
BurkhardPriemerandNormanG.Lederman
6 InstructionalCoherenceandtheDevelopmentofStudent
CompetenceinPhysics ......................................... 151
KnutNeumannandJeffreyNordine
7 MultipleRepresentationsandLearningPhysics .................. 175
MariaOpfermann,AnnettSchmeck,andHansE.Fischer
8 Physical–MathematicalModellingandItsRoleinLearning
Physics ....................................................... 201
GeschePospiechandHansE.Fischer
9 PhysicsTasks ................................................. 231
HansE.FischerandAlexanderKauertz
10 ExperimentsinPhysicsTeaching ............................... 269
RaimundGirwidz,HeikeTheyßen,andRalfWidenhorn
11 MultimediaandDigitalMediainPhysicsInstruction ............. 297
RaimundGirwidzandAntjeKohnle
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