What Physics Should We Teach?
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Proceedings of the International Physics Education Conference, 5 to 8 July 2004, Durban, South Africa What Physics Should We Teach? Edited by Diane J. Grayson Sponsored by the International Commission on Physics Education and the South African Institute of Physics International Advisory Committee Igal Galili (Israel) Priscilla Laws (USA) Inocente Multimucuio (Mozambique) Jon Ogborn (UK) Joe Redish (USA) Khalijah Salleh (Malaysia) David Schuster (USA/ South Africa) Gunnar Tibell (Sweden) Matilde Vicentini (Italy) Laurence Viennot (France) Conference Organiser Diane Grayson Local Organisers Sandile Malinga Jaynie Padayachee Sadha Pillay. Robynne Savic and Carmen Fitzgerald (Interaction Conferencing) Editorial Assistant Erna Basson Administrative Assistant Ignatious Dire Cover Design: Joerg Ludwig © 2005 International Commission on Physics Education ISBN 1-86888-359 University of South Africa Press, PO Box 392, UNISA 0003, South Africa TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 2 Citation for the Presentation of the Medal.................................................................................... 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................... 7 PAPERS BY PLENARY SPEAKERS ........................................................................................ 8 QUANTUM GRAVITY FOR UNDERGRADUATES? .............................................................. 8 Robert de Mello Koch ......................................................................................................... 8 THE CORE AND THE BOUNDARIES OF PHYSICS:............................................................ 18 RELATIONS TO OTHER DOMAINS ..................................................................................... 18 George F R Ellis................................................................................................................ 18 WHAT PHYSICS SHOULD WE TEACH? .............................................................................. 28 (A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD SUBJECT) ................................................................................ 28 Igal Galili and Michael Tseitlin ......................................................................................... 28 SKILLS NEEDED FOR PHYSICS AND DEVELOPED BY PHYSICS ................................... 42 Khalijah Mohd Salleh........................................................................................................ 42 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES IN INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS......................................... 58 Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood..................................................................................... 58 WHAT PHYSICS SHOULD WE TEACH FUTURE PHYSICS TEACHERS?......................... 69 Vivien M. Talisayon.......................................................................................................... 69 PHYSICS IN SEQUENCE: PHYSICS IN PIECES? ................................................................. 77 Laurence Viennot .............................................................................................................. 77 CONTRIBUTED PAPERS ....................................................................................................... 92 NOT CHAPTERS BUT PHENOMENOLOGICAL SIMILARITIES AND UNIFIED CONCEPTUAL EXPLANATIONS.......................................................................................... 92 Viviana Amati, Luciana Danusso, Eleonora Fioravanti, Vittoria Mangani,......................... 92 Sara Sidoretti and Matilde Vicentini .................................................................................. 92 PROMOTING A COMMON SNUC LANGUAGE IN THE NATURAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES ............................................................................................... 99 Ilsa Basson ........................................................................................................................ 99 RESEARCH ON THE CONCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION OF PHYSICS’ CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS ............................................................................................................... 107 Emilio Balzano, Anna de Ambrosis, Marta Gagliardi, Enrica Giordano, Paolo Guidoni, Giovanna Mendella, Giuseppina Rinaudo, Alberto Stefanel and Carlo Tarsitani .............. 107 A NEW RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM FOR TEACHING MEASUREMENT IN THE FIRST YEAR PHYSICS LABORATORY.............................................................................. 116 Andy Buffler1, Saalih Allie1, Fred Lubben2 and Bob Campbell2 .......................................116 A MORE COHERENT TOPIC SEQUENCE FOR E&M ........................................................124 Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood...................................................................................124 COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL, PIETERMARITZBURG..........................................................................................................132 N. Chetty .........................................................................................................................132 A PROPOSAL FOR INTRODUCING ELEMENTARY QUANTUM MECHANICS AT SCHOOL.................................................................................................................................141 Antonello Giannelli and Carlo Tarsitani ...........................................................................141 PHYSICAL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS OF DAILY ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE INCLUSION OF ASTRONOMY WITH REGARD TO THE NEW FET PHYSICAL SCIENCES CURRICULUM IN SOUTH AFRICA..................................................................................................................................147 Nadaraj Govender ............................................................................................................147 LEARNER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SCIENCE CLUBS...............................................156 Kevindran Govender ........................................................................................................156 PHYSICS FOR TEACHERS...................................................................................................162 Dale Gundry ....................................................................................................................162 IS THIS THE KIND OF PHYSICS EDUCATION THAT ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO STUDY PHYSICS? Paul Hobden, PhD ..................................................................................170 References...............................................................................................................................177 VISUAL MODELS IN THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF ATOMIC PHYSICS ..........178 ND Kgwadi* and JJA Smit** ............................................................................................178 DESCRIPTION OF A COURSE FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICS TEACHERS THAT INTEGRATES PHYSICS CONTENT & SKILLS...................................................................185 Jeanne Kriek and Diane Grayson......................................................................................185 PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH: A CASE STUDY OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR NON-TRADITIONAL, RE-ENTRY, ENGINEERING STUDENTS .................................................................................................191 Stewart Langton...............................................................................................................191 A UNIT ON OSCILLATIONS, DETERMINISM AND CHAOS FOR INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS STUDENTS............................................................................................................198 Priscilla W. Laws.............................................................................................................198 SHOULD WE TEACH FOR CONCEPTUAL CHANGE OR PARADIGM CHANGE? .........206 M. Lemmer, T.N. Lemmer and J.J.A. Smit.......................................................................206 CONTEXTUALISATION AS A DIDACTICAL APPROACH FOR PHYSICS EDUCATION ................................................................................................................................................212 M. Lemmer & T.N. Lemmer ............................................................................................212 PHYSICS TO AFRICAN FOLK IN SOUTH AFRICA........................................................... 219 Cable Moji1 and Diane Grayson2 ..................................................................................... 219 Control Group ................................................................................................................. 225 SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATORS’ APPROACH TO PRACTICAL WORK IN PHYSICS ................................................................................................................................................ 228 A.T Motlhabane, M. Lemmer .......................................................................................... 228 HELPING STUDENTS DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF NET FORCE, NET TORQUE, AND THEIR RELATION TO RIGID-BODY MOTION: A RESEARCH-BASED TUTORIAL ON THE DYNAMICS OF RIGID BODIES............................................................................ 234 Luanna G. Ortiz..............................................................................................................