Classroom Physics June 2021
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Classroom June 2021 | Issue 57 physics The magazine for IOP affiliated schools The Sun and Solar System Credit: Shutterstock Credit: Addressing student misconceptions A solar scientist talks about her job The toilet roll solar system iop.org Editorial Classroom physics | June 2021 Draw the Sun: this image is one of a This issue selection from the Science Museum’s collection. It was used as an example in a News recent online workshop chaired by Imperial College artist and physicist Geraldine Cox 3 Addressing misconceptions to encourage young people to make solar in physics artwork greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/ explore/families/draw-sun 4 Postcards from Space Astronomical Diagram Transparent Solar 5 IOP book recommendation System, circa 1860 Feature Credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library -- All rights reserved. 6 Up close and personal with the Sun 7 A solar scientist Bring some sunshine Resources 8 Knowing and explaining into the classroom in the context of Earth As we approach the end of a second The Sun is central to our lives from the and space disrupted academic year, we are very beginning, so it’s not surprising that beginning to see rays of sunshine by the time they reach secondary school, 9 - 12 The Sun and emerging. Like you, we sincerely hope many students have confused ideas about Solar System pull-out that this is the last time teachers will our star. Our new set of Earth and Space misconceptions (page 3) will help you 13 Stories from physics have to end the school year with the pressure of assessing students who have untangle this thinking. Digests been unable to sit public examinations. We look at Sun observation from Earth (page We have missed being able to meet you in 3) and from space via NASA’s Parker Probe 14 - 15 Physics Education person at our teacher workshops. We look (page 6). We also probe IOP member and forward to being able to offer face-to-face renowned solar physicist Dr Helen Mason (page 7) about her career and ask her advice 16 TalkPhysics & Physics World help and support again very soon, getting hands-on with practical kit together and for any aspiring sun scientists. Our central networking. But over this year we have also pull-out contains activities for the classroom, 17 Education in Chemistry learned new ways of working which enable including the classic toilet roll solar system & CLEAPSS more teachers to join our events. In future, activity (page 11). For software to enable our teacher CPD offering will be a blend of weatherproof astronomy (page 15) as well Listings online sessions and videos with traditional as a clever way to explore the Sun with live events held at local venues. Turn to the a tuning fork (page 14), visit our Physics Education digest. 18 Opportunities back page for more details of our teacher CPD offering. 19 Remote teaching and Wishing you a good end to the term and a relaxing summer break. learning resources In anticipation of summer, we have chosen the Sun as part of the Earth in 20 Events listing Space topic as the focus for this edition Caroline Davis of Classroom Physics. Classroom Physics editor Editor With this issue... Follow the IOP Caroline Davis Education Department on Stories from Physics: astronomy and space [email protected] Twitter @IOPTeaching The seventh booklet in our series. For more Physics pull-out see spark.iop.org/stories-physics Taj Bhutta [email protected] Postcards from Space Read Classroom Physics A free set of resources for teaching space. online and access previous Photography See page 4 for more details editions at spark.iop.org/ Dan Josman classroom-physics. 2 Classroom physics | June 2021 News Addressing misconceptions in physics IOPSpark misconceptions What you’ll see: • a summary of the misconception and, where possible, a longer description with information pulled out from the literature about ways the misconception may appear in students • where available, relevant diagnostic resources from the IOP and York University’s BEST (Best Evidence Science Teaching) and EPSE (Evidence based Practice in Identifying, addressing and challenging 1979 in Cimer, 2007). Therefore, students Science Education) projects misconceptions held by students are must become unsatisfied with their prior essential to teaching physics well. theories and be open to viewing the world • IOPSpark teaching resources to Former physics teacher Jessica Howell in a different, sometimes analogical way address the misconception manages the IOPSpark Misconceptions (Nussbaum and Novick, 1982; Posner, Strike, resources and explains how they can help Hewson, and Gertzog, 1982; Driver et al, • detailed references from each in the classroom. 1996 in Cimer, 2007). study, distilled into a form with suggestions and comments from A central purpose of physics education is Today, a key part of teaching physics involves our review team. to develop students’ understanding of the identifying, addressing and challenging most fundamental explanations for how the misconceptions or incorrect theories that universe behaves. Despite a teacher’s best students hold. To make this less time- efforts to nurture this, students sometimes consuming in lesson preparation, the IOPSpark misconceptions do not grasp certain ideas in physics. Practical Implications for Physics Education Topics covered: Research (PIPER) team have been reviewing Decades of research has delved into the literature and compiling a list of • Forces and Motion students’ thinking around these ideas. common misconceptions complete with • Electricity and Magnetism Notably, Rosalind Driver suggested that diagnostic questions and resources to • Energy and Thermal Physics students form their understanding of the address the ideas. • Light, Sound and Waves world through observations and experiences, • Earth and Space making a model of misconceptions for their more... • Quantum and Nuclear Physics* world that is based on common sense but • Properties of Matter* spark.iop.org/misconceptions is not always correct (Driver, R et al. 1994). (* the sections are due for completion by autumn 2021) Furthermore, Schaefer stated that if the ideas taught at school are not related to spark.iop.org/conducting-research-using- students’ everyday lives, they may not grasp piper-resources Share your students’ misconceptions the concepts properly and instead just learn isolated ‘packages’ of information (Schaefer, Studies into students’ misconceptions mainly took place between 1980 and 2010. While many of the findings are still current, a changing environment Earth and Space misconceptions and curriculum mean new ideas will have developed that fit with students’ Examples from our newest collection: understanding of the world around them today. • Most pupils think it is cold in the winter because the Sun is further away from the Earth We want to make sure all these ideas are captured – and this is where you • Some pupils think that all stars are the same size come in. Please submit the miscon- ceptions that your students hold so • Some younger pupils may hold the belief that we can add them to our bank on the Sun travels around the Earth IOPSpark. • Some pupils have ideas that the Sun gets bit.ly/IOPmisconceptions covered and that is what causes night 3 News Classroom physics | June 2021 Postcards from Space Each IOP Affiliated School will have received a set of 12 postcards with this edition of Classroom Physics. They were created by Miles Hudson, PGCE physics tutor at Newcastle University. Aimed at older primary and younger secondary students, the PostcardsFromSpace deliberately extend beyond the statements of the National Curriculum to offer greater depth and breadth. Each card links to a web page which includes additional Written as postcards from a friend, junior information, animations, videos and activities astronaut Tanno and his faithful dog Iguda, to extend students’ learning. Developed the informal writing style makes them highly more... during lockdown, Miles ensured equipment accessible and engaging. requirements are minimal. postcardsfromspace.co.uk Miles said, “The delivery of literacy in science He suggests the cards could be particularly was a cornerstone of their development from Follow facebook.com/PostcardsFromSpace useful for Science Clubs, delivering more the outset. There are facts and figures, but for a daily Space Fact of the Day than a term’s worth of activities. The range the real world application of concepts comes of space objects and activities is large, so through in the adventures that Tanno and students could be set to work with different Iguda have on their travels. Learning the size ones and cross compare, or the group could and surface temperature of Pluto is one thing, all work from the same card and steadily but what would it actually be like to walk on progress along the journey together. the frozen surface?” Out-of-this-world research using neutrons The Sun recently started a new solar 84% of the speed of light and fires them into weather cycle, Solar Cycle 25. As it targets to produce beams of neutrons. These enters the more active phase of its cycle neutrons are used in a variety of experiments – expected between now and 2025 – solar from investigating superconductors to activity is likely to increase, resulting studying samurai swords. in a period of space weather that can have major impacts on technology on ChipIR is a unique instrument at ISIS that Earth and in space. Scientists at the mimics cosmic ray neutrons to test the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) are effect of these high-energy particles on investigating space weather and its effects electronic devices. ChipIR has been used more... on electronics. to test electronics critical to systems in aircraft, satellites, spacecraft, autonomous Find out more about this experiment and Cosmic rays originate from both the Sun and vehicles and even the internet, revealing their explore Space Science Research at ISIS at from beyond our solar system. As they collide vulnerabilities.