3rd International GIREP Seminar »Informal learning and Public Understanding of Physics« 5 – 9 September 2005, Ljubljana, Slovenia Organized by: Groupe International sur l’Enseignement de la Physique (GIREP) European Physical Society (EPS) Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana The House of Experiments, Ljubljana with the support of: Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) People in charge Gorazd Planinšič (University of Ljubljana) Mojca Čepič (University of Ljubljana) Miha Kos (The House of Experiments) Book of abstracts 1 International Advisory Board Michele D’Anna, Ped. Inst. for Teacher Edu, Locarno, Switzerland Ton Ellermeijer, Amsterdam University, Netherlands Manfred Euler, University of Kiel, Germany Nils Hornstrup, Experimentarium, Denmark Marjan Hribar, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Stanley Micklavzina, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA Kerry Parker, Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, New Zealand Michaele Renvillard, ECSITE, Belgium Rosa Maria Sperandeo, University of Palermo, Italy Gunnar Tibell, Uppsala University, Sweden Urbaan M Titulaer, Johannes Keppler University, Linz, Austria Christian Ucke, Tech. University Muenchen, Germany International Organizing Committee Nils Hornstrup, Experimentarium, Denmark Rajka Jurdana Šepić, University of Rijeka, Croatia Robert Lambourne, Open University, UK Leopold Matelitsch, University of Graz, Austria Zofia Mayer Golob, Krakow University, Poland Marisa Michelini, University of Udine, Italy Josip Slisko, Autonomous University of Puebla, Mexico David Sokoloff, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA Michael Vollmer, University of Appl. Sci, Brandenburg, Germany Richard Walton, Sheffield Hallam University, UK Local Organizing Committee Gorazd Planinšič, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana (Chairman) Mojca Čepič, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana (Co-chairman) Miha Kos, The House of Experiments, Slovenian science centre (Co-chairman) Jure Bajc, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana Marko Budiša Ana B. Gostinčar, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana Riko Jerman, The House of Experiments Vasja Kožuh, ROKUS publishing house Samo Lasič, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana Andrej Likar, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana Danica Mati, Biotechnical School, Kranj Ales Mohorič, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana Seta Oblak Nada Razpet, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana Barbara Rovšek, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana Luka Vidic, The House of Experiments This book is edited by Gorazd Planinšič, Aleš Mohorič, Samo Lasič and Seta Oblak 2 Preface to the 3rd International GIREP Seminar GIREP is coming back to Ljubljana for the second time. In 1996 Ljubljana hosted GIREP conference with the title »New ways of teaching physics« right here at Faculty of Education. In year 2000 Prof. Marisa Michelini from University of Udine, Italy proposed a new type of GIREP activities, the Seminars that are organized in years between two Conferences. The first two Seminars took place in Udine, but today the 3rd International GIREP Seminar with the title »Informal learning and Public understanding of Physics« is opening its doors to you here in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The Seminar is organized by GIREP, European Physical Society, the Faculty for mathematics and physics and Faculty of Education, both from University of Ljubljana and The House of Experiments, Slovenian hands-on science centre. The 3rd International GIREP Seminar, as the central international event in Slovenia during the World Year of Physics, was kindly supported also by the Slovenian Research Agency. The head theme of this Seminar is somehow different from the themes in the past. This Seminar addresses not only the physics education at universities and schools but also informal learning of physics that goes on in the institutions such as science centres, museums but also at science fairs and festivals, at workshops and in other activities organized outside schools. What were the main reasons for bringing together »formal« and »informal« at the 3rd GIREP Seminar? Let me give only two major reasons: the urgent need for refreshment in physics in schools and common aim to increase public understanding of physics and science in general. What can »formals« and »informals« offer to each other? Though they share many common goals, their knowledge and experiences are often complementary. Let’s start with »formals«. In the past forty years we have seen rapid development and growth in physics education research worldwide. A systematic analysis of students’ responses through the interviews, questioners and tests showed remarkable robustness in the way students (or any laymen) understand physical world. Following the thoughts of Jon Ogborn from United Kingdom, one of the leading characters in physics education in Europe, the strongest result to emerge from Physics Education Research (PER) has been the fundamental importance of the ideas students hold about the physical world, in deciding how they understand what they are taught. Though PER is daily bringing new important results, their effect on teaching practice is not yet satisfactory. In many cases the reason is the lack of suitable material: textbooks, teacher’s guides and demonstration experiments that are developed on the base of PER results and are at the same time attractive for tomorrow students. On the other side there are science centres, as an example of institutions that from the beginning of their existence work primarily on questions how to present to the public the principles of nature in attractive way and how to show the close connection between the science and our everyday life. However, these institutions very rarely do 3 any systematic research on how much their visitors really learn from performing hands- on experiment, from attending science shows or hands on workshops and how much their preconceptions about natural phenomena change after leaving a science centre. Obviously there is a lot we can learn from each other. We hope that the 3rd GIREP Seminar will be the opportunity for exchange of knowledge and experiences, for creating new ideas, new connections and new projects from which we will all benefit in future. Allow me to devote my last thoughts to three Slovenians, that are unfortunately no longer with us, but who have the major merits for the high quality of the physics teaching in Slovenia. In sixties, Prof. Ivan Kuščer initiated and organized the first post graduate program in physics education in Slovenia. Prof. Anton Moljk, helped Kuščer in running this post graduate program and later in eighties initiated the first program for Continuing education of physics teachers. The program runs without interruptions until today. Prof. Janez Ferbar made the pioneering work in the field of early introduction of science in primary schools. Ferbar also endeavoured all his life to establish the physics as the fundamental subject in teaching primary science. As you know, these three segments, postgraduate education, continuing education programs and early introduction of science are in the focus of current European education programs. We are lucky that insights of these three persons were ahead of the time and we hope that the future reforms will not destroy what has been achieved. Finally, we would like to thank the institutions and companies in Slovenia that also helped us to organize the 3rd GIREP Seminar: Slovenian Research Agency, Ljubljana - Civic Municipality, ROKUS Publishing house, LPP – Ljubljana public transport, National Istitute of Chemistry, Technical Museum of Slovenia and Žito Gorenjka. Gorazd Planinšič Chairman of the 3rd GIREP Seminar 4 GENERAL INFORMATION Home page of the 3rd International GIREP Seminar: http://www.girep2005.fmf.uni-lj.si/ Seminar location Faculty of Education (Pedagoška fakulteta - PEF) Kardeljeva pl. 16 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia tel: +386 1 5892200 (just say “GIREP please”) fax:+386 1 5892233 (indicate “For GIREP”) e-mail: [email protected] Some activities will also take place in the Science centre The House of Experiments (Hiša eksperimentov- HE) Trubarjeva 39 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia tel: + 386 1 3006888 fax: +386 1 3006880 e-mail: [email protected] 5 Map of Faculty of Education (PEF) 6 7 8 Important locations in Ljubljana PEF - FACULTY OF EDUCATION HOUSE OF EXPERIMENTS CITY HOTEL TOWN HALL (HOTEL TOURIST) (MAGISTRAT) 9 REGISTRATION AND SECRETARIAT Registration starts at 15:00 at Faculty of Education (Pedagoška fakulteta - PEF), Kardeljeva pl. 16 in Ljubljana. Registration fee includes: • Four tickets for meals (should be in your seminar bag) • Seminar abstract book • Seminar bag with promotion material • Welcome party (Sunday evening) • Invitation for the reception in the Town Hall (Wednesday evening) • Conference trip (Thursday afternoon) • Refreshments • Free access to the House of Experiments during the seminar (see Visiting Science Centre for details) Conference Dinner has to be paid separately. Tickets for the Conference Dinner and for the Conference trip (for accompanying persons) will be available at the Reception desk in the Secretariat of the Seminar until Wednesday morning. Reception desk will be in Secretariat, room 026 (see map of PEF, ground floor). The Secretariat will also help you with the following services: • On-site registration • Providing tickets for Seminar activities, such as Sunday Workshop and Monday Science