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Physics is the systematic study of matter, ener- gy and all the natural phenomena happening around us. The whole universe is built upon the principles of physics. It is a fascinating sub- ject which relates to day to day activities and things around us.
The importance of physics to society today is most easily represented by our reliance on technology. Many of the technologies that are continually transforming the world we live in can be directly traced back to important re- search in Physics. For example, research on the
physics of semiconductors enabled the first
transistor to be developed in 1947. This seem- ingly simple device is the key component in all of our electronic systems, including computers, and it is now considered one of the most im- portant inventions in human history. There are countless examples of research in physics lead- ing to the development of important technolo- gies. It is expected that today’s research on nanostructures, quantum information or pho- tonics will lead to the next generation of tech- nologies including faster and more robust computers and communication systems.
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Physics theories are produced from a rigorous and systematic method and they are constantly tested against experimental evidence. The study of physics in schools and universities is undoubtedly more relevant to society today. Therefore, grounding a scientific education in physics is essential as it is the foundation of science.
Enrollments in technology education at the col- lege level have been declining [1]. The decreasing trend in the number of physics students in par- ticular at University level is a matter of concern in many countries around the world. Perhaps it is the general lack of understanding of what phys- ics is, combined with the subject’s inherent diffi- culty and dependence on mathematics, which tends to discourage the students from studying physics. It is very important that students should know why physics is important and what career opportunities or other benefits may stem from studying physics.
A physics student usually possesses excellent analytical, quantitative, logical and problem solving skills. They have the ability to synthe- size and analyze large amount of data and ex- plain their analysis in an easily understandable form. They learn to systematically identify all factors contributing to a given problem and work out how those factors interact in order to solve the problem. These are important skills that can be applied in a range of careers.
Conventional physics instructions are not effec- tive enough to help the students to develop a real understanding of the subject. There is a strong need to change the nature of physics teaching. Some of the teaching methods are discussed be- low:
1. Improvising Lecture method
The lecture method is one of the most ancient of teaching methods. In the teaching of physics, it is generally used to demonstrate physical phenom- ena, to present derivatioor to solve numerical problems. The demonstrations are very im- portant but most of the time is neglected by the teachers who feel compelled to cover more topics as most often they work under time constraint to complete the syllabus [2]. Good lecture demon- strations also have the capacity of being memo- rable.Most of the time of a lecture is used for pre- senting the solutions to specific physics prob- lems. Just by solving some problems during lec- ture will not develop problem solving skills among the students. What we must keep in mind that physics problem-solving is a skill that has to be improved by repeated practice.
Lecture method is found to be more useful when students are forced to become active participants in the lecture [3]. Lecture method can be made more interesting and useful by active participa- tion of the students. For that, let the teacher select a topic and do a lecture demonstration. Then give the students a problem to work out based on that topic in a specified time. Ask them to find out as many solutions as possible with the help of the concepts, equations known to them. Provide them graph papers, calculators if they need. After the specified time given to them to work out the problem, ask them to explain their solutions to the class and allow all the students to discuss about the merits or demerits of the solution. Let the teacher explain the best possible solutions and the concepts, equations involved in it.
This method has several advantages such as:
The students utilize their time construc- tively during the lecture and their com- plete involvement in the lecture is assured.
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Students are bound to discuss physics with other fellow students and share their ideas.
Students can correct any point of confu- sion and understand the concept thor- oughly by taking immediate feedback.
The teacher can ensure about his students' understanding of the topic.
Students will learn to apply the physics concepts in a variety of situations and all kinds of physics problems.
Though this method forces the teacher to cover less material. The teacher can be selective and teach only those topics by this method where learning of fundamental concept is essentially required and where students find it difficult to apply the concepts in problem solving. This method not only engages students in the lecture but also promotes better understanding of the concepts and improves performance of the stu- dents in the exam.
The term webinar is short for Web-based Semi- nar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web to describe a specific type of web conference. These interactive sessions allow participants, who are granted ac- cess through a password, to experience a live workshop without attending in person.
Webinars offer online instruction to students who wouldn't be able to attend in person because of distance or any other issues. Webinars allow teachers to get to know their audience—the stu- dents through networking. This medium is more personal than a phone conversation because vid- eo facility allows students to see teachers and
other participants. Webinars allow one-on-one
communication between a teacher and students, as live questions can be answered in real time. Instant students’ feedback can also be generated for the topic of discussion.
Webinars are flexible and students can record the content and can watch as per their convenient schedule in case they failed to watch the live presentation by the teacher. Webinars can feature live demonstrations and Power Point presenta- tions. These presentations can be integrated with teleconferencing if the students fail to connect online. Various topics in Physics can be taught to students through webinars in an interesting and interactive manner.
Self-evaluation is defined as students evaluating the quality of their work, based on evidence and precise criteria, with the objective of doing better work in the future. When students are taught how to assess their own progress, and when they do so against known and challenging quality standards, then there is a lot to gain. Self- assessment is a potentially powerful technique because of its impact on student’s performance through enhanced self-efficacy and increased in- trinsic motivation [4]. Evidence about the posi- tive effect of self-evaluation on student perfor- mance is particularly convincing for difficult tasks [5].
Providing opportunities for students to self as- sess their abilities creates the prospective for stu- dents to know exactly about their actual perfor- mance level and work toward achieving the needed proficiencies. The following procedure can be followed to help the students self assess their learning:
Select a topic in Physics and make ques- tions available on the Web, for example as
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a quiz using web communication technol- ogy, whose answers require a good knowledge of the concepts, procedures, etc. To encourage timely student learning, a quiz can be made available during the time period students should be construct- ing specific knowledge and developing specific skills and withdrawn before the target learning experience begins. Depend- ing on the learning objectives and the scope and size of the database of ques- tions, students might be permitted to take a quiz as many times as possible.
Ask students to publish their work, in the form of reports, papers, and projects and make it accessible to all the students through web. Encourage students to create an index page where their work is readily accessible, and provide necessary assis- tance for publishing their work.
When they become aware of other stu- dents' work, students will often realize ways to improve their work and the diver- sity of ways to approach a given problem.
Having students to reflect on what they have learned has the potential to prompt them to recognize their learning advances and lapses and to assume more responsi- bility for their own learning.
Ask students to evaluate their work on a scale of 10 on the basis of few parameters such as understanding the concept, skills acquired, applications of same concept in different situations, innovative approach in problem solving etc.
Analogies are used in the practice of physics as
well as for teaching and learning. Analogies are not only useful to working physicists, but to physics teachers as well [6]. For instance, Cou- lomb’s law is often taught in introductory courses as analogous to Newton’s law of gravitation. Electric current is often likened to water flowing through a pipe. It helps the students to under- stand the difficult concepts in easy manner.
The educational culture differs from country to country and also within a country. Each country has a different educational system and different policies. A comparative approach that differenti- ates between general conditions that apply to all countries and specific conditions that applies to one country should be in place. It will enable teachers from different countries to learn from each other and facilitate the innovation process of Physics education in the participating countries. This approach will be successful only if there is a complete involvement of the teachers in all par- ticipating groups. This will create communities of researchers and educators, promote networking of teachers who will work closely together, de- velop teaching and learning materials and learn the best practices from each other in teaching Physics.
Research-based curricula should be developed to improve student’s learning by helping students to change their common sense and conceptual beliefs through active engagement [7]. The re- search-based curricula require changes in teach- ing style so learning can be achieved effectively. It can be done by implementing variety of strate- gies/tools, such as conceptual questions, group
projects, reading tasks, assignments with tutorial
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review, blended learning, problems solving and a platform of e-learning [8].
Students learn a lot when they work on some projects by themselves and solve the problems as and when those arise during the project. The pro- jects which involve some principles of physics and can be used in daily life can be assigned to the students. Some of the interesting topics men- tioned below:
Physics involved in sniping: To study the
effect of gravity, air resistance, velocity and mass of the bullet on the trajectory of the bullet.
Non-conventional sources of energy: Stu-
dents can be asked to make a solar cooker, solar cell, a model of wind-mill, Bio-gas plant
Generating electricity based on Piezo elec-
tric effect at a place where there is frequent pressure variations
Use of Physics in regulating traffic on a
busy road or street
Over the last decade, information and communi- cation technologies have enabled changes in the way people live, work, interact and acquire knowledge. The implementation of a teaching strategy based in the use of ICT´s has shown to be very useful in order treat different topics in physics that are quite difficult to explain by using standard methods. It has been observed that the use of ICT´s contributes to enhance the interest of the students as well as to achieve a deep concep- tual description of the studied phenomena. Some
of the topics such as Wave Motion, Optics, Nu-
clear physics, Dynamics can be taught with the help of ICT.
Computer simulations are applications of special interest in physics teaching because they can support powerful modeling environments in- volving physics concepts and processes. Some of the concepts of Kinematics such as velocity and acceleration in projectile motions can be under- stood very well with the help of Computer simu- lations. Computer simulations can also be used as an alternative instructional tool, in order to help students confront their cognitive constraints and develop functional understanding of physics [9].
A major goal of physics education is that students be able to understand the fundamental concepts of Physics and be able to apply this knowledge in variety of situations.
Physics learning should go beyond memorizing
and develop logical and analytical thinking and problem solving skills among the students. Learning physics is more important today as all the technological advancements are based on the fundamental principles of physics. There is a strong need to use innovative instructional meth- ods and make the learning more interactive, en- joyable and understandable with the help of In- formation & Communication Technology.
[1] Isbell, C.H. & Lovedahl, G.G., “A survey of recruitment techniques used in industrial arts/technology education programs,” The Journal of Epsilon Pi Tau, (1), 37-41, 1989.
[2] R. Freedman, "Challenges in Teaching and
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Learning Introductory Physics," Plenum Press, New York, pp. 313-322, 1996.
[3] A. Van Heuvelen, “Learning to think like a physicist: A review of research-based instruction- al strategies,“ Am. J. Phys. 59, 891, 1991.
[4] Rolheiser, C. & Ross, J., “Student evaluation- What do we know?” Orbit. 30 (4), 33-36, 2000.
[5] Maehr, M. & Stallings, “R. Freedom from ex- ternal evaluation,” Child Development, 43, 177-
185, 1972.
[6] Noah S. Podolefsky, Noah D. Finkelstein, “Use of analogy in learning physics: The role of repre- sentations,” Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research 2, 020101, 2006.
[7] J. M. Saul, "Beyond Problem Solving: Evaluat- ing Introductory Physics Courses Through The Hidden Curriculum," vol. Doctor of Philosophy: Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Mary Land, 1998.
[8] P. C. Oliveira, F. Neri de Souza, Nilza Costa ,
C. G. Oliveira, “Curriculum Integration in the Teaching of Physics to First Year Engineering Students” International Conference on Engi- neering Education – ICEE 2007, Coimbra, Portu- gal, 2007.
[9]Athanassios Jimoyiannis, Vassilis Komis, “Computer simulations in physics teaching and learning: a case study on students' understanding of trajectory motion,” Computer & Education,
Volume 36, Issue 2, pp. 183-204, 2001.
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