Primary school teachers need a training in physics robust enough to enable them to understand phenomena and new and complex situations they encounter as well as to answer the children questions and to design teaching activities. In initial teacher education, it must also be taken into account the limited scientific and mathematical background of students enrolling in university courses. Starting from an analysis of the misconception to construct a formal knowledge that teachers need to make then non-formal to teach children, is ineffective. One more appropriate way seems to be based on research in the fields of cognitive sciences that focuses on the simple structure of imagination that are used to interpret everyday phenomena. The contents of the Physics course of the Degree in Primary Education of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia have been structured in or¬der to highlight the common conceptual structures, and the specific differences, between the various contexts of the discipline. The elementary concepts such as quantity, storage, capacity, potential, current and resistance have been clarified, differentiated and built qualitatively though rigorously through a series of examples taken from everyday experience and known contexts. Analogy was introduced in the study of fluids, electricity, motion and heat, as a result of the use of the same elementary concept to interpret phenomena and processes. In this contribution we present the structure and the contents of the course according to this approach, and the results of the analysis of the worksheets about motion filled by students.

Quantity/potential-related elementary concepts in primary school teacher education / Corni, Federico; Giliberti, Enrico; Mariani, Cristina. - ELETTRONICO. - (2014), pp. 708-715. (Intervento presentato al convegno Teaching and Learning Physics today: Challenges? Benefits? tenutosi a Reims nel 22-27/8/2010).

Quantity/potential-related elementary concepts in primary school teacher education

CORNI, Federico;GILIBERTI, Enrico;MARIANI, Cristina
2014

Abstract

Primary school teachers need a training in physics robust enough to enable them to understand phenomena and new and complex situations they encounter as well as to answer the children questions and to design teaching activities. In initial teacher education, it must also be taken into account the limited scientific and mathematical background of students enrolling in university courses. Starting from an analysis of the misconception to construct a formal knowledge that teachers need to make then non-formal to teach children, is ineffective. One more appropriate way seems to be based on research in the fields of cognitive sciences that focuses on the simple structure of imagination that are used to interpret everyday phenomena. The contents of the Physics course of the Degree in Primary Education of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia have been structured in or¬der to highlight the common conceptual structures, and the specific differences, between the various contexts of the discipline. The elementary concepts such as quantity, storage, capacity, potential, current and resistance have been clarified, differentiated and built qualitatively though rigorously through a series of examples taken from everyday experience and known contexts. Analogy was introduced in the study of fluids, electricity, motion and heat, as a result of the use of the same elementary concept to interpret phenomena and processes. In this contribution we present the structure and the contents of the course according to this approach, and the results of the analysis of the worksheets about motion filled by students.
2014
Teaching and Learning Physics today: Challenges? Benefits?
Reims
22-27/8/2010
708
715
Corni, Federico; Giliberti, Enrico; Mariani, Cristina
Quantity/potential-related elementary concepts in primary school teacher education / Corni, Federico; Giliberti, Enrico; Mariani, Cristina. - ELETTRONICO. - (2014), pp. 708-715. (Intervento presentato al convegno Teaching and Learning Physics today: Challenges? Benefits? tenutosi a Reims nel 22-27/8/2010).
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
GIREP2010 Corni.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipologia: Abstract
Dimensione 258.41 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
258.41 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1023513
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact