Didactics of Physics I

Recommended Prerequisites

Knowledge of Physics and associated competences, compulsory to be accepted on the Master degree (50 ECTS).

Teaching Methods

. Presentation and discussion of Physics content present either on National Curricular Guides or on National Programs, always envisaging connections among physics content delivered at different school levels; real world situations; detection of eventual misconceptions; reflexive discussions and proposal of corrections; other examples; homework;

. Teaching Physics in lower and upper secondary school levels;

. Problem solving activities, some of them analyzed as future Physics teachers who will evaluate their own students;

. Group work and its potentialities.

Learning Outcomes

Based on the work of Lee Shulman, 1987, about "knowledge base of teaching" one aims at the development of:

- an enlarged and meaningful Physics Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) acquisition, based on previously acquired Physics content knowledge and adapted to teaching secondary school students (using National Programs and Guidelines as a reference);

- future teachers’ reflexive skills, fostering creativity in teaching and the analysis of effectiveness of teaching activities;

- competences in analysis and synthesis, mainly the ones concerned with problem solving and their contribution to meaningful Physics learning;

- self-criticism and self-evaluation, fostering future adequate criticism end evaluation of own students

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Introduction

The development of Physics as a science; physics concepts and models, and real life. The language of Physics and everyday language.  Students misconceptions, their possible origins, their prevalence, eventual ways to correct them.

Physics National programs and Guides and Physics teaching modes: lectures, direct teaching, laboratory work, discussions and problem solving: students evaluations to reveal attained cognitive development levels.

2. Developing PCK on previous learned Physics content present in secondary school programs, looked at through concerns present in the Introduction.

Mechanics – movements, interactions, fields, energies of real bodies.

Thermodynamics – heat, radiation, temperature.

Electric and electromagnetic phenomena.

Waves.

Head Lecturer(s)

Manuela Ramos Marques da Silva

Assessment Methods

Assessement
Mini Tests: 10.0%
Resolution Problems: 15.0%
Exam: 75.0%

Bibliography

•de Almeida, MJ. Preparação de Professores de Física - Uma contribuição científico-pedagógica e didática. Editora Almedina, Coimbra, 2004.

•Costa, MMR and de Almeida, MJ. Fundamentos de Física. Editora Almedina, Coimbra, 2012.

•Manuais dos Ensinos Básico e Secundário.

•McDermott, L. Physics By Inquiry: volumes I e II. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York, 1996.

•Orientações Curriculares, Metas e Programas de Física dos Ensinos Básico e Secundário.

•Tipler, PA. Física: volumes 1, 2 e 3. LTC Editora, SA, Rio de Janeiro, 1999