Making atomic physics fun

VCE year 11 physics unit 1, area of study 2 is Nuclear and Radioactivity Physics. The textbook is Heinemann Physics 11

http://msrb.wordpress.com/2007/09/12/hiroshima-peace-memorial/
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The area of study is unfortunately didactic, which does not easily lead to higher order thinking and independent inquiry. The outcome is listed in terms of describe and apply, lower order skills on Bloom's Taxonomy. Only in assessing bias in the media and assesing risk do higher outcomes get mentioned.

Add teaching this to a group with a high proportion of English as a second language, though understanding the concepts may be easy, the language of instruction may be difficult.



A solution would be to lean heavily on visual and practical materials. Youtube has a a number of student created videos which give inspiration:

YouTube - Nuclear Physics in 3D ( good 3D modelling but does have some factual errors (I think) alpha particles not gamma and critical mass is more about amount of material than compression though compression needs to be maintained through fission
YouTube - Death Metal Physics[The cutlass head charity - atom] history of nuclear physics to a heavy metal sound track
YouTube - Nuclear Fusion, Fission, & Decay A fun and detailed explanation of the concepts, delivered with enthusiasm though the explanations may be unclear
YouTube - Nuclear Fission A 3D animation of nuclear fission made for an animation class using Maya and After Effects
YouTube - Fission (nuclear physics) simulate nuclear fission by running into each other on the sports ground

The mousetrap and pingpong demonstration
100 mousetraps
6000 mousetraps

more stuff

YouTube - Castle Bravo - What went wrong? Explaination
YouTube - Structure of the Atom 3: The Rutherford Model
YouTube - Nuclear Physics 8.1: Natural Transmutations
YouTube - Atom video
YouTube - physics atomic bomb nuclear test

the links in braces are temporarily? unavailable but you can get them in a zipfile if your school hasn't blocked this site
Open source {fission simulation} (requires GameMaker)
{Nuclear decay simulation standalone exe}

Applets from Physics 2000, University of Colorado Boulder
MIT open courseware lecture video and audio

Nanotechnology
When things get small University of California Television (thanks Karlie for links)
Cancer_killer_in_action
Cellular_visions_The_inner_life_of_a_cell

Girls and physics
Madam Curie video1 2 3 4

Becoming a teacher, knowledge, skills and issues, Colin Marsh

Becoming a teacher, knowledge, skills and issues, Colin Marsh

Chapter 3

Piaget (1896-1980)

A schema is a concept or framework that exists in an individual's mind. When new information causes cognitive disequilibrium or cognitive conflict, it can be resolved by assimilation or accommodation.

Learning Stages

• Children think differently at various stages

• Learning requires active involvement, mentally or physically

• Children build their own cognitive structures (my bold emphasis)

• Children think differently to adults

Sensori-motor (0-2)

Preoperational (2-7) – use symbols

Concrete operational (7-11) – still concrete thinking

Formal operational (11+) - abstract thinking , adults may never achieve in some domains

The book discusses Piaget's criticisms but cognitive load theory and explicit instruction are not mentioned.

also see:

Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not. Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist,. Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and ...

Bruner

Factors in the development process

• React directly to stimuli

• Information and storage using a symbol system (language)

• Ability to describe past and future

• Systematic interactions with tutor/adult

• Language to communicate with others

Stages

• enactive – learning by doing

• iconic – imagery but not language

• symbolic – language logic and mathematics

Teachers should combine concrete, symbolic and pictorial representations (my bold)

Discovery learning. See Kirschner, Sweller and Clark above.

Vygotsky

Social constructivist – social interaction is the major determinant of learning

The ZPD is the point of optimum learning. "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86)

Scaffolding

Development stages (around speech)

• non verbal (0-2)

• merging thinking and speech

• Egocentric (overt) speech

• Egocentric speech becomes overt

(Following on my interest in game based learning, does the ZPD need to be provided by real people? Do peers need to be more capable or will numerous peers do OK? When a game gets as detailed as World of Warcraft, does the ability to match challenge to ability serve a similar role? Can in game agents including AI provide a ZPD?)

Other theories, Erikson, Kohlberg,

Chapter 4

Intrinsic motivation

Motivated students “are likely to be students who are confident about their own self worth” Does this explain the apparent failure of constructivist teaching to disadvantaged groups?

I would have liked the relationship between play and learning to be mentioned here.

"Games are thus the most ancient and time-honored vehicle for education. They are the original educational technology, the natural one, having received the seal of approval of natural selection. We don't see mother lions lecturing cubs at the chalkboard; we don't see senior lions writing their memoirs for posterity. In light of this, the question, "Can games have educational value?" becomes absurd. It is not games but schools that are the newfangled notion, the untested fad, the violator of tradition. Game-playing is a vital educational function for any creature capable of learning."
Crawford, The Art of Computer Game Design

and me on Johnson, Everything bad is good for you. pp1..62

Strategies to encourage intrinsic motivation

• novel situation

• personal anecdote

• challenging questions

• contradictory information

• unfamiliar examples

• case studies

I would add to this list teacher modeling good learning behaviour

“there is such a thing as becoming a good learner and therefore … teachers should do a lot of learning in the presence of the children and in collaboration with them.”

What is Logo? Who Needs It? by Seymour Papert Logo Philosophy and Implementation© Logo Computer Systems Inc. 1999

Extrinsic rewards, gold stars etc do significantly undermine intrinsic motivation.

Motivation declines in grades 7-9 but rises again in year 11 as a result of career motivation.

• Warmth and enthusiasm
• Meaningful goals
• Fostering climate
• Maintaining equity

At p44, simulations and games are mentioned see me at http://tonyforster.blogspot.com

My list

• Relevant challenge
• Authentic challenge
• The right tools SEE flow
  
• A collaborative environment ZPD