EDF5466 - Physics education A

Leader: Mr G Lancaster (Clayton) + TBA (Gippsland)

Offered

Clayton First semester (Open Learning) 2007 (Open Learning)
Clayton First semester 2007 (Day)
Clayton First semester 2007 (Off-campus)

Synopsis

This unit is designed to prepare students to teach physics in secondary schools and colleges both as a specialist unit at Year 11 and 12 (VCE Physics) and within the junior to middle science curriculum (Years 7 to 10). Attention will be given to the current VCE Physics study design in use in Victorian schools and colleges. The unit concentrates on introducing beginning teachers to a wide variety of teaching strategies, skills and techniques to use in the secondary classroom to aid student conceptual development and understanding. Students studying off-campus may participate in a camp in March.

Objectives

This unit has been designed to familiarise students with the language, methods and major ideas useful in contemporary physics teaching in post primary schools; introduce a diverse range of effective teaching strategies and appropriate contexts useful in physics and general science education suitable for the social and cultural backgrounds of their clientele; explore a variety of classroom procedures aimed at improving the participation rate of students and particularly the outcomes for girls studying physics in post primary schools; introduce and evaluate a variety of educational resources, learning technologies and teaching aids useful in improving learning outcomes for students; explore a variety of Predict/ Observe/ Explain activities, trial new ones and evaluate their effectiveness in the classroom; introduce students to a constructivist approach to teaching and learning in physics and its implications for designing activities for student engagement during laboratory work; develop the capacity and confidence of students to communicate their knowledge of Physics effectively in the classroom and encourage critical reflection; introduce a variety of suitable assessment and monitoring procedures aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of students to meet the intended learning outcomes of the physics study design; assist students to confidently approach the research and design of a unit of work suitable for teaching a topic or topics from the senior Physics study design.

Assessment

Class participation and Practicum tasks: 40%, Satisfactory completion of assignment tasks: 60%
Student participation in the unit is vital and an 80% attendance requirement is required so students can fully participate in the workshops via attendance or on-line chat forum.

Contact hours

3 hours per week

Prerequisites

Physics minor, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Applied Science or Bachelor of Engineering with a minor sequence in physics.