Neste trabalho utilizamos o tema gerador relacionado à pontes para construirmos, com o apoio dos professores de arte e de história, discussões históricas sobre a física e a arte do período renascentista por meio de uma sequência didática. Além das discussões históricas, nas atividades também trabalhamos questões referentes à matematização da natureza e à estática dos corpos rígidos. Buscamos na educação humanizadora de Paulo Freire nossa base pedagógica para a construção de nossa sequência valorizando atributos como a criatividade, a imaginação e a experiência em oposição à um ensino que preze a memorização e as repetições excessivas. A segunda parte deste trabalho apresentamos a aplicação da sequência no ensino médio de uma escola pública e a análise qualitativa das aulas, das atividades e de um questionário. / In this work we utilized the themes-generators related to bridges to build, with the support of art and history professors, historical discussions about physics and the art during the renaissance period through a didactic sequence. Besides the historical discussions, in the activities we also worked with questions related to the mathematization of nature and to the static of rigid bodies. We sought in the humanizing education of Paulo Freire our pedagogical basis for the construction of our sequence, valuing attributes like creativity, imagination and the experience as opposed to an education that values memorizing and excessive repetitions. In the second part of this paper we present the application of the sequence in a public high school and the qualitative analysis of the classes, activities and a questionnaire

O ensino da Física está fundamentalmente baseado na resolução de problemas. A experimentação tem também se tornado um elemento presente nas situações de aprendizagem. Mesmo assim, o estudo da Física é um campo rico para o desenvolvimento de concepções prévias. Observa-se que o ensino de certos conceitos de Física (como força de atrito, gravidade e movimento) a partir das metodologias tradicionais (baseadas na conceituação, exemplificação e resolução de problemas) parece não garantir que certas concepções prévias sejam corrigidas. Diversos estudos têm demonstrado que concepções prévias podem se estabilizar ao longo dos anos e se tornar persistentes a tal ponto que mesmo após diversos anos de estudo, os estudantes chegam aos cursos universitários com tais concepções. Materiais concretos, que permitam aos estudantes construir, testar e confrontar teorias são uma abordagem indicada para complementar o ensino, buscando desestabilizar concepções prévias. Diversos materiais podem ser úteis nesse processo (brinquedos, sucata e outros). Idealmente, materiais pedagógicos são mais apropriados, destacando-se materiais robóticos educativos. Kits educacionais de Robótica lembram um brinquedo, mas quando integrados aos conteúdos curriculares, colocam o estudante como construtor de sua aprendizagem, repensando seus conceitos preexistentes. Situado nessa problemática, o presente estudo descreve o desenvolvimento e experimentação de um jogo didático destinado ao ensino de conceitos de Física, fazendo uso de materiais robóticos. Kit de Robótica Lego MINDSTORMS foram utilizados na realização das atividades. A primeira atividade teve por objetivo identificar concepções prévias sobre os conceitos de força de atrito, gravidade e movimento. A partir das concepções identificadas foi desenvolvido um jogo de equipes composto por diversas etapas. Cada etapa teve por objetivo testar certas concepções e promover a aprendizagem. Os experimentos foram realizados com um grupo amostral de 11 estudantes (inicialmente do 5º e no ano seguinte do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental) em uma escola da rede privada. A escolha por estudantes do Ensino Fundamental foi movida pela necessidade de avaliar tanto as concepções prévias quanto as contribuições do trabalho antes do ensino formal dos conceitos de Física trabalhados. Considera-se que a contribuição do presente trabalho está em elaborar situações de aprendizagem que incluam materiais robóticos e uma metodologia fundamentada em jogos de equipe em nível de Ensino Fundamental. A análise dos resultados, observações e respostas dos estudantes permitiu verificar que os estudantes foram ativos durante todo o processo de desenvolvimento das atividades propostas. Pela forma como interagiram com os materiais, os estudantes foram criativos nas construções que visavam a produção do conhecimento. Comparando-se as concepções dos estudantes antes e após o jogo, há evidências de que houve evolução, pois eles conseguiram se apropriar dos conceitos em torno dos temas, aspecto que pode revelar a ocorrência de uma aprendizagem. / Teaching Physics is fundamentally based on problem solving. Experimentation has become a present element in such learning situations. Still, Physics is a rich field for the development of misconceptions. It is observed that teaching certain concepts in Physics (such as Force, Gravity and Friction) from traditional methodologies (based on conceptualization, building examples and solving problems) seems not to ensure that certain misconceptions be corrected. Several studies have shown that misconceptions may become stable over the years and persist to the point that even after several years of study, learners arrive at the university courses with such conceptions. Concrete materials, which allow learners to build, test and confront theories are one approach indicated to complement teaching, seeking to destabilize misconceptions. Several materials can be useful in this process (toys, scrap, etc.). Ideally, pedagogical materials are most appropriated, such as educational robotics components. Educational Robot kits seem a toy, but when integrated to curricular contents, they place the learners as a constructor of his/her learning, rethinking pre-existant concepts. Situated in this problem context, the present study describes the development and experimentation of a didactic game to assist Physics teaching. Educational Robot Kits from LEGO MINDSTORMS were used in the accomplishment of the activities. The first activity had the objective of discovering learners misconceptions about friction, Gravity and Movement. From this point on, it has been developed a collaborative game made of three stages. Each stage has the objective of testing certain conceptions and promoting the learning. The experiments were accomplished with a group of eleven students (from elementary level) in a private school. The choice of elementary school students was driven by the need to evaluate both the preconceptions as the contributions of the work before the formal teaching of Physics concepts started. It is assumed that the contribution of this work is to draw up learning situations that include robotics material and a methodology based on collaborative games in elementary school level. Results, observations and students answers have allowed to attest that students were active during the experiment. Comparing initial and final conceptions it is possible to attest that there was evidence of learning.

Orientador: Jorge Megid Neto / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T22:46:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lopes_BrunoBernardoGalindo_M.pdf: 9923181 bytes, checksum: 3ee3f64578629e275b003dc07fdfa566 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: A presente pesquisa objetivou verificar em que medida as coleções didáticas modernas de Física incorporam aspectos dos principais movimentos da pesquisa atual em Educação em Ciências: Movimento das Concepções Alternativas e Teoria da Mudança Conceitual; História e Filosofia da Ciência; Modelos Mentais e a Resolução de Problemas; Física Moderna e Contemporânea e Atividades Experimentais, por meio da identificação dos elementos indicativos da incorporação das inovações de cada um dos movimentos acima no conjunto de textos, atividades e exercícios, entre outras partes que constituem o conjunto de cada obra didática (livro do aluno e manual do professor). Assim, foram analisadas seis coleções (livro do aluno e manual do professor) de volume único das Editoras Ática, Atual, FTD, IBEP, Moderna e Scipione, selecionadas por serem as coleções de volume único mais vendidas de cada editora e terem edições atualizadas. Inicialmente foi realizada uma descrição dos aspectos gráfico-editoriais (identificação da obra, glossário, referências bibliográficas, indicação de leituras complementares, organização de textos, configuração de ilustrações, tabelas e gráficos) do livro do aluno e manual do professor de cada coleção, seguida da análise dos capítulos de Mecânica e manual do professor das mesmas, buscando identificar as inovações incorporadas. Os resultados dessa análise qualitativa permitiram chegar à conclusão que, de modo geral, todas as coleções analisadas incorporaram apenas parcialmente as inovações da pesquisa em Educação em Ciências pelo menos quanto ao propósito, realizando muito pouco, de fato, no Livro do Aluno, sendo que, nas vezes em que o fazem, realizam uma abordagem inadequada das mesmas. Nessa incorporação parcial demonstra haver ainda falta de empenho de seus autores em superar o modelo clássico de livro didático de Física, rompendo com sua rígida estrutura "convencional", permitindo assim que este se torne uma ferramenta efetiva da aprendizagem, capaz de estimular a criatividade, a reflexão, o debate e o senso de investigação individual e coletiva dos alunos. / Abstract: The object of this research was to verify how much modern didactic Physics books incorporate aspects of the main movements of Sciences Education research: Alternative Concepts Movement and Conceptual Change Theory; History and Philosophy of Sciences; Mental Models and Problem Solving; Modern and Contemporary Physics and Experimental Activities. This would be done by identification of the incorporation of innovations derived from each movement above in each assemble of texts, activities and exercises, among other parts which constitute each didactic Physics collection analyzed (student book and teacher book). In such a way, six one book Physics collections, produced by six different publishing houses (Ática, Atual, FTD, IBEP, Moderna and Scipione) were analyzed. These particular collections were chosen because they were the best seller one book collections by each publishing house, and they had updated editions. This research began by the description of graphical-editorial aspects (book identification, glossary, bibliographical references, complementary reading indications, text organizations, illustrations tables and graphics) of each student book and teacher book of each collection, followed by an analysis of their Mechanics' chapters and teacher books, to identify if there were incorporated innovations. The results of this qualitative analysis led to the conclusion that in a general way, all these six Physics' books collections incorporated partially the research in Sciences Education innovations, mainly on its purposes, and making very few, in fact, in students' book, and when it's done, their approach is inadequate. This partial incorporation shows how poor were the efforts of these collections' authors to surpass the classic model of Physics didactic books, breaking with the rigid "conventional" frame of these books and allowing them to become an effective learning tool, able to stimulate creativity, reflection, argument, and individual and collective investigation sense on the students. / Mestrado / Ensino, Avaliação e Formação de Professores / Mestre em Educação

O espaço fornece uma estrutura conceitual rica que nos possibilita distinguir objetos, compreender as suas funções e relacioná-los. O pensamento espacial é uma atividade cognitiva composta por conceitos e representações de espaço e aplicação a processos de raciocínio. Existem diversas evidências científicas que apontam que o pensamento espacial desempenha um papel fundamental tanto na atividade científica quanto na aprendizagem de ciências e matemática. O pensamento espacial se baseia em habilidades espaciais, tais como rotação mental e orientação espacial. Ainda, há resultados científicos que apontam que crianças do gênero masculino, tipicamente, possuem um desempenho melhor em testes de habilidades espaciais do que crianças do gênero feminino. Assim, o principal objetivo desta pesquisa consiste em desenvolver, implementar e analisar uma atividade que pretende desenvolver habilidades espaciais. Nosso trabalho se apoia na teoria da cognição incorporada, que considera que os processos cognitivos estão fortemente ligados a comportamentos motores e sensoriais. A atividade proposta consiste em um jogo chamado Math-e-motion projetado para estudantes do terceiro ano do Ensino Fundamental. Nesse jogo, estudantes exercem os papéis de saltadores e observadores. Os saltadores executam movimentos em um plano coordenado desenhado no chão. Os observadores, por sua vez, devem delinear o movimento executado pelo saltador em um plano coordenado desenhado numa prancheta. Mais importantemente, tal delineamento deve ser dado de acordo com a perspectiva do saltador. Todos os estudantes executam os dois papéis. Avaliamos a atividade proposta através de dois estudos controlados, cada qual envolvendo alunos de escolas públicas brasileiras. Como produto de uma colaboração internacional, também executamos o primeiro estudo em uma escola nos Estado Unidos. Os resultados obtidos indicam uma melhora nas habilidades de orientação espacial e de rotação mental. Além disso, os resultados também apontam para uma redução na diferença no desempenho do teste de orientação espacial entre os gêneros feminino e masculino. Para habilidades matemáticas, houve melhora significativa na habilidade de leitura de gráficos com informações implícitas. Com o respaldo da teoria da cognição incorporada, a nossa pesquisa pretende contribuir com uma discussão acerca do papel do corpo no processo de aprendizagem. / Space provides a rich conceptual framework that enables us to distinguish objects, understand their functions, and relate them. Spatial thinking is a cognitive activity composed of concepts and representations of space and application to reasoning processes. There is substantial scientific evidence showing that spatial thinking plays a fundamental role in the scientific activity and in the learning of science and mathematics. Spatial thinking relies on spatial abilities, such as mental rotation and spatial orientation. Moreover, there are scientific results showing that boys typically outperform girls in tests of spatial abilities. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to develop, implement, and analyze an activity that aims at developing spatial abilities. Our work relies on the theory of embodied cognition, which considers that cognitive processes are strongly linked to motor and sensory behaviors. The proposed activity is a game called Math-e-motion designed for students in third grade of Elementary School. In this game, students play the roles of jumpers and observers. The jumpers perform movements in a coordinate plane drawn on the floor. The observers, in turn, are asked to delineate the movement performed by the jumper in a coordinate plane drawn on a clipboard. Most importantly, such a delineation must be given according to the jumper\'s perspective. All students play both roles. We evaluated the proposed activity by means of two controlled studies, with each involving a group of students from two Brazilian public schools. As a product of an international collaboration, we also executed the first study in a private school in the United States. Our results showed an improvement in spatial orientation and mental rotation abilities. In addition, we also found a reduction in the difference of the scores obtained by male and female students in the spatial orientation test. For math abilities, we found a significant improvement in the ability to read charts with implicit information. With the support of the embodied cognition theory, our research aims at contributing with a discussion about the role of the body in the learning process.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Framed by the South African imperative of widening epistemological access to undergraduate science studies, this research takes the form of a case study to investigate the educational affordances of an extended introductory physics course. Using theoretical tools from Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) (Maton, 2014a) – in particular, semantic gravity and semantic density – the study characterizes the pedagogical practices and student learning in this Extended course, in relation to a Mainstream course in the same Physics Department. Data was collected through classroom observations, observations of student groups working on Mechanics physics tasks, and interviews with students. Two external languages of description were developed in order to translate between the LCT concepts of semantic gravity and semantic density and the empirical data from the physics context. The first language of description was used to characterize the semantic shifts in pedagogical practices, using a Concrete-Linking-Abstract continuum. The second language of description drew on physics education research on representations (Knight, 2007; Van Heuvelen, 1991a) tasks. Semantic profiles (Maton, 2013) were then constructed to show the semantic shifts in the pedagogical practices and in lecturers’ and students’ approaches to physics tasks. The study has shown that the extra curriculum time enabled different pedagogical practices. The Extended course showed a steady progression in pacing, initially with a less compressed semantic profile, while the Mainstream course showed a consistent compression. The Extended course showed a greater prevalence of the Linking level, with more time spent at the Concrete level and greater semantic flow. The courses also exhibited different communicative approaches, with students in the Extended course more engaged in making the semantic shifts together with the lecturer. The Extended course used more real-life illustrations as a starting point, whereas the Mainstream course tended to use verbal problem statements. Looking particularly at how problem tasks were dealt with, the study suggested that the lecturers’ pedagogical practices in dealing with physics tasks influenced the way in which the students tackled these tasks. The semantic profiles showed a more rapid shift up the semantic continuum in the Mainstream pedagogy and student work, while in the Extended pedagogy and student work, the semantic profiles indicated that more time was spent initially unpacking the concrete problem situation and explicitly shifting up and down the semantic continuum. In terms of methodological contribution, this study has demonstrated the usefulness of LCT tools for characterizing pedagogical practices and student learning in a physics context. Furthermore, the study has linked LCT to physics education literature and to research on epistemological access and academic literacies in a novel way. It has modified Maton’s form of semantic profiling, through introducing the following: a more detailed time scale, gradations of semantic strength on the semantic continuum, and coding for interactive engagement in pedagogical practices. The study thus has important implications for how curriculum and pedagogical practices might better support epistemological access to disciplinary knowledge in the field of physics, not only at the Extended course level but for introductory physics courses more generally.

The problem of this study is twofold. The first is to discover in what ways are physics teachers and counselors in large Texas public secondary schools encouraging students to take physics, and second, what are their perceptions of reasons for student avoidance of physics. The population consisted of physics teachers and counselors in large (1,310 minimum enrollment) high and low percentage physics enrollment schools. Percentage enrollment in physics is defined as the number of students enrolled in physics compared to total twelfth grade enrollment. Thirty high (above 8.9) and thirty low (below 8.0) percentage enrollment schools comprise the sample population. Data were collected using separate questionnaires that related to (a) school, (b) physics teacher, and (c) counselor variables that could affect physics enrollments. The questionnaires addressed to perceptions of both physics teachers and counselors covered (a) the exchange of physics course information between students, teachers, and counselors, (b) the method of exchange of physics course information, and (c) the extent to which the physics program is sold to the student body. Also elicited were eleven responses from both physics teachers and counselors that pertain to perceived reasons for student avoidance of physics courses. A statistical analysis was made between physics teachers and counselors perceptions pairing high and low percentage enrollment groups by chi square analysis of each item of the questionnaire, using a .05 level for significance.

This study describes first and second year university physics students' understanding and reasoning of the concepts, angular speed and angular acceleration. The analysis was based on student responses to various tasks presented to them during one hour long interviews. These responses were characterized from a phenomeno graphic research perspective developed by Marton (1981) and his colleagues at Gothenburg University in Sweden. The findings of the study are described by categories of description and by categories of reasoning. Categories of description characterize; students' conceptualizations of angular speed from different frames of reference, and the ways in which students make comparisons of the angular speeds of two objects. Categories of reasoning characterize the ways in which students were thought to reason about the concepts of angular speed and angular acceleration in several task settings. Interpretation of these findings are discussed with reference to the role a typical introductory physics textbook may have had in shaping the way in which students think about these angular kinematic concepts. Finally, instructional implications and directions for future research are given. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

M.Ed. / The grade 12 Physical Sciences students of 2008 were the first group of South African students to write a National Senior Certificate (NSC) on the new outcomes-based education (OBE) curriculum – the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). Society scrutinised the performance of students in this high stake examination. The outcome was disappointing: 71,3% of the students achieved a mark of less than 40%, and 45% of the group achieved a mark of less than 30%. Concern amongst the educational community, specifically the Department of Education (DOE), initiated a request for research into the possible causes of the poor performance by students in this examination. There are many factors that affect the performance of students, including the misconceptions held by students regarding subject content. This study aims to contribute knowledge about the common misconceptions held by science students regarding Physics. It also investigates the performance of students in explanation-type questions and what explanation-types reveal about student misconceptions. The research design for this study is a content analysis which was carried out qualitatively in two phases. In the primary phase, a sample of student examination scripts was analysed. During the secondary phase, interviews were conducted with grade 12 Physical Sciences students and teachers from one school. The findings of this study are that the following misconceptions are commonly held by students: • Heavier objects exert more force on lighter objects during a collision; • Total external resistance decreases when an external resistor, connected in parallel, is removed; • Energy is lost in certain situations; • A split-ring is found in an AC generator; • The voltage increases when appliances are added to a multi-plug.

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My objective is to use the video-tape as another medium -- along with overhead projector, textbooks, guides of apprenticeship, pictures, lab equipment and suggestions from the programs and new trends in physics teaching -- being used to supplement our efforts in trying to reach more and more of our students The use of audiovisual media, and generally speaking the use of technology in education, can be constructive or destructive, can e very powerful in developing "human beings" or "robots", can increase the rate of apprenticeship, or can produce an educational catastrophe. However, it will heavily depend on the the professor, on the role that he assigns to himself in the educational process, on the goals and objectives that he foresees for himself and for "his" students. As we will see in this work and in the books and papers about educational technology mentioned in the references and in the bibliography, there exists modern apparatus or equipment with multiple uses, some of them very expensive, others with moderate price tags that we can use with an infinite gamut of possibilities. Generally speaking these apparatus are known as "multi-media". We can combine and use them as we please to produce all kinds of effects and consequences.