New trends in physics teaching, v.4; The ... - unesdoc - Unesco

New Trends in Physics Teaching IV
energy. The relationship between an electric field and its potential, energy stored in a capacitor,
Joule heating and electromagnetic induction are good examples. But the treatment followed in
most textbooks is far from fresh. For example, the careful introduction and experimental
development of the concept of electrostatic potential which the Nuffield Advanced Physics
course has developed cannot be found in Japanese Physics texts [81. This concept and the
relevant phenomena are among the most difficult for students to understand. Research into ways.
of teaching this material is needed.
The KBGK’ project started in Japan in 197 1. Much effort has been devoted by many teachers
and professors since then, and KBGK physics books Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 were published in 1977
and 1978 respectively [9]. KBGK physics is not a text for students, but a kind of reference book
for teachers including many thoughtful suggestions for teaching physics. But, regrettably, it
seems that many years may be needed to produce satisfactory results.
A few studies on the teaching of dynamics which put stress on the energy concept can be
found in Japan as well as in other countries [ 10, 1 13. According to many of these, the concept of
force is more difficult to understand than the concept of energy for many children and students.
The studies mentioned above started from the point of view that the leading actor in the
traditional approach to dynamics was force, but that it would be preferable to cast momentum
and energy in this leading role. This is a valuable opinion to listen to. But, regrettably, no concrete
plan has yet come into existence.
It is agreed that energy is an abstract and difficult concept to understand. But, even younger
children today frequently use the term ‘energy’ though they do not understand its full meaning.
Yet it is not difficult to introduce the elementary concept of energy appropriately into the
beginning stage of introductory science, though this view is not held by many lower secondary
school teachers. There are good-examples of it in many introductory science courses. We note,
too, that it is the concept of energy rather than that of force which is most helpful in quantum
physics. We may say that, in modern physics, energy is more fundamental than force. Such
considerations encourage us to hope that energy-centred curricula wil be studied by a number
of groups.
Another unsolved problem in approaching the teaching of heat and energy concerns the use of
the term ‘thermal energy’. In his comparative study on the teaching of energy, G.W. Dorling
quotes the opinion of M.W. Zemansky: ‘The concept of thermal energy is by all odds the most
obscure, the most mysterious, and the most ambiguous term employed by writers of elementary
physics and by chemists’ [ 121 . This criticism applies to most Japanese introductory physics
texts. There are several opinions about this, but little agreement. Reconsideration from the
educational viewpoint is badly needed.
A CASE STUDY: AN EXAMPLE OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
It wil be appropriate to review an example of curriculum development which relates to energy
in order to explain the new trends in energy teaching. The study was carried out by the group
composed mainly of the members of Faculty of Education, Yamanashi University with the
support of the science research funds of the Ministry of Education [ 131 .
The objective of the study was to build the framework of a new integrated science curriculum,
and to develop new teaching materials by investigating materials in ‘Science I’ and ‘Science 11’.
1. ‘KBGK’ stands for the Japanese name for the study group organized in 1971 with the aim of improving the physics curriculum
for upper secondary schools. It was specially supported by funds from the Ministry of Education.
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