Docentföreläsning: Learning to think like a physicist: A systematic approach

Ordförande: professor Cedric Linder

Docenturnämndens representant: professor Stephan Pomp

Sammanfattning: I will open the lecture by briefly presenting research findings demonstrating that many educational approaches in physics (both lecture-heavy and active learning approaches) have an important “weakness”. The way in which new knowledge is presented in many physics courses is not well aligned with how the discipline of physics builds such knowledge. It is thus not surprising that students often develop unintended understanding of the disciplinary practices in physics. I will draw on a contemporary research-informed curriculum and teaching approach to illustrate a powerful way to address this “weakness”. The Investigative science learning environment (ISLE) places significant emphasis on the scientific process characteristic of physics and has been shown to significantly help students recognise, understand and practice the ways in which expert physicists think and work. I will illustrate with concrete examples of classroom activities how a teacher may use ISLE systematically to teach physics in ways that allow students to develop an authentic understanding of the process of building knowledge through an interplay of experiment and theory. I will show how the processes at play in ISLE mirror real physics work and suggest ways in which ISLE can become a practical framework for shaping the teaching and learning of physics.

The lecture is an obligatory teaching test for those applying for admittance as docent and it should be possible for students and others with basic academic education in the relevant field to follow it. The lecture lasts 40-45 minutes with subsequent discussion. The lecture will be given in English.

Välkomna!