Foundations and Teaching of Physics - Fondamenti e didattica della fisica (2014/2015)

Learning outcomes

The course refers to physics teaching and learning, both in kindergarten and in primary school. The reference field of experience is that of the “World knowledge”, but it is very important also that of the “Discourses and of the words” for the deep connection between understanding, conceptualization, language and languages. The reference discipline for primary school is Sciences, with particular care to the learning goals “Explore and describe objects and materials”, and “Objects, materials and transformations”.
The disciplinary objectives are the acquisition of a scientific approach to reality, the acquisition of a language suitable to the discipline and to the teaching, the knowledge of the contents indicated in the 2012 National Indications, and the master of the methods and of the didactical tools more adequate to the pupils of the various involved ages.

The elementary concepts of substance, capacitance, potential, difference of potential, resistance and current.
The elementary concepts in the context of fluids: water accumulation and displacement phenomena.
Identification of the elementary concepts and interpretation of phenomena in different contexts in analogy to fluids: motion, electricity, heat.
Energy. Carriers and exchangers of energy.
Physical quantities. Measurement.

Study texts:
Le scienze nella prima educazione - A cura di F.Corni - Ed. Erickson
Il corso di fisica di Karlsruhe - Dispensa

Suggested texts:
La comprensione multipla - K.Egan - Ed. Erickson
Metafora e vita quotidiana - G.Lakoff, M.Johnson - Strumenti Bompiani

Attending students (and adopted non-attending students)
The exam will be in part in group and in part personal.
Group part: discussion about the materials produced by the group
Personal part: questions about all the program and about all the produced material.
Materials to be produced in groups:
Notes about a lesson
2 stories for children
One Stella model of a process
One energy chain diagram

Non-attending (and not adopted) students
The exam will be written and oral.
Written part: about the disciplinary contents of the course (see study texts and notes of the attending students)
Oral part: questions about all the program and about all the produced material.
Materials to be produced:
1 story for children
One Stella model of a process
One energy chain diagram