Innovative materials for the teaching of physics as a support for initial training and as a tool for teachers
This project envisages the planning, validation and publication of material to be used for initial training and as a tool for physics teachers; this material should also support educational innovation in mechanics, fluid mechanics, physical optics, quantum mechanics and thermodynamics. Innovative prototypal proposals are planned and implemented in the field of experiments and models of physical processes; educational routes are also developed, to overcome the main learning difficulties and to foster the construction and formalization of physical concepts. The aim is thus to produce material to be used on the net, and also to offer the opportunity of exploiting proposals developed in the academic environment. In particular, the material is worked out taking into account the disciplinary issues which can bring about learning difficulties for the students, together with the experimental strategies and model construction methods which can be used to cope with the difficulties. Attention is also paid to the identification of interconnections between different problems, to interdisciplinary links and to the use of new technologies (in particular, new information and communication technologies). The current project implements educational proposals and prototypal material concerning fluid physics: phenomenological approaches to modeling in fluid physics, experiments and models to understand mechanics, thermal states and processes, experiments and models for the study of physical optics and proposals for the teaching of quantum mechanics. Some proposals concern only high schools, others are conceived of as routes leading from primary school to the end of high school. The construction of formalization processes is also stressed, together with the role played in such processes by modeling and experimental activities which use ICT.