ERIC Number: EJ1195341
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jan
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Public and Teacher Response to Einsteinian Physics in Schools
Foppoli, Alexander; Choudhary, Rahul; Blair, David; Kaur, Tejinder; Moschilla, John; Zadnik, Marjan
Physics Education, v54 n1 Article 015001 Jan 2019
Einsteinian physics represents a distinct paradigm shift compared to Newtonian physics. There is worldwide interest in introducing Einsteinian physics concepts early in school curriculum and trials have demonstrated that this is feasible. However introducing Einsteinian concepts from an early age requires more than suitable curriculum and teaching resources--it also requires teacher training and public support. This paper describes a pilot study used in an attempt to gauge public and teacher support. This entailed giving teachers, who included the entire staff of a primary school, and self-selected family groups an in-depth understanding of proposed curriculum content through public outreach and professional development workshops. We assessed their attitudes through questionnaires. Comments and opinions from the public were also collected from online resources. Results show overwhelming support from both teachers and the public. We assessed attitudes of children as well as adults and obtained opinions regarding the appropriate age at which to begin to introduce Einsteinian concepts.
Descriptors: Physics, Science Instruction, Faculty Development, Workshops, Scientific Concepts, Pilot Projects, Course Content, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Program Descriptions, Secondary School Teachers, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A