Duration
36h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course aims to help students identify and take into account the main learning obstacles encountered in the teaching of physics at S2-S3 level.
The course therefore aims to: identify learning obstacles, learn how to diagnose them, analyse students' responses, design ways of addressing them, and integrate these choices into a coherent lesson.
With this in mind, the course aims in particular to:
- distinguish and analyse different types of learning obstacles: conceptual difficulties, alternative conceptions and technical-mathematical obstacles;
- draw on scientific literature in physics education research to identify and document these obstacles;
- design and analyse tools for diagnosing them, in particular through questions, exercises and students' productions;
- reflect on different ways of addressing these obstacles: experiments, exercises, digital tools, measurement and modelling, etc.;
- integrate these different elements into the design of coherent teaching.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- identify and distinguish the main conceptual difficulties, alternative conceptions and technical-mathematical obstacles that may affect the learning of physics;
- search for, read and make appropriate use of scientific research in physics education;
- diagnose students' reasoning and conceptions using appropriate tools;
- analyse students' answers or productions in order to identify the reasoning underlying them;
- design and justify activities intended to address an identified obstacle, in particular through experiments, exercises or problems;
- design a coherent lesson in which teaching choices explicitly take learning obstacles into account;
- adopt a reflective stance towards their own conceptions, pedagogical choices and teaching practices.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
- Sufficient command of the physics content studied in the first and second years of the Bachelor's programme as part of physics and physics education courses, in particular the topics addressed in this course.
- Command of the basic formal tools required for teaching mechanics, fluids and electricity (vectors, graphs, etc.).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Teaching alternates between five face-to-face sessions and compulsory online activities carried out between sessions. Each face-to-face session combines a main didactic focus with one or more disciplinary topics.
- Session 1 - Learning obstacles and scientific literature. Identification and distinction of conceptual difficulties, alternative conceptions and technical-mathematical obstacles. Introduction to reading and using scientific articles in physics education research.
- Session 2 - Diagnosis; forces, mass and weight. Analysis and design of diagnostic tools (open questions, multiple-choice questions, multi-tier items, justifications, etc.).
- Session 3 - The role of experiments; pressure and buoyancy. Reflection on the different functions of experiments in learning.
- Session 4 - Exercises and problems; electricity. Reflection on the design and didactic use of quantitative and qualitative exercises.
- Session 5 - Measurement, modelling and smartphone-based experimentation; Newton's laws. Use of smartphone sensors to design and exploit quantitative experimental activities: data acquisition, representation, interpretation and modelling.
These activities are formative. Completion is compulsory, but their purpose is to prepare for and support the work carried out during the sessions: errors or difficulties encountered are not penalised as such.
An online appointment-based help session may be organised to provide individual support for the preparation of the final assignment.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Further information:
- Five face-to-face teaching sessions.
- Compulsory online activities carried out between sessions.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
- Scientific articles in physics education research selected according to the topics studied;
- FWB Science curriculum frameworks (S2, S3, FMTTN);
- Course materials, resources and documents made available on the course platform.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam AND oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Assessment is based on an individual final assignment, submitted in written form at the beginning of January and defended during an individual oral examination.
Written assignment (50% of the grade) Students prepare a 50-minute lesson on one of the topics covered in the course: forces, Newton's laws, mass and weight, simple machines, pressure, buoyancy or electricity.
The assignment must include the elements usually prepared for a teaching placement, in particular:
- notes intended for students and/or the teacher;
- a detailed lesson schedule;
- the context in which the lesson takes place and how it connects with prior and subsequent learning;
- the activities proposed and their justification;
- elements allowing the overall coherence of the lesson to be assessed.
Depending on the situation, they may in particular use a diagnostic tool, an experiment, an exercise, a confrontation of reasoning, or a remediation approach. Not all the approaches studied during the course necessarily have to be used: the choices made must be relevant and justified.
Reflection on learning obstacles, the relevance of the approaches selected and the coherence between the different components of the lesson are central elements of the assessment.
A report on any use of artificial intelligence will be required alongside the assignment.
Oral defence (50% of the grade) The oral defence will take place face-to-face and will focus on a concise presentation and justification of the work carried out. Questions will in particular assess disciplinary knowledge, understanding of the identified obstacles and the literature used, the ability to justify didactic choices, and the ability to adopt a reflective stance.
The arrangements for the second examination session are identical (individual written assignment and oral examination), with the possibility of revising/improving the written assignment. The examination schedule will be communicated in due course.
Students have the right to consult assessment documents and, for written assessments, to obtain a copy in accordance with the procedures of the partner institutions.
Any absence from an assessment must be justified (legitimate reason / force majeure) within the deadlines set by the institution. Failure to submit the assignment by the deadline will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment, except in exceptional circumstances recognised by the management of the institution concerned.
Successful assessment components (= 10/20) may be carried over within the same academic year or from one academic year to the next in accordance with the regulations of the relevant higher education institution; failing this, all assessments must be retaken during the second examination session.
More detailed instructions will be provided during class and on eCampus.
The professor reserves the right to adapt the course and assessment arrangements depending on the number of students enrolled. The professor undertakes to inform students, via eCampus, of any such changes.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Pierre-Xavier Marique (chargé de cours)
Didactique de la physique, Université de Liège
Mail : pxmarique@uliege.be
Association of one or more MOOCs
The MOOC entitled 'Physique- Mécanique : bien entamer l'enseignement supérieur (S2)' is associated with this course.
Further information: