Project laboratory the first step in developing science competences

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Project laboratory the first step in developing
science competences

• Gorazd Planinic
• Faculty for mathematics and physics
• University of Ljubljana
• Slovenia

NZIP Conference 6 - 7 July 2009, Christchurch
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First MR images in the Earths magnetic field
PEPPER

• J. Stepinik, Feasibility of NMR Imaging in
  Earth field range, Proceedings of XXII Congress
  Ampere (1984) 528529.
• J. Stepinik, V. Erzen, M. Kos, NMR imaging in
  the Earths magnetic field, Magn.Reson. Med. 15
  (1990) 386391.
• A Mohoric, J Stepinik, NMR in the Earths
  magnetic field, Progress in Nuclear Magnetic
  Resonance Spectroscopy 54 (2009) 166182

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Country SLOVENIA (not Slovakia) Capital
LJUBLJANA Population 2M Number of Univ. 4 to 5
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Outline

• Project lab for undergraduate students
• Integration of Project lab into post-graduate
  Physics education course
• Project work in Secondary school
• Project work and Science/Physics popularization

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Experimental work at undergraduate level
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Aims and roles

• Physics Lab skills in making observations,
  handling different measuring devices, make data
  analysis, predictions, inferences...

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Aims and roles

• Physics Lab skills in making observations,
  handling different measuring devices, make data
• Project Lab problem solving, applying knowledge
  in new situation, creativity, teamwork,
  organisation and planning, leadership,
  interpersonal skills...

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Recommendations
for undergraduate science and engineering
education

• EU The results of the project Tuning Educational
  Structures in Europe (2003), sponsored by
  European Commission showed that among the first
  five generic competences ranked by physics
  graduates and employers are
• problem solving,
• capacity to apply knowledge in practise
• teamwork

http//www.tuning.unideusto.org/tuningeu/
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Recommendations
for undergraduate science and engineering
education

• USA the major recommendation of national
  study called Shaping the future to all science,
  mathematics, engineering and technical faculty
  was
• build inquiry, a sense of wonder and excitement
  of discovery, plus communication and teamwork,
  critical thinking, and life-long learning skills
  into learning experiences.

http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1996/nsf96139/nsf96
139.txt
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Short history

• From 1963 to 2001 Laboratory skills
• glass blowing and etching
• mechanical workshop
• electrical wiring
• Black white photography
• work with Hg
• making printed circuit boards
• From 2001 on Project laboratory

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The first Project lab workshop (from 2001-2005)
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Project lab today

• Optional subject for 1st year 2nd year
  university and higher professional level students
• Enrolment 80 students/year
• Load 12 contact hours/semester, 3 ECTS points,
• Grading pass/no pass
• Stuff 1Prof 2 to 3 TAs
• Student workshop space 67 m2

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Structure of the subject
The work of each group (5 students) is performed
in the following steps
Preparation get task, assignment of roles,
brain-storming, searching literature
Experimental work 9 contact hours
Data analysis and composing web page report 3
contact hours
1 week
3 weeks
2 weeks
In principle every group gets new project task
(about 80 different projects so far)
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Example of project task
Buzzing toothbrush Measure the vibrating
frequency of electric toothbrush. Design and test
several (at least three) methods and compare the
results of your measurements. Try to estimate the
error of measured frequencies. You will get
electric toothbrush from your mentor.
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Strategies for planning successful project tasks
How to keep 5 students busy and motivated for
three weeks (9 contact hours)?
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Elements to consider

• Level of theoretical complexity
• Level of practical complexity
• Level of relevance (from students point of
  view!)

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Theoretical complexity

• Projects that are inside the frame of
  introductory physics
• application of the existing knowledge, feeling
  of mastery, confidence
• - limited choice, likely to be boring, away from
  real contexts, resemble lab experiments or school
  demo experiments
• Projects that go beyond the frame of
  introductory physics
• real contexts, excitement, feeling of
  exploring unknown,
• - no support in theory less reasoning-more
  trial and error approach, not sure what is the
  main and what secondary effect gt frustrations

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Projects that are inside the theoretical frame of
introductory physics
Explore principle of operation of pull-back toy
car and measure the efficiency of the car.

• Put more emphasis on linking experiment with
  theory
• Look for new, fresh, everyday contexts

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Projects that go beyond the theoretical frame of
introductory physics
Design an experiment to measure a time dependence
of granular material flow from the silo models of
different shapes. Use soda bottles of different
shapes for silos and if time permits explore
different granular materials.

• Put more emphasis on systematic measurements,
• Give more precise guidelines,
• Make explicit that the theory is beyond the
  level of introductory physics

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Practical complexity

• Simple setups many and/or demanding
  measurements
• Relatively complex setup simple (or no)
  measurements

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Simple setups many and/or demanding measurements
Explore motion of rolling cans on the incline.
Compare motion of equal cans with different
contents (empty, partially/completely filled
with sand/water, add more ideas...)
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Relatively complex setups simple (or no)
measurements
Design an apparatus for playing classical vinyl
records. The apparatus should meets the following
requirements a) it should not use electricity to
run any part of the apparatus or to amplify the
sound, b) it should play a music from a record
for at least half a minute without any
assistance, c) quality of the music should be
high enough that an independent listener
recognizes a well known song
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Relevance (from students point of view)
Clifford Swartz, from Fatherly advice However,
there is an absolute requirement that applies to
all of us. You must like the students you teach.
You must enjoy their humour, their vitality and
even tolerate their music.
Clifford Swartz, Cliffs Nodes, Editorials
from The Physics Teacher, Johns Hopkins Univ.
press, 2006)
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Project tasks statistics

• Occurrence by the type of description
• Design an experiment to measure/explore
  dependence... 70
• Design a demonstration experiment that
  shows...5
• Design an apparatus or procedure that meets the
  following requirements... 25

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• Occurrence by the major topic
• Mechanics 31 (out of this 1/3 from
  Fluid mech.)
• Thermodynamics 18
• Acoustics 8
• Electromagnetism 23 (out of this 1/5 from
  Magn.)
• Optics 14
• Tutti-fruti 6

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Where to get ideas for project tasks?

• Problems given at IYPT
• Articles in journals such as PED, TPT, EJP,
  AJP...
• Books that focus on exciting physics of everyday
  life (J Walker Flying circus of physics N. A.
  Downie Vacuum bazookas, electric rainbow jelly
  and 27 other Saturday Science Projects...)
• Textbooks that include suggestions for
  investigations (R L Rees, University Physics...)
• Coffee brake discussions, discussions with in
  service teachers, with colleagues that work in
  industry...

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Students response
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What did you like about the PL?

• Freedom in achieving the goals of the project
• That our results were far better than expected by
  the group mentor
• Team work, no pressure for grading

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What you did not like about the PL?

• That Group mentor tried to impose his solution to
  us
• No breaks
• Not enough time

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Potential problems

• Suitable student workshop
• Trained mentors (coaches, not players)
• Appropriate project tasks (less is more)

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Add-ons and spin-offs

• Integration of Project lab into pre-service
  physics teacher training
• Project work in Secondary school
• Project lab and Physics /Science popularization

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Integration of Project lab into post-graduate
Physics education course
Main idea Engage post-graduate physics education
students (future secondary school physics
teachers) in all phases of Project lab work
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Students tasks (work in pairs)

• Proposal for student project
• Testing the feasibility of the task in one
  version (short report)
• Mentoring practical work 9 contact hours in
  student workshop
• Reviewing the student web report
• Writing and presenting the final report (analysis
  of project proposal, of student work, reflection
  on their own work..)

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Post graduate Physics Education students
presenting reports on mentoring Project lab work
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Project work in Secondary school
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PISA 2006 average student performance in science
SI
NZ
Source PISA 2006, Science Competencies for
Tomorrows World, Vol 1, OECD, 2007.
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Students expecting a science career
SI
NZ
Source PISA 2006, Science Competencies for
Tomorrows World, Vol 1, OECD, 2007.
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Student questionnaire
Results in
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Results in
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Conclusions based on PISA 2006

• Our pupils lack competences and knowledge that
  comes mainly from independent experimental work
  and active learning.
• Majority of our teachers do not (can not) include
  experimental work in efficient way into the their
  lectures.

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Renovated secondary school physics curriculum
(2008)

• Goals
• ... to plan, design and conduct simple
  experiments
• Expected achievements after age 18
• Master basic experimental skills
• Able to search for, analyse and evaluate data
  from various source
• Able to present the results of project work,
  simple investigations or own ideas

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Didactical recommendations for secondary school
physics teachers

• Increase inclusion of group work, project work
  and computer based measurements
• Foster observation, inquiry and reasoning through
  simple investigations
• Introduce new teaching methods and approaches
  that foster active learning of all students in
  the classroom....
• Encourage discussion and argumented confrontation
  of different ideas

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Project work and Science/Physics popularization
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WYP 2005 Chain experiment
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Cooperation between Physics Department and
Hands-on science centre
House of Experiments
www.h-e.si
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House of experiments

• Since 1996
• 5 full time employed people
• Exhibits designed by ourselves
• Leading role in science popularization in Slovenia

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Elasto-mobile competition
From Project lab task...
...to the traditional national competition.
www.h-e.si
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Scienstival 2009
EU Science commissioner Janez Potocnik and
director of HE Miha Kos running across the corn
starch water mixture
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GP riding a bike across the corn starch water
mixture
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Conclusions

• Project Lab is perceived by students as the only
  subject at undergraduate level where students can
  apply their knowledge in creative practical work.
• Project lab is the only subject where
  undergraduate students are required to work in
  groups on a specific task.
• Students developed confidence in theory when they
  see it working.
• Students are exposed to situations in which
  theoretical and experimental approaches in
  solving problems are balanced.

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Conclusions

• Undergraduate Project labs can serve as a base
  for developing secondary school project work
• Project labs offer opportunity to bring in
  appealing way the components of technology and
  engineering into the secondary school/university
  curriculum
• Undergraduate Project labs can serve as training
  room for pre-service and in-service physics
  teachers
• Project work can be linked with science promotion
  and with various social activities at
  school/university level and beyond

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Co-workers
Faculty for Mathematics and Physics ALE
MOHORIC SERGEJ FALETIC DUAN BABIC The House of
Experiments MIHA KOS LUKA VIDIC
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Thank youHvala