Attempts of transforming teacher practice through professional development

Vera Montalbano1, Roberto Benedetti1, Emilio Mariotti1, Maria Alessandra Mariotti2, Antonella Porri3
1Department

of Physics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy of Mathematical and Computer Sciences R. Magari, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
3Regional

2Department

Scholastic Office of Tuscany, Arezzo territorial area, Arezzo, Italy

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Summary

Introduction
where why how

National Plan for Scientific Degrees in Southern Tuscany focused on the design and
implementation of laboratories and teacher professional enhancement

Report on selected activities

main features did it work? remarks

Conclusions
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Introduction

Improve Physics Education in Secondary School (14 -18 years) in order to have more talented and prepared students enrolled in Scientific degrees

Since 2000, the Department of Physics is active in

orienting students towards Physics and in teachers training in Physics and Mathematics

Our activities are directed to students and

teachers in the provinces of Siena, Arezzo and Grosseto.

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Introduction
Early activities Initial Teacher Training in the Advanced School for Teaching in Secondary School of Tuscany (teaching qualification) Various activities for orienting students towards Physics Since almost all teachers (expert or in training) are not physicists but rather mathematicians or engeneers, a strong requirement arose Put laboratory in the centre of physics education Designing professional development programs for teachers, which can lead to fundamental changes in their practice, is indispensable.
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Introduction
Report on selected activities advanced courses in Physics and Mathematics Education training in design and implementation of laboratory activities for a summer school of physics courses designed for a Master in Physics Educational Innovation and Orienting performed jointly by many italian universities workshop for teachers of physics and mathematics on modeling updating course for teachers All activities are realized within the Italian National Plan for Scientific Degrees (Piano nazionale Lauree Scientifiche PLS)
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National Plan for Scientific Degrees

The enrollment in Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry has declined dramatically almost everywhere in the world. The situation in Italy was dramatic: the enrollments became less than an half in few years.

Chemistry

Physics

Mathematics
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National Plan for Scientific Degrees

Italy is active since 2005 with a large and detailed plan to remedy the decreasing of graduates in science disciplines funded by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research. Two main actions professional development for teachers orientation to physics for students 4 disciplinary projects
Chemistry Physics Mathematics Science of Materials

2765 secondary schools involved Numbers indicated universities in the project (2010) see also E. Sassi et al P2.G02.03

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National Plan for Scientific Degrees

Orienting to Scientific Degree by means of training Laboratory as a method not as a place Student must become the main character of learning Joint planning by teachers and university PLS laboratories: Laboratories which approach the discipline and develop vocations Self-assessment laboratories for improving the standard required by graduate courses Deepening laboratory for motivated and talented students
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Advanced Courses for Teachers

Professional development for qualified teachers

Learning paths in Physics and Mathematics: models, experimental checks. statistics from a.a. 2004/2005 to 2007/2008 born from a request of young qualified teachers Annual advanced course (100-125 hours), compulsory attendance, score for teacher ranking 51 teachers qualified for Physics or Math&Phys teaching enrollment in 4 years, max 19 min 3 (last edition) every year we proposed different topics
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Advanced Courses for Teachers

Society and education (25-35 hours) educational resources that can be found outside the school (e.g. science museums, interactive science exhibitions). history of physics or mathematics cultural reflections that can enrich the quality of teaching Educational Research Laboratory (75-90 hours) Experts from School, University and Research Institutions presented innovative tools for education in 3 topics selected from the school curriculum. Small groups of teachers elaborated these topics and designed, implemented learning paths in the laboratory and analysed data. At the end of the course, they produce materials for realizing some learning paths discussed in the final examination.

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Advanced Courses for Teachers

Educational Research Laboratory Mathematics and physics: modelling and approximate, Wave phenomena Educational project of modern physics Introduction to relativity Waves and oscillations: a methodological reflection From electrical charge to Joule effect Waves: from sound to light From special to general relativity Did it work? But Very well very intensive for teachers only young teachers (most part with no permanent position) difficult to organize (University taxes became too expansive in few years) online course give same score with less costs and effort

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Training in Pigelletos Summer School of Physics

Since 2005, forty students from high school are selected to attend at a 4-day full immersion summer school of physics in the Pigelleto Natural Reserve, on the south east side of Mount Amiata in the province of Siena. Thousand and one energy: from sun to Fukushima (2011) Light, color, sky: how and why we see the world (2006) Store, convert, save, transfer, measure energy, and more(2007) The achievements of modern physics (2009) Exploring the physics of materials (2010) Small groups of students are engaged in laboratories. Active involvement of expert, young and in training teachers in the design and implementation of laboratory activities
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Training in Pigelletos Summer School of Physics

Measurement of Planks constant by a LED Measure of the speed of rotation of a star How it works: Stirling machine, solar oven, coffeepot Measurement of the mechanical equivalent of heat Electromagnetic induction and energy dissipation Radioactivity background vs. small Uranium sources Photoelectric effect Did it work? Very well, some labs seem entered in practice

But

very intensive for teachers only young teachers (most part with no permanent position) teachers in service almost never partecipate except expert ones involved
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Master in Physics Educational Innovation and Orienting

The Master, designed for qualified teachers, is organized by University of Udine. 19 Universities collaborate for giving courses in laboratory, often focused on a laboratory performed in the National Plan. Courses: Modern Physics, Advanced Physics Experiments, Spectroscopy Laboratory, Look at the Universe: astrophysical observations and measurements, Waves and Oscillations, Phenomenology of Sound, Paths of Thermal Phenomena, Paths of Electromagnetism, Exploratory Lab on Superconductivity Did it work? But Very well (poster P2.G07.03) very intensive for teachers only few young teachers (with no permanent position)
see A. Stefanel et al. P2.G04.06

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Laboratory of Modelling
An inter-disciplinary workshop for teachers of physics and mathematics on modelling (collaboration with Mathematics Plan). Selected topics, named in the same way in both disciplines, are discussed in order to design interdisciplinary learning paths. The purpose is to clarify these topics by using specific tools from physics and mathematics and to outline the similarities and the differences in both contexts. We believe that this activity can be useful for students, which can acquire a profound insight on some fundamental concepts, and for teacher professional development. Did it work? Very well, but slowly (a couple of proposal are sperimented succefully in classroom) But only few teachers in service (2-3) and young teachers (with no perm. pos.) request of an updating course on Page 15 modelling

Updating courses for teachers in service

The nature of light: from classical physics to quantum physics
a.s. 2008/2009

Updating is compulsory for teachers in service (6 hours), our course took place in Scientific High School of Arezzo 17 teachers enrolled, 13 have regularly attended 10 afternoon for a total of 40 hours, more than half in lab Did it work? Very well, teachers all in service, interested in learning how to use their labs facilities strong schools management support But peculiar school, forthcoming reform of school
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Updating courses for teachers in service

course on physics laboratory in the new high schools
a.s. 2009/2010

course took place in Scientific High School of Arezzo 11 teachers enrolled, 11 have regularly attended 8 afternoon for a total of 24 hours Did it work? Very well, teachers all in service, interested in designing a meanful curriculum for physics in reformed school strong schools management support But peculiar school only teachers from that school
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Updating courses for teachers in service

course on laboratory physics
a.s. 2009/2010

course took place in Scientific High School of Colle Val dElsa (SI) from a request of teachers 6 teachers enrolled, 6 have regularly attended 3 afternoon for a total of 6 hours Did it work? unsatisfactory teachers interested but not active only interested to obtain some useful hint for phys lab weak schools management support only teachers from that school

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Updating courses for teachers in service

Mathematics and Physics Teaching in the Reformed School
a.s. 2011/2012

course took place in Scientific High School of Siena from a request of teachers in workshop on modelling 19 teachers enrolled, 8 have regularly attended 10 afternoon for a total of 30 hours Did it work? unsatisfactory many teachers only interested to obtain some useful hint but strongly opposed to discussing their way of teaching absent schools management support But with interested teachers, we start a fully designing of interdisciplinary activities for the first year of a Page 19 reformed school

Conclusion

professional development is indispensable in order to obtain a real and permanent improvement of physics teaching

It is difficult to involve actively teachers in service Young teachers (often with no permanent positions) are
more available to innovation

Updating courses are almost the only way to achieve

teachers in service (better if held in their school)

Strong schools management support is crucial in order

to obtaining a large teachers involvement

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For more info on some laboratories: R. Benedetti, E. Mariotti, V. Montalbano, A. Porri, Active and cooperative learning paths in the Pigelletos Summer School of Physics, Twelfth International Symposium Frontiers of Fundamental Physics (FFP12), Udine 21-23 November 2011, arXiv:1201.1333v1 [physics.ed-ph] S. Di Renzone, S. Frati, V. Montalbano, Disciplinary knots and learning problems in waves physics, Twelfth International Symposium Frontiers of Fundamental Physics (FFP12), Udine 21-23 November 2011, arXiv:1201.3008v1 [physics.ed-ph], 2012 V. Montalbano, Fostering Student Enrollment in Basic Sciences: the Case of Southern Tuscany, in Proceedings of The 3rd International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics: IMCIC 2012, ed. N. Callaos et al, 279 (2012] For more info on National Plan PLS (in italian) http://www.progettolaureescientifiche.eu/ national link http://www.unisi.it/fisica/laureescient/index.htm Sienas link
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