Problem learning tasks based on experiments as motivation for gifted and ungifted students

1. GIREP-EPEC 2009. Physics Community and Cooperation.University of Leicester, UK. 17-21 August 2009 Problem learning tasks based on experiments as motivation for gifted and ungifted students Josef Trna Masaryk University, Faculty of Education, Brno, Czech Republic Special Needs of Pupils in Context with Framework Educational Programme for Primary Education MSM 0021622443

2. Problem learning tasks based on experiments as motivation for gifted and ungifted students CONTENTS: 1 The motivational effectiveness of physics experiments 2 Physics teaching methods with experiments 3 Research of motivational effectiveness of physicsexperiments in education 4 Learning tasks based on experiments at school practice 5 Classification of learning tasks 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments 6.1 Problem learning tasks withproblem experiments 6.2 Problem learning tasks withtoy-experiments 6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification 7. Conclusions

3. 1 The motivational effectiveness of physics experiments Motivation of students - actual main problem in all levels of physics education. Interdisciplinary application research (factor analysis) - cognitive motivational teaching techniques: Physics cognitive motivational teaching techniques: • Stimulation through unconscious perception and experimentation • Use of models of natural objects and phenomena • Solving problem exercises and projects • Demonstrating simple experiments and toys • Seeing paradoxes and tricks • Watching films, video programs and using computers (ICT) • Experiencing humour in physics Interdisciplinary cognitive motivational teaching techniques: • Use “Physics for life” (energy, environment etc.) • Application of physics knowledge in technology • Exploitation history related to physics discoveries and physicists' lives • Reading sci-fi literature and watching sci-fi films • Application of physics and art

4. 2 Physics teaching methods with experiments Illustrative FUNCTION Heuristics Verifying Exposition Application PHASE Fixation Motivation Diagnostics Laboratory work Experimental exam Mass FORM Group Individual

5. 3 Research of motivational effectiveness of physics experiments in education Hypothesis: • Crucial element of efficiency cognitive motivational teaching techniques for gifted and ungifted students is physics experiment. Methodology: • For testing this hypothesis we used the empiric educational method of a students' questionnaire. The students’ ages were between 14 to 15 years. The questionnaire was applied in February 2009 within 50 ungifted students (according their teachers identification) of lower secondary schools in Brno (Czech Republic). Gifted students were 20 participants of “Physics Olympiad 2009”, the same age as ungifted group. We supposed that our sample of gifted students for physics were a sufficiently representative sample of physics gifted students. We considered and verified a question which cognitive motivational technique ungifted and gifted students prefer. • The questionnaire item for testing the above mentioned hypothesis was used as a suitable formulation:

6. 3 Research of motivational effectiveness of physics experiments in education What attracts and interests you most about physics (underline as many activities as you like)? • Application of physics and art • Application of physics knowledge in technology • Solving problem exercises and projects • Use “Physics for life” • Demonstrating simple experiments and toys • Exploitation history related to physics discoveries and physicists’ lives • Seeing paradoxes and tricks • Reading sci-fi literature and watching sci-fi films. • Watching films, video programs and using computers (ICT) • Experiencing humour in physics

7. 3 Research of motivational effectiveness of physics experiments in education

8. 3 Research of motivational effectiveness of physics experiments in education Results and discussion: • Our research outcomes verify our hypothesis about high motivational efficiency of school physics experiments. Motivational techniques “demonstrating simple experiments and toys” and “seeing paradoxes and tricks” have highest level of the frequency of students’ answers (Fig. 2, line 5 and 7). The cognitive motivational teaching techniques that are based on the usage of physics experiments effectively affect both the gifted and the ungifted students. • We also used a good agreement test chi-quadrate with the use of zero or alternative hypothesis that represents our above mentioned hypothesis about the importance of motivational effectiveness of cognitive teaching techniques. Test on the level of effectiveness 0, 05 supported the statistic importance of our research and discovered that “solving problem exercises and projects” is strongly preferred by gifted students (Fig. 2, line 3). • Therefore we need to prepare and apply suitable cognitive motivational teaching techniques, especially focused on gifted students, which combine physics experiment and problem solving. This cognitive motivational teaching technique seems to be “problem learning task based on experiment”.

9. 4 Learning tasks based on experiments at school practice School physics experiments as a maybe crucial educational tool is not correctly used in terms of practice and methodology. That’s why it is quite difficult to identify and measure its real function and importance. The evidence of this state of physics education can be the research of physics education of 13-14 years old students with the use of the video study method which brought one alarming discovery that the learning tasks containing results in the form of an experiment are rarely used in physics: Experimental Solution Oral solution Graphical solution Numeral solution

10. 5 Classification of learning tasks • Tollingerova [4] classified learning tasks on the basis of Bloom taxonomy into five basic categories based ondifficultness of cognitive operationsneeded for learning task solution: • learning tasks demanding memory reproduction of knowledge when students use memory operations, • learning tasks demanding simple mental operations with knowledge so as analysis, synthesis, comparison, categorization, • learning tasks demanding complicated mental operations with knowledge so as induction, deduction, interpretation, transformation, verification, • learning tasks demanding knowledge interpretation when students interpret not only the results of their own solution but also its progress, conditions and phases, • learning tasks demanding creative thinking based on the previous operations, ability to combine these operations into wider complexes and come to new solutions.

11. 5 Classification of learning tasks Experimenting can occur in all these groups of learning tasks but their importance grows from the first to the last one. • Learning tasks are classified as qualitative and quantitative according to the levelof calculations during task solution. Experimenting belong mainly to the group of the qualitative learning tasks demanding a minimum of calculations. Appropriately connected with measurements and ICT, they can also be a part of the group of the quantitative learning tasks when an output is a numerical value of the wanted physics quantity. • According to the form of setting and solution, learning tasks can be classified as verbal, numerical, graphic, experimental, etc. Experimenting are primarily the part of the experimental learning tasks. • According to the teaching phase, learning tasks can be classified as motivational, expositional, fixation, diagnostics and application. Experimenting can occur in all these groups of learning tasks but they play the most important motivational role in the motivational tasks. As we mentioned above, experimenting can be included in various types of learning tasks and they can play various roles. We focus especially on motivational effectiveness of experiments in learning tasks.

12. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.1 Problem learning tasks withproblem experiments • The problem based teaching is the significant innovation of science education. Psychological substances of problems determine the taxonomy of learning tasks. • Motivational effectiveness of problem learning tasks based on experiments results from increasing students’ cognitive needs and their consequent satisfying by way of students’ active cognitive working. • Psychological base of increasing cognitive needs is “perception and conceptual conflict”. This conflict becomes an incentive which causes strong motivation and thus students become active which heads towards conflict elimination and satisfaction of the need. • An induction of that conflict has several variants, namely surprise, paradox, doubt, uncertainty and difficulty.

13. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.1 Problem learning tasks withproblem experiments Problem cylinder • We glue a coin on the base of a polystyrene cylinder. The coin has the same diameter as the cylinder. Height of the polystyrene cylinder will be adapted so that only the coin extends from the surface of the water. We turn the cylinder coin down and place it in the water again. How deep will the cylinder with the coin dip? (a) the height of an extending polystyrene is the same as the height of the coin (b) polystyrene will not extend from the surface since the coin pulls it to the bottom (c) the higher part of polystyrene than the coin will extend from the surface • Correct learning task solution: (a). This is about Archimedes’ principle application. Weight of the cylinder does not change during turning and therefore buoyant force and volume of the sunken part of the cylinder will be the same.

14. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.1 Problem learning tasks withproblem experiments Problem cylinder

15. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.2 Problem learning tasks withtoy-experiments • We define a toy as an object which displays a feature that is remarkably emphasized (elasticity, colour, distinctive behaviour etc.). • The toy in the role of experiment stimulates the needs to have sense and muscle activities. • The relaxation function of the play is also remarkable. There are many toys manufactured commercially but students can create their own. • We can form the play learning task based on experiment and apply it in education:

16. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.2 Problem learning tasks withtoy-experiments Balance on a surface: • We put a high block of polystyrene on the water surface in a vessel with its big sidewall. The block in a stable position is lying on the surface. Then we sink a load (screw, nut etc.) into the centre of a small base of the second block, same as the first one. If we put the second block with its big sidewall down on the water surface, it surprisingly stands up on its small base. Explain the base of the demonstrated phenomenon. • Correct learning task solution: Surprising behaviour of the second block is caused by lowering of the centre of block mass thanks to the load.

17. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.2 Problem learning tasks withtoy-experiments Balance on a surface

18. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification • Strong motivation and support of creativity development is brought by learning tasks which contain creation of hands-on activities modifications. • Students are familiarized with a hands-on experiment and their learning task is to create similar hands-on experiment or, on the contrary, an experiment with additional physics phenomenon. • These learning tasks are appropriate especially for gifted students:

19. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Underpressure and overpressure: • Behaviour of an apparatus in an underpressure chamber is often demonstrated. An experiment with membrane flex in an underpressure container is well-known. Make an apparatus for demonstration of the inverse phenomenon in an overpressure chamber. How does this phenomenon appear on human body? • Correct learning task solution: Test tube covered by rubber membrane arches by overpressure in the plastic bottle. The rubber membrane simulates behaviour of ear-drum during swimming, bathing and diving. Water in ear canal pushes on ear-drum at this time. The result is deflection of the ear-drum.

20. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Cartesian diver I The Cartesian diver floating in plastics bottle is made out of the test tube and the rubber stopper. Overpressure

21. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Cartesian diver II Alternative Cartesian diver in plastics bottle is made out of two glass test tubes. Overpressure

22. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Spinning Cartesian diver Spinning Cartesian driver in plastics bottle is made out of the test tube, the rubber stopper and the bent glass pipes. Overpressure

23. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Water jet of Heron The water jet of Heron in plastics bottle is made out of the test tube, the rubber stopper and the blast tube. Overpressure

24. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Overpressure pumping The pumping of water in plastics bottle is realised by use of two test tubes, rubber stoppers, glass tubes and plastics pipes. Overpressure

25. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Energy of compressed air I The small plastics ball with the hole is moving by changing of the air pressure on the water surface in the plastics bottle. Overpressure

26. 6 Motivational learning tasks based on experiments6.3 Problem learning tasks withexperiment-modification Energy of compressed air II The small plastics ball with the hole plugged up by the bent glass pipe is moving by changing of the air pressure on the water surface in the plastics bottle. Overpressure

27. 7. Conclusions • Learning tasks based on experiments are an important part of physics education. • They are a source of significant motivation because they excite and satisfy primarily students’ cognitive needs. • Learning tasks sorting should be done according to educational objectives, difficultness of cognitive operations needed for task solution, level of calculations use during task solution, form of task setting and solution and especially teaching phase. • Because of the quick increase of physics and science education efficiency, information about learning tasks based on experiments should be inserted into both pre-service and in-service teacher training.

28. 7. References [1] Berlyne, D.E. Notes on Intrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Reward in Relation to Instruction. In: Clarizio, H.F., Craig R.C., Hebrens, W.A.: Contemporary Issues in Educational Psychology. London 1977. [2] Leutner, D., Fischer, H. E., Kauertz, A., Schabram, N., Fleischer, J. Instruktion-spychologische und fachdidaktische Aspekte der Qualität von Lernaufgaben und Testaufgaben im Physikunterricht. In Thonhauser, J. (Hrsg.). Aufgaben als Katalysator von Lernprozessen. Münster, New York, München, Berlin: Waxmann, 2008, p. 169-181. [3] Talyzinova, N. F. Utvareni poznavacich cinnosti zaku. Praha: SPN, 1988. [4] Tolingerova, D. Uvod do teorie a praxe programovane vyuky a vycviku. Odborna vychova, 1970/1971: 21: 77-78. [5] Trna, J. Motivation and Hands-on Experiments. In HSci2005. Hands-on Science in a Changing Education. Rethymno (Greece): University of Crete, 2005. p. 169-174. [6] Trna, J., Trnova, E. Cognitive Motivation in Science Teacher Training. In Science and Technology Education for a Diverse Word. Lublin (Poland): M. Curie-Sklodovska university press, 2006. p. 491-498. [7] Vaculova, I., Trna, J., Janik, T. Ucebni ulohy ve vyuce fyziky na 2. stupni zakladni skoly: vybrané vysledky CPV videostudie fyziky. Pedagogicka orientace, 2008: 18(4): (in press).

29. Thank you for your attention. Josef Trna Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic trna@ped.muni.cz