Didactics of Physics 1 including practical block course

• Educational objective, legitimation and conception of physics education
• Competence models and standard definitions
• Demonstration of finding and working methods in physics
• Pupils' ideas and typical learning difficulties
• Interest in physics education
• Experiments in physics education (objective, types, didactical potential, devices used in school, safety)
• Handling of media and presentation in physics education
• Tasks of a teacher regarding pedagogical-didactical aspects
• Class observation, job shadowing and own class trying at a vocational secondary school
• Exchange of experiences with the supervising teacher and colleagues

After the successful participation at the module the student is able to:

1. apply elementary knowledge about central fields in physics didactics
2. develop suitable teaching approaches, concepts and methods
3. stimulate interest in physics education
4. prepare physics topics for school in an educational objective and pupil orientated manner
5. handle devices and educational material commonly used in school
6. know the tasks of a school teacher and to estimate the initial situation and the learning difficulties of pupils
7. know methods for controlling the learning effects of pupils
8. prepare lessons with the help of the supervising teacher
9. estimate the strength and weakness of the own teaching and enhance the teaching

PH9101, PH9102, PH9103, PH9104

In the lecture the topics are taught and illustrated exemplarily by experiments / simulations. A suitable part of the topics is prepared, presented and discussed by the participants. In the block course at school the participants observe subject teachers during physics class, prepare and try own class under guidance of the supervising teacher. The experiences from this are discussed with the supervising teacher and with other colleagues.

Blackboard- and PowerPoint-Presentations, free-hand experiments, school-type experiments, simulations

• W. Bleichroth, H. Dahncke, W. Jung, W. Kuhn, G. Merzyn, K. Weltner: Fachdidaktik Physik, Köln 1991
• P. Häußler, W. Bünder, R. Duit, W. Gräber, J. Mayer: Naturwissenschaftsdidaktische Forschung: Perspektiven für die Unterrichtspraxis, Kiel 1998
• E. Kircher, R. Girwidz, P. Häußler: Physikdidaktik. Eine Einführung in Theorie und Praxis. Vieweg, Braunschweig/Wiesbaden 2000
• E. Kircher, W. Schneider: Physikdidaktik in der Praxis. Springer, Berlin 2002
• P. Labudde: Alltags-Physik in Schülerversuchen. Planung Durchführung – Auswertung – Lösungen- Unterrichtshinweise, Bonn 1989
• P. Labudde: Erlebniswelt Physik. Beispiele: Planung – Durchführung – Auswertung – Unterrichtsmethodische Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten – Fachdidaktische Zusatzinformationen, Bonn 1993
• H.F. Mikelskis (Hrsg.): Praxishandbuch für die Sekundarstufe I und II, Berlin 2006
• S. Mikelskis-Seifert, T.Rabe (Hrsg.): Physikmethodik, Cornelsen Scriptor, 2007
• H. Muckenfuß: Lernen im sinnstiftenden Kontext. Entwurf einer zeitgemäßen Didaktik des Physikunterrichts, Cornelsen, Berlin 1995
• M. Wagenschein: Verstehen lehren. Genetisch – Sokratisch – Exemplarisch, Weinheim 1991
• J. Willer: Didaktik des Physikunterrichts, Verlag Harri Deutsch, 2003
• H. Wiesner, H. Schecker, M. Hopf: Physikdidaktik kompakt, Aulis Verlag, 2013

Course achievement

During the didactics lecture each participant has to give a presentation (20 to 40 minutes). Possible topics are: physics simulation, phyiscs free-hand experiment, pupil imaginations of physics effects, educational objectives in physics education. It has to be shown that the obtained competences can be applied satisfactorily in given cases/examples.