KOULOUNTZOS, Vassilis, PRIMERAKIS Giorgos and SEROGLOU, Fanny
ATLAS Research Group, School of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Instructional e-material Design for Teacher e-training:
The Case of Electromagnetism
Abstract. In this paper the design of instructional e-material is presented. The
instructional material consists of short films, photographs, worksheets, guidelines for the
teacher, teaching strategies, etc. and is going to be incorporated in a web-based learning
environment for teacher e-training in science education. The design of the instructional
material is based on history of science and the SHINE research model has been used for
its development. The SHINE research model is an 8 stages research model focusing on
the interaction between history of science and science education. This paper is a SHINE
case study in electromagnetism. The design of the developed instructional e-material is
based on the study of the works of Gardano, Gilbert and Faraday. Two sets of
experiments and a role-play based on a short film have already been developed.
Koulountzos Vassilis: bkoul@eled.auth.gr
Primerakis Giorgos: gprim@eled.auth.gr
Fanny Seroglou:
seroglou@eled.auth.gr
Introduction
Web-based learning environments consist of a variety of web-based toolkits that facilitate
learning. They provide and embody teaching and learning tools and materials such as
electronic communication (chat rooms, discussion groups, bulletin boards), on line group
work using directly connected learning materials, links with remote information sources,
work plans, assessment tools and an administration area (accessible only to supervisors)
(INSPIRAL 2001).
In this case a web-based learning environment is designed for supporting teachers
(individually and in groups) to create, develop and construct knowledge, as well as for
encouraging teamwork, creative problem solving and introducing them to the scientific
method through a knowledge seeking process. This environment also includes
collaborative learning tools to help the supporting group (designers, facilitators) and the
teachers involved in this e-training course to save, organize and share with others
documents, files, folders, sites, pictures, notes, tools to create a database for common use,
as well as tools to create a chat and a digital product space - pictures, documents, music,
video (Koulountzos & Seroglou 2007a).
After the fast development of web-based learning environments in the first years where
the main focus was on technology, nowadays becomes clearer to the researchers’ and
developers’ eyes that the need of certain pedagogical principles is crucial. The use of
web-based environments in education may play an important role in facilitating learning
under certain circumstances which allow technology to bring forward educational
improvement and innovation. Technology now gains its primal role as the ‘medium’ for
the learning interaction, and loses its mystical role of the focus theme in communication.
The demystification of technology opens the way towards effective web-based learning
environments providing fruitful feedback on the learning procedure (Koulountzos &
Seroglou 2007a).
Our goal is to achieve a user friendly communication environment for the teachers,
allowing them to present their ideas, to improve their self esteem, to take an active part in
this web-based learning environment, to use and develop electronic e-material. The
environment should be comfort, safe and flexible in order to encourage discussions
concerning feelings, fears and insecurities about using technology and teaching science.
A spread of information, collaboration, contribution, codependence and team spirit must
occur, to achieve the knowledge and information transformation from single-dimensional
and limited to multi-dimensional and beyond time and space (Koulountzos & Seroglou
2007b).
Using SHINE model to design e-material based on history of science
In this paper the case of instructional e-material design for teacher e-training in
electromagnetism is presented. The instructional material consists of short films,
photographs, worksheets, guidelines for the teacher, teaching strategies, etc. and is going
to be incorporated in a web-based learning environment for teacher e-training in science
education. The design of the instructional material is based on history of science and the
SHINE research model has been used for its development. The name SHINE is an
acronym of the keywords ‘Science’, ‘History’, Interaction’ and ‘Education’. The SHINE
research model consists of 8 stages focusing on the interaction between history of science
and science education (figure 1).
History of
Science
1.Research on
scientists ideas
5.Research on
experiments that
promoted the
change of
scientists ideas
Interaction field
Science
Education
2.Research focus
3.Research on
student’s ideas
4.Comparative
analysis
6.Instructional
material design
(tasks inspired by
historical experiments)
7.Research on the
evaluation of the
designed tasks in
promoting students’
conceptual change
8.Comparative
analysis
Figure 1: The SHINE research model
The eight steps of SHINE are the following:
Step 1: First, research on scientists ideas in the history of science is carried out. Research
is focused on those areas where early scientific ideas were different from the currently
accepted ones.
Step 2: Data coming from the study of the history of science provide a focus for the
research on learners’ ideas.
Step 3: Research on learners’ ideas is carried out (questionnaire distribution, individual
in-depth interviews).
Step 4: A comparative analysis of the data and results coming from research Steps 1 and
3 provides an answer whether research into the history of science (and especially in those
areas where early scientific ideas were distinct from current ones) indicate a clear focus
for the research on learners’ ideas.
Step 5: Research on the work of scientists that promoted the change of scientific ideas
and led to the currently accepted ones (as presented in textbooks) is carried out.
Step 6: Data coming from Step 5 provides fruitful information for instructional material
design and leads to the design of a set of tasks.
Step 7: Research on the evaluation of the designed tasks in promoting learner’s
conceptual change is carried out (individual investigation, interviews etc.). Learners are
encouraged to reconsider their initial ideas, to change those ideas that are not compatible
to the current scientific theory and confirm the ideas that are in agreement with the
current scientific theory.
Step 8: Finally, a comparative analysis of the data and results coming from research Steps
7 and 5 provides an answer whether certain tasks inspired by the work of scientists in the
past (that promoted the change of scientific ideas in the history of science) help learners
overcome their alternative ideas and encourage conceptual change (Seroglou &
Koumaras, 2003).
This paper is a SHINE case study in electromagnetism. The design of the developed
instructional e-material is based on the study of the works of Gardano, Gilbert and
Faraday (Seroglou et al, 1998; Seroglou & Koumaras, 2003). In this case, in Step 1 of the
SHINE research model, the study of the history of electromagnetism reveals that: a) From
the age Thales up to the 16th century electrostatic and magnetic phenomena were unified
in the context of a ‘magic’ idea and were considered as being of the same nature. b) From
the 17th century up to 1830, scientists dealt with the question of whether ‘electricities’
derived from different sources (static electricity, animal electricity, voltaic electricity,
magneto-electricity and thermo-electricity) were of the same nature (Wolf, 1952;
Whittaker, 1958). Research in the following three steps verified similar ideas carried out
by learners as well (Seroglou et al, 1998; Seroglou & Koumaras, 2003).
In Step 5, the study of the history of electromagnetism reveals that: a) The differences
between electrostatic and magnetic phenomena were pointed out for the first time in the
16th century by Gardano and Gilbert which allowed to establish two different fields of
science: electrostatics and magnetism (Gajori, 1962). b) Between 1832-1833, Faraday
successfully carried out a number of experiments and showed that different kinds of
‘electricities’ can produce the same effects (Faraday, 1839). In the following three steps
of the research model instructional material based on the history of science has been
developed and evaluated.
Designing experiments to teach electromagnetism
The SHINE research model in this case led to the design of two sets of tasks. The first
set, based on the experiments of Gardano and Gilbert addresses the differentiation
between electrostatic and magnetic phenomena. In these tasks, learners are provided with
the opportunity to observe the similarities and differences between the two kinds of
phenomena, as listed by Gardano and Gilbert. In the current application the designed
tasks have been filmed and are going to be presented in the web-based learning
environment. For example, in order to differentiate electrostatic and magnetic attractions
a series of videos with a magnet and a plastic strip charged by friction have been
developed showing that:
a) A magnet attracts iron fillings. A picture of this video is shown in Picture 1
Picture 1
b) A plastic strip charged by friction also attracts iron fillings. A picture of this video is
shown in Picture 2
Picture 2
c) But a magnet does not attract small pieces of paper. A picture of this video is shown in
Picture 3.
Picture 3
d) Although a plastic strip charged by friction attracts small pieces of paper. A picture of
this video is shown in Picture 4.
Picture 4
In the same line of thought, tasks inspired by Faradays work were designed, aiming at
the connection between electrostatic and electrodynamic phenomena. In these tasks,
learners have the opportunity to observe the same electric effects produced either by
friction or by the use of a battery or a high-voltage power supply. For example, in this
case we have produced showing that a fluorescent strip light lights up when connected to
the lighting circuit, but also gives out light visible in a dark room, when it is rubbed with
a piece of woolen cloth or a piece of fur.
All the sets of videos with the designed tasks supporting the teaching of
electromagnetism, are going to be incorporated in the web-based learning environment
aiming to help teachers themselves initially to get familiar with some electromagnetic
concepts and phenomena and at a second level to be able to teach those either with the
use of the developed videos or by actually recreating and performing the designed tasks
in the classroom.
Designing role-play to teach elecromagnetism
The designed tasks presented in the previous chapter focus on the cognitive dimension of
learning and especially on differentiating electrostatic and magnetic attractions and
relating electrostatic phenomena and phenomena of the electric current. To move further,
a session using a short film about the life and work of Faraday and a performances of
role-plays inspired by the film has been designed, providing a metacognitive focus on
relating scientists’ work in electromagnetism with the social and cultural context in which
the theories of electromagnetism were developed. The following two pictures come from
the film (Picture 5) and from a role play performed by in-service teachers (Picture 6).
Picture 5
Picture 6
An application of the above session has been carried out in a face-to-face postgraduate
course for in-service teachers and the two interesting role plays that they developed and
performed have been videotaped and exist as small films in the web-based learning
environment offering to the teachers participating the e-training course both an example
of the kind of role plays that may also develop and as a fruitful source for discussion and
evaluation on the reflection concerning the social and cultural impact on scientist work.
References
Cajori, F.: 1962, A History of Physics. Dover Publications Inc. New York.
Inspiral: 2001, Final Report Available at http://inspiral.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/ (accessed on
18/01/2007).
Faraday, M.: 1839, ‘Identity of Electricities Derived from Different Sources’. In R.
Taylor and J. E. Taylor (Eds.) Experimental Researches in Electicity. London.
Koulountzos, V. & Seroglou, F.: 2007a, ‘Designing a Web-based Learning Environment:
The Case of ATLAS’. Paper presented at IMICT 2007 Conference” Informatics,
Mathematics and ICT: a golden triangle”, 27-29 June 2007, Boston.
Koulountzos, V. & Seroglou, F.: 2007b, ‘Web-based Learning Environments and
Teacher Training in Science Literacy’. Paper to be presented at ITET 2007 and ETLLL
2007 Joint Working Conference “Information Technology for Education and
Training”, 26-28 September 2007, Prague.
Seroglou, F.: 2006, Science for Citizenship, Epikentro Publications, Thessaloniki (in
greek).
Seroglou, F. & Koumaras, P.: 2003, ‘A Critical Comparison of the Approaches to the
Contribution of History of Phyisics to the Cognitive, Metacognitive and Emotional
Dimension of Teaching and Learning Physics: A Feasibility Study Regarding the
Cognitive Dimension Using the SHINE Model’. THEMES in Education, 4(1), 25-36.
Seroglou, F., Koumaras, P. & Tselfes, V.: 1998, ‘History of Science and Instructional
Design: The Case of Electromagnetism’, Science & Education, 7(3), 261-280.
Whittaker, E.: 1958, A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity. Thomas Nelson
and sons. London.
Wolf, A.: 1952, A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 16th and 17th
centuries (2nd ed.). George Allen and Unwin Ltd. London.
Wolf, A.: 1952, A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 18th century (2nd
ed.). George Allen and Unwin Ltd. London.