2nd Meeting of HOPE Working Group 4
Improvements in the Training and Supply of Physics School Teachers
Integrating
Physics Education Research
in pre-service Teacher Education
Marisa Michelini, Alberto Stefanel
Research Unit in Physics Education
University of Udine, Italy
Layout of the presentation
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Introduction on teacher education (TE) in physics
Our perspective: The role of Physics Education Research (PER) in TE
Examples
Conclusion
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Teacher formation
• A lot of interest and work into the last 20 years in EU
• Problems highlighted by international studies on
• students’ achievements (PISA) and
• teachers’ characteristics / needs (TIMSS, STEPS)
• On teachers’ side, the problems come mainly from three
areas:
• policy and organization,
• Competencies needed, to enhance learning in physics
• Exchange between school and PER and their specific competencies
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The GREEN PAPER (Buchberger et al. 2000) highlights the crucial role of designing:
- appropriate teaching/learning situations: opportunities to develop professional skills
- basic scientific culture  to perform successful educational design
GIREP International Seminar UD, 2003
Underlines
three main needs
Connection / cooperation between school and university
Specific professional programmes for teacher education
PER integrated with teaching and teacher education.
STRATEGIES & METHODS
TIMSS -Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
• Textbook related : about 100%
http://www.timss.bc.edu/; TIMSS Advanced 2008
• In about half the teaching time:
From PER perspective,
• Students read “theory” or how to do exercises (> 50%)
• Experiments or Investigation: 0 – 30 %
main Teachers need: to acquire competences in
• Watching Demonstrations: 11- 54 %
producing active learning environments
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• Calculators,
Computers Use: 0 - 50 %
& Technology Enhanced Learning
From: European Benchmarks for
Physics Teacher Education Degrees (Titulaer, 2012)
Central Requirement for PTE Education
PTE should be
• academic, preferably on Master level;
• research based in the three components:
• Physics,
• Didactic of Physics (Teaching/Learning)
• Applied Pedagogy and social aspects.
containing
• initial practical training in schools
• Thesis on T/L activities
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Groupe International de Recherche
sur l'Enseignement de la Physique
GIREP Conference 2010 – Reims
STEPS TWO
symposia on teacher formation
Marisa Michelini & Rosa Maria Sperandeo
From the discussion emerged that teacher competences should
include:
1. Ability to address, master and manage specific
knowledge/methods related to the area of interest.
2. Capability to integrate such different kinds of
knowledge/methods in a flexible net.
3. Ability to transform such net of knowledge/methods in a
synergic attitude into concrete doing.
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New ways of thinking about
Teacher Education
Recent literature on PCK
- Different approaches and instruments (tests, video) on measuring teachers’ PCK
- PCK-in-action and PCK-on-action (reflective component of teachers)
- Developing models of professional actions competences,
• In this new framework, the professional preparation of a science teacher has been
deeply analyzed in terms of
– professional profile in the context of jobs for “Human Talent Management”
– competences
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Components of PCK from different conceptualizations (Park,Oliver 2008)
X
Dimension included as part of the PCK
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E
Dimension included in the teacher knowledge, but not in the PCK
in PTE,explicitly
Michelini, Stefanel
Dimension notPER
covered
by researchers
8
Two “extreme” models of the teacher knowledge (from Guess-Newsome 2001)
Knowledge of teacher
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Knowledge needed for teaching in the classroom
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To go over Schulman PCK it is required in teacher formation curricula:
- the offer of Conceptual Knowledge on subject matter
(overcoming and integrating MER and PCK models)
- the management of educational instruments
- the attention to learning processes
Producing the teacher behaviour of
• Connecting everyday phenomena with the many dimensions of
knowledge
• integrating informal education and curricular education
• The contribution of PER is fundamental!
• This cannot be taken for granted!
(see EPS Volmer study 2003)
Each qualified teaching has good research behind and it is outcome and context of research.
For PER this was not discussed much, even when the teacher education courses were the context of
research on teachers formation
Research on teacher formation, but not:
Which PER useful for teacher education? How?
Which research on learning processes can be used? How?
Which research can have a fall down on TE? How?
Our contribution:
Research based teacher education
in the perspective of Steps2-Benckmarks
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Prospective Secondary Teacher Education in Italy
In Italy a reform in 1999/2000, then modified in 2012, build up the general and qualified
perspective, that go over the quoted studies on PCK.
In this perspective four areas were included:
A1: Area of Education (Common - including General Pedagogy, Psicology,
School laws….)
A2: Area of Subject Matters Education (specific)
A3: Pedagogical/Didactic Laboratories (specific…Integrated with A2???)
A4: Apprenticeship (activities in the school …now activities with school
teachers)
It has created the conceptual referent about how must be structured teacher formation
SSIS from 2000 till 2011 (2 years course)
1 year course
+ national exam
From 2015
«Good school reform»
- Entrance exam
- 1 year: Habilitation
- 2 years: apprenticeship
in school with
progressive
assumption of teaching
responsibility
Two key factors:
 good balance
 integration of the areas
Criticism:
 Integration never applied,
which has dropped its
validity
 delegation to disciplinary
expertise has produced
major difficulties and
distortions of the qualified
model.
But even today, although
poorly implemented (unless
laudable PERG examples)
it is the reference on teacher
formation.
PCK in
Metacultural Model
Experiential Model
Situated Model
Based on teachers’ learning
 involve critical
through the reflection on
discussion of the
work experience in the
The teacher carries
cultural and
classroom
out directly the same
pedagogic elements
Require
activity that is
of an innovative
Pre – CoL
proposal,
proposed to the
Apprenticeship
 leaving to teacher
Post – CoL
students by means of
the programming
Offers the base for a
tutorials
and the preparation
professional formation
of educational
centred on learning needs
and reflects on it
materials for the
related to the SM
experience
students
PCK questionnaires are
basic tools
Integrated model including design based activities, informal learning, reflection activities
4 different roles of PER in TE
 Resource context for Teacher learning on:
1) learning difficulties;
2) instruments and methods (tutorials, rubrics)
3) educational proposals
 Referent material for Teacher Laboratory and WS Experiencial TE Model (rubric, tutorials ...)
Perspective for a research-based teaching IBL  research
formation (teacher formation to research methods)
Context in which to study the learning of teachers
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Udine Physics Education Research Unit
web environments as resourches for teachers
http://www.fisica.uniud.it/URDF/
The material organization
•Introduction
• Rationale
•Approach
•Strategies and methods
•Pre-requisites
•Maps 
•Path
•Inter-disciplinary Characters
•Resources
•Contents
•Experiments  
•Simulations
•Classroom Experimentation
Avvicinarsi alla teoria della
fisica quantistica
Approaching the quantum
optics pillow
mechanics theory
Experiential lab of a Formative module on
Motion …and Forces
Requests to the prospective teachers:
• Answer
• Reasoning at the base of your answer
Section «walking toward the unorm rectiliear motion»
CAMM1: Regular walking moving away or approaching the sensor: p-t graph
CAMM2: Regular walking moving away, stopping, approaching the sensor
CAMM3: Motion of a cart on an horizontal smooth guide
• Reflection on the Educational sequence
• Aspects to be
underlined
with
students
Section
«toward the Galilean
composition
of velocity»
Section «From moving forward / backward to the harmonic oscillator»
Section «inversions of the motion and impulsive forces»
3 tutorials for each session based on PEC-Strategy
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Contexts of the experimentation
Sede
UD
Struttura didattica
SSIS
UD
SSIS
UD
CDL Sc. Fo rm.
Prim.
BRES
SSIS
MO
SSIS
Specifiche
A059
Lab. Did. Fisica
A038-A049
Lab. Meccanica e
corso prep esp.
didattiche
2° anno
Didattica della fisica
e lab di didattica
delle scien ze
A059 – A049
Lab did. Fisica
A038-A049
Lab. Did. fisica
Docenti
Marisa Michelini
partecipanti
9
Unità orarie
10 (4 inc. gen-febb 03 +
1 inc aprile)
11 (dic 02-gen 03)
5 incontri
Marisa Michelini
Loren zo Santi
Alberto Stefanel
10
+2 stud.
matemat ica
Marisa Michelini
Alberto Stefanel
110
12 (febb – apr 03)
3 sessioni
Federico Corni
38
Federico Corni
8
10 (gen – mar 03)
5 incontri
10 (Maggio 03)
5 incontri
In Udine, Bolzano and Modena- Each session: in 3 stages
- Introduction
- in Groups Experiential activities with tutorials
- Reflection on the work done, the contents faced, the
strategy adopted, the possible implementations in school
Design activity with
tutor
Experimentation
in school
Analysis of student
learning
Data from pre/post test
95% correct answers
Difficulties:
• composition of motion (33% - on the totals
of errors)
• Oriented direction (versus) of the
acceleration: in the pendulum motion (30%);
in the motion of a body moving on an
inclined plane (12%),
• Elastic force passing from static to dynamic
situations (10%),
• Impulsive forces (10%).
Reflection
Reasoning at the base of
answers
Teacher learning problems
and students learning
problems
Reasoning of students
Graphycal representations: previsions and comparison with
observed graphs
In the first activity (CAMM1) often:
 without scales/math behavior/absence of experimental features
Presence of scales on axes
First graph (if represented) 0%
Second graph
38%
Third graph
90%
Activated by the PEC
cycle: from qualitative to
quantitative previsions
Reflection on their
own lerning path (CK)
Recognition of the
effectiveness of the
strategy for their own
preparation
Competencies in
implementating of active
learning strategies, using
ICT/RTL
IBL strategies (PCK,
educational design
competencies)
From
abstract/mathematical
expected graphs s-t
to competencies in:
-
Real graph representation
-
Management of exp.
features
-
Lecture of a (real) graph
(i.e. quantities values;
velocity)
-
Real graph
phenomenon
-
from graph to processes
(i.e. general trend
regime velocity; 2nd order
 steps)
-
S-t  v-t  a-t graphs
To didactic competencies in
addressing students graph
competencies…:
- 1) the global (qualitative)
behavior
- 2) quantification of the dipendent
variable (the relevant aspect of
the representation)
- 3) quantification of the
indipendent variable (the time
considered just as a parameter)
From the experiential didactic lab to the design based lab
Selection of a topic
a) Bibliographic search
- Analysis on contents and their reconstruction
in the perspective of MER (Duit et al 2005)
- Students learning problems and reasoning
paths (Duit STCE 2009; McDermott, Redish 1999)
- Research based educational paths and
didactic materials (Aarons 1986; Vicentini 1996; Viennot
From a base of references, proposals,
instruments and materials
1996; McDermott et al. 1999; http://www.fisica.uniud.it/URDF/;
http://www.compadre.org/);
From tutorials used in didactic lab 
tutorials to use with students
search of other papers, validated materials,
tools relevant for the topic chosen
- Stardard test/assessments (Hesteness 1992;
https://www.ncsu.edu/per/TestInfo.html)
b) laboratory to familiarize and set up:
- Esperiments
- Software and modeling environments
- Test and questionnaire design
- Tutorial worksheets for students
- Protocol of interviews
- Multimedia instruments
From standard test to test focussed on the
objectives of the educational path
Characteristic of the projects implemented in the school and documented in the
final report for the examination (219 Prospective HST – 96 Prospective MST)
Presentation of the educational
projects
Documentation of the
experimentations
•Title
• Objectives (methodological;
concepts)
100%
•Collocation in the curriculum
95%
•Rationale (Subject matter
reconstruction according to the
didactic approach)
95%
•Strategy
80%
•Instruments and methods
80%
•Layout educational path
87%
•Pre/post Test
85%
•Tutorial worksheets
90%
•Exp & RTL
100% & 82% HST-55% MST
•The context
85%
•Pre-evaluation of the class
teacher
65%
•Analysis of pre/post test
83%
•Analysis of tutorials (students
answers)
75%
•Critical analysis of the work
done
95%
Case study: a project on QM (Mariangela)
Set up of the measurement with
on-line sensors in educational lab
Attenuazione filtro cromatico
35
-0.3701x
y = 35.798e
R2 = 0.9847
Intensità (u.a.)
30
Light intensity vs angle between the
permitted direction of two polaroids:
Malus Law
10
0
2
4
6
n°spessori
20 40 60 80 100
angolo (°)
intensità (u.a.)
Intensità (u.a.)
0
119
99
79
59
39
19
-1
y = 142.18x - 0.486
R2 = 0.9997
0.0
0.2
25
20
15
10
5
2
4
n° spessori
15
60
40
20
0
-10 -80 -60 -40 -20 0
0
y = 42.185e-0.3124x
R2 = 0.9982
30
0
20
100
80
35
0
25
5
120
Intensità lum inosa (u.a.)
Light intensity vs number of
refractive filters of polaroid filters
Attenuazione filtro polaroid
0.4
0.6
cos(teta)^2
0.8
1.0
6
Case study: a project on QM (Mariangela)
Toward Quantum Mechanics
The superposition principle
Phenomenological observation of
ligth-polarodi interaction
Quantitative exps:
. Reduction of the intensity vs n of layers
.Malus Law
Ideal experiments:
Exploration of the superposition state
(45° polarization state)
Phenomenlogical analysis of
birefringet crystals
Ideal Experiments with
birefringents crystalss
Polarization as
quantumproperty of photon
T: coefficient of transmission
Malus law: probabilistic
intepretation
Incompatible properties
Uncertanty principle
Quantum indeterminism
Ordinay/Extraordinary beams
and polarization
New exploration of superposition
principle
And the «lost» trajectory
The vector formalism
State – vectors
Transition probability
Formalism of the superposition principle
The flux diagram of
the educational
path on QM
Case study: a project on QM (Mariangela)
7 tutorial
worksheets
Tutorials and test
designed and
prepared by the
prospective teacher
1 test
1-2 items per each learning outcome
For each item:
- Aims
- Expected students answers
- Aspects to be focalized in the analysis
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Case study: a project on QM (Mariangela)
Istogramma studente-punteggio
Istogramma voti-n°studenti
26
8
24
7
20
6
18
n°studenti
punteggio assoluto
22
16
14
12
10
8
5
4
3
2
6
4
1
2
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
voti
studente
Is togram m a de lle fre que nze re lative de lle ris pos te corre tte e de lle tipologie di
ris pos te
6a
1.0
5
Quantitative evaluation
9
0.9
0.8
4
And qualitative evaluation
1 5a
14
0.7
2
11
frequenza relativa
8
1 5b
0.6
13
1
1 3d
0.5
7bb
0.4
7bc
1 0b
1 5c
1 6bc
3b
0.3
3c
1 0e
7aa
1 2b
3e
0.2
1 6bb
3
0.1
7ad7ae
6ba
1 2a
7ab
1 0d
6bd 6be 6bf
1 3f
1 2c1 2d
3d
7ba
7ac
1 0a
7af
1 2e 1 2f 1 3a
1 0c
7bd
0.0
que s iti
1 3c
1 3g
1 3b
1 3e
Case study: Optic (Simona)
Evaluation of students’ learning (Pre/post)
Information on aspects more affected by the experimentation
Example of students
learning analysis by
Prospective Teachers
Case study: Optic (Simona)
Change in the distributions
Example of students
learning analysis by
Prospective Teachers
(global impact of the intervention)
Figura 2. Distribuzione dei punteggi per il test d’ingresso e per quello di uscita.
Single students evaluation:
Effectiveness of the intervention on
each students (comparison with the
evaluation of guest teacher)
stud 1
2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Figura 3. Punteggi ottenuti da ciascuno studente nel test di ingresso e in
quello di uscita
Tutorial Worksheets analysis
Case study: Optic (Simona)
above average
students
average
students
below average
students
above average
students
average
students
below average
students
Example of students
learning analysis by
Prospective Teachers
Correct answers to questions of tutorial 1-2-3-4-5
Scarto rispetto alla media
Case study: EM (Maurizio)
Figura 5
15
H
10
F
5
0
-5
-10
Example of students
learning analysis by
Prospective Teachers
AB
N
D
I
G L
C
Scarto semplice
(prima)
E
M
-15
Gain index and effectiveness of the
experimentation
Scarto rispetto alla media
Alunni
20
Figura 6
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
F H
B
A
G
D
N
I
LM
C
E
-20
Alunni
Scarto semplice
(dopo)
CONCLUDING REMARKS
PER in Prospective Teacher education
Relevant role:
 MODELS for PTE
 Resources on
- Learning knots / difficulties (Empirical research)
- T/L proposals (Design Based Research, R&D)
- Learning data analysis (Empirical research)
 Planning – integrating design research with empirical one
 Creating tools
 Rubric
 Tests
 tutorials
CONCLUDING REMARKS
8 activities appear to be useful in Teacher Education for
professional development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Reflection on relevant concepts and knots from
different perspectives (CK – PCK)
Group work discussion of concepts and knots
Educational path analysis and discussion
PCK questionnaires
Planning intervention modules
Implementing microteaching monitoring learning
processes
Apprenticeship having class responsibility on learning
outcomes
Cooperative planning with university and school
teachers
Thank you !!!
alberto.stefanel@uniud.it
marisa.michelini@uniud.it
www.fisica.uniud.it/URDF