articles+ search results

Electricity, Higher Education, Physics, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Problem Based Learning, Problem Solving, Student Teachers, and Teacher Education

While increasing teachers' scientific knowledge base has been identified as a challenge for teacher education (e.g., NCES, 1996), the skills used to identify a need for knowledge and the skills necessary to search for that knowledge have been less discussed. Yet, the ability to learn for oneself is really the goal of lifelong teacher education. In this paper, four class periods of video data from a problem-based educational psychology curse were examined and an eight-minute segment was chosen to analyze in depth. The preservice science teachers grapple with science concepts of electricity and atomic structure as they analyze a video case of a physics classroom and devise ways to redesign instruction in order to enhance students' learning. Three analysis were undertaken: 1) categorizing the scientific discourse to determine how student teachers identify a need for knowledge and how they solve it; 2) analyzing the resources used to build understanding, including how student teachers present themselves as resources, which outside resources are used and why, and the status of those resources in the community; and 3) investigating learning-what did student teachers seem to understand based on the current data sources and how does this compare to an expert view of electricity? The results presented here indicate our current understanding of many rich sources of information, rather than a final analysis. Our discourse analysis of the video segment showed the student teachers identified a need for knowledge in the form of a direct question, or two types of inquiring statements. Most often, they attempted to answer the science question among themselves. The science mentor, World Wide Web, and facilitator were also helpful in building new knowledge. Student teachers made few reflective remarks during problem solving. They engaged in extended scientific reasoning during the video segment, constructed concepts related to charge imbalances, and generated difficult questions, according to science experts. Changes in the role of the participants, facilitator, and other resources are recommended. Coded transcript, transcript conventions, excerpt from final paper, and page of interactions with ment0r are appended. (Contains 44 references.) (Author/DDR)

Cognitive Development, Electricity, Foreign Countries, High Schools, Learning Theories, Mechanics (Physics), Misconceptions, Piagetian Theory, and South Korea

The purpose of this research was to find the relation between the level of cognitive conflict and students' conceptual change. In this study, 30 Korean high school students were selected from 450 10th graders by examining the pretest results. To create students' cognitive conflicts, two different strategies were used to foster anomalous situations: demonstrations and logical arguments against students' perceptions. After creating students' cognitive conflict, the researcher rated the levels of conflict. To check the students conceptual changes, pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest were conducted. The test consisted of 5 items in mechanics and electricity, respectively. In this study, the demonstration method showed effective conceptual change more than the logical argument method did. Students changed their concepts more easily and frequently in the area of mechanics than electricity. In case of conflict, the effect was very clear. Students who showed higher conflict levels demonstrated more positive conceptual change than those who showed lower conflict levels. Fifty-nine cases (56%) out of 105 who experienced high levels of conflict changed into scientific conceptions one month later; however, only 16 cases (35%) out of the 46 who experienced low levels of conflict changed scientific conceptions. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/ASK)

Design, Electricity, Engineering Education, Higher Education, Power Technology, Student Experience, Teaching Methods, Utilities, and Work Experience

An undergraduate capstone engineering design project now provides hydroelectric power to a remote wilderness location. Students investigated the feasibility of designing, building, and installing a 4kW hydroelectric system to satisfy the need for electric power to support the research and teaching functions of Taylor Ranch, a university facility far from the utility grid. After showing such a system to be feasible, they proceeded to design and build it. Technical issues and stringent environmental regulations are addressed. The students documented their design and developed instructions for installation and operation. The system was installed and currently provides electric power for Taylor Ranch. The first year of operation is briefly described and photographs of the equipment are presented. (Author)

Cognitive Measurement, Concept Formation, Electricity, Elementary Education, Measures (Individuals), Science Education, and Scientific Concepts

Students' own preconceptions are often resistant to change. According to researchers, conceptual conflict is an important factor in conceptual change; however, there is not enough evidence showing any relationship between cognitive conflict and conceptual change in the literature. This study aims to develop and validate the Cognitive Conflict Levels Test (CCLT) instrument which would: (1) measure cognitive conflict levels; (2) be capable of administering to elementary school students in a relatively short period of time; (3) be easily scored; and (4) require as little reading and writing as possible in a demonstration situation. In order to understand the levels of conflict, a model of cognitive conflict was formulated and features three stages: (1) preliminary stage; (2) conflict stage; and (3) resolution stage. (Contains 32 references.) (YDS)

Cognitive Development, Cognitive Psychology, Electricity, Elementary Education, Foreign Countries, Grade 8, Junior High Schools, Learning Motivation, Learning Processes, Physics, and Germany

This study investigates the influences and relationships between self-concept elements and students' activities in a normal school environment and focuses on individual self-construct. Interest has an important effect on an individual's learning process and behavior. There are three common definitions of interest: (1) interest as a characteristic of the person (individual interest); (2) interest as a characteristic of the learning environment (interestingness); and (3) interest as a psychological state. The investigation is based on a play-oriented teaching approach in an 8th grade gymnasium course. (Contains 21 references.) (YDS)

Active Learning, Drama, Dramatics, Electricity, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Improvisation, Instructional Innovation, Physics, Science Activities, Scientific Concepts, Teaching Methods, and United Kingdom (England)

One way of making scientific concepts more accessible to students is to use active approaches, such as drama, in the classroom. The study reported in this paper evaluates the use of three dramatic improvisations performed by second year undergraduate students to improve their understanding of the generation and supply of electricity. Student improvisations were videotaped, and follow-up questionnaires and interviews were used in the study. The pedagogical advantages of using active learning in the classroom and the wider issues of drama's contribution to cognitive development are also discussed. (Contains 20 references.) (WRM)

Computer Uses in Education, Course Descriptions, Educational Technology, Electricity, Energy, Engineering Education, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Instructional Effectiveness, Instructional Innovation, Multimedia Instruction, Multimedia Materials, Teaching Methods, and Brazil

This paper presents an experience with the development of multimedia systems for power systems education. An application of a multimedia course titled "Electrical Energy Generation" is also described. The main conclusions of this experience are discussed, emphasizing the most relevant aspects to be considered in the development of further similar systems. (Author/WRM)

Computer Software Development, Cooperation, Electricity, Engineering Education, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Industry, Interdisciplinary Approach, Physics, World Wide Web, and Brazil

The SENNAPE (Software Engineering and Neural Networks Applied to Physics and Electricity) project has been putting together the European and the Brazilian industries towards neural processing developments in the fields of high-energy physics and electricity. It is a multi-disciplinary international collaboration with the participation of different institutions and industries. The project is a platform of technology transfer, using the World Wide Web as the main information repository. Among team members of the various phases of the project, undergraduate and graduate engineering students are experiencing the development of a complex project and the importance of integrating their knowledge of basic sciences into engineering design. (Author)

Active Learning, Computer Uses in Education, Electricity, Engineering Education, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Instruction, Laboratory Experiments, Undergraduate Study, and Brazil

Brazilian engineering schools are under a strict program to reengineer their courses with the financial support of the federal agencies. At the electronic engineering department at the University of Sao Paulo, this process started by modifying the Basic Electricity and Electronic Laboratories. This paper describes the new structure of these labs and the approaches taken in order to improve experimental engineering courses. After one year, various benefits resulting from these actions could already be observed: higher level reports, higher marks, less failures, and, above all, a great enthusiasm and interest that the new equipment and methodologies have risen in our students. (Author/YDS)