Physics Teacher Education More About What Matters

This book focuses on some important aspects of Physics Education: the  role of metaphors in Physics teaching and learning, the connections between Physics and Mathematics, the interaction of young children with Physics at the primary level, and  recent developments in teacher education in the USA.

Contributors present their research related to:

• Preparing teachers for TPACK (technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge) and laboratory work.

• Developing and evaluating teacher PCK (pedagogical content knowledge) in Quantum Mechanics.

• In-service Physics teacher education for early childhood and primary levels.

• Pre-service Physics teacher education at all levels.

• In-service Physics teacher professional learning for second and higher-level education.

Chapters in this book inevitably look into how Physics teacher education is organizedin different countries.

 Suggestions are offered for possible ways of supporting Physics teachers’ learning.

An emphasis is made on the much-needed measurements of the effectiveness of different teaching strategies that improve teaching for learning.

All this should help professionals, researchers, and pre-service, as well as in-service teachers to get acquainted with the most recent research contributions in the field.

Introduction.- The Role of Metaphors in Teacher Education in Physics.- Young children interacting with the Physical world.- An educational perspective on the connections between physics and mathematics.- Recent developments in Physics Teacher Education in the USA: Toward a Broad Research Agenda.- The Development of Experimental Skills, the Role of Digital Technologies and Multimedia in Physics Teacher Education.- Approaches and teaching resources for teacher education in quantum physics.- Three formats of physics education at primary level.- Pre-service Physics Teacher Education at Primary and Secondary Levels.- Strategies for enhancing physics teacher education at secondary and university level.- Prospective primary teacher education on DC electrical circuits.- Encouraging a laboratory approach in physics teaching: a case study for preservice elementary teachers at Roma Tre University.- Physics for primary school teachers in Italy: Comparative analysis in a dedicated survey.- COSID-20: design and testing of a Home-Kit for physics laboratory at a distance with future teachers.

Joan Borg Marks is a B.Sc. graduate in Physics and Chemistry (Melit). She completed a postgraduate diploma in Educational Administration and Management (DEAM) (Melit), which motivated her interest in research on science education. She furthered her studies at the University of Loughborough, UK, graduating M.A. (Education Studies). She later read for a Ph.D. with the University of York, UK. Her research on mental modeling and concept development involved learners of different abilities, including the gifted. Early in her career, she taught physics, chemistry, mathematics, and general science at secondary and higher levels, in state and Church schools. She later joined the University of Malta (UM) and lectured in Physics at advanced and intermediate levels. She has presented her research in fora, both locally and abroad, while also participating in various teacher mobility programs, lecturing to pre-service teachers at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Moreover, she has been thecontact person for Malta in various EU-funded projects. She is presently affiliated with the Physics Department at the University of Malta.

Pauline Galea graduated B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Malta in 1977 and spent 10 years teaching A level Physics. She then obtained her Ph.D. in Geophysics from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and on her return to Malta, taught various topics in Physics and Geophysics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the Physics Department, University of Malta. In 2015, she was appointed the first head of the newly established Department of Geosciences, where she lectures to date. Throughout the past 25 years, she has coordinated the Seismic Monitoring and Research Group and carries out research mainly in seismology and seismic hazard.