We describe the design rationale and structure of a Methods for Teaching Physics course that was redesigned as a project-based learning (PBL) environment, and the entailed learning process it fostered. The projects consisted of the design and teaching of physics lessons with predefined content and pedagogical focus and were structured as a guided…

This study compared students' learning in troubleshooting and problem solving activities. The troubleshooting activities provided students with solutions to conceptual problems in the form of refutation texts; namely, solutions that portray common misconceptions, refute them, and then present the accepted scientific ideas. They required students…

Examines the views of a representative sample of experts in physics, physics education, and history and philosophy of science (HPS) on the incorporation of HPS-based materials in physics instruction. Reports on three areas: (1) the rationale to include HPS; (2) the most appropriate ways of doing so; and (3) anticipated difficulties with such a new…

Students frequently misconceive the process of problem-solving, expecting the linear process required for solving an exercise, rather than the convoluted search process required to solve a genuine problem. In this paper we present an activity designed to foster in students realization and appreciation of the nature of the problem-solving process,…

Conventional science instruction often fails to address or change students' misconceptions about physical phenomena. Students stubbornly cling to anthropocentric, causal, and product conceptions about energy. This article explores scientific and pedagogical arguments favoring development of a spiral curriculum for teaching energy in (Israeli)…