Logic circuits and optical circuits: A teaching learning sequence to build quantum computation for high school students

The possibility to realize experimental devices from the circuit representation of protocols and algorithms for quantum computation and quantum information is embedded in their mathematical formulation, and such opportunity becomes extremely relevant in a teaching context where the formal logical aspect need to be supported by ideal physical realizations. We present a part of the teaching learning sequence constructed for this purpose and the first outcomes of two experiments conducted by teachers from the Liceo Volta in Castel San Giovanni and Liceo Scientifico Gramsci in Florence. The approach followed aims to build a useful dialectic between diagrammatic representations and ideal experimental setups with optical devices, involving students through inquiry-based teaching strategies with the goal of promoting understanding and construction of the formal language and logic of quantum protocols

In search of the keys of deep understanding: Physics education research in Pavia

In this paper we present recent work of the physics education group at the University of Pavia, some of which in collaboration with other researchers. The unifying trait of research in Pavia, which the present paper aims to clarify, is its focus on conceptual understanding from a wide perspective, including the design of teaching-learning sequences, studies on teacher professional development, conceptual change research. We discuss three different examples of research directions, all concerning work performed in the past two years

Introducing Quantum Technologies at Secondary School Level: Challenges and Potential Impact of an Online Extracurricular Course

Stimulated by the European project “QTEdu CSA”, within the flagship “Quantum Technologies”, a community of researchers active in the fields of quantum technologies and physics education has designed and implemented an extracurricular course on quantum physics concepts and quantum technologies applications for high school. The course, which featured eight interactive lectures, was organized online between March and May 2021 and attended by about 250 students from all over Italy. In this paper, we describe the main tenets and activities of the course. Moreover, we report on the effectiveness of the course on students’ knowledge of the basic concepts of quantum physics and students’ views about epistemic aspects and applications of quantum technologies. Results show that the designed activities were effective in improving students’ knowledge about fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and familiarizing them with quantum technology applications

Quantum technologies: a course for teacher professional development

We present an educational path for teacher professional development whose primary purpose is to enhance physics teachers' knowledge and awareness of topics related to quantum computation and quantum information, and of their relevance for technological advancement. Besides their objective importance, also stressed by several authors and projects, the choice of topics not traditionally covered in the final year physics curricula also arises from the concrete possibility of developing a multidisciplinary path, able to represent under a unified perspective several subjects treated in secondary school physics and mathematics. The project is realized in the context of the Italian PLS (Plan for Science Degrees) and the education section of the Quantum Flagship. Due to the limitations related to the COVID-19 pandemic it was entirely delivered in the form of synchronous distance learning and was attended by around 30 teachers. Asynchronous discussion was performed using both generally available tools (Google drive, forms etc.) and a dedicated online forum set up on the servers of the University of Pavia. We discuss the structure of the educational path and the results of the first part of the course whose purpose was describing the transition from classical to quantum computation. In general, from both the written pre-questionnaire and the mid-course interviews, strong appreciation and fascination emerge for the cultural significance of the introduced topics and connections

The potential of using Jupyter Notebook in physics education: Experimentation for high school students

The diffusion of Covid-19 has attracted the attention of the student population to the possibility of describing the spread of the epidemic by means of suitable mathematical models. Thanks to the data made available by the Civil Protection, an interdisciplinary learning activity was created and concretely proposed to students in two Italian secondary schools in Rome and Pavia between April and May 2020. We present the work about the possibility of introducing the use of Jupyter Notebook with Python more generally in physics teaching

Bubble: Experimenting with Feynman’s sum over paths approach in the secondary school

We discuss a teaching experiment on the introduction of elements of quantum physics already at the level of the fourth year of high school (17–18 years old students) using Feynman’s sum over paths approach. More precisely, the educational sequence is constructed on the juxtaposition of the wave and quantum theories of light, and it constitutes an attempt to anticipate the current status of the past, secular debate on the nature of light to young students, while providing them with a unifying perspective on different approaches, models and theories which are encountered in high school. The experimentation is part of the research on quantum physics education in secondary school conducted by the Physics Education group in Pavia, and it was developed by the author as a thesis work in the context of the IDIFO-6 Master coordinated by the University of Udine. The focus of the work is on the gradual introduction of innovative elements in the traditional high school didactics. Analysis of the experimentation data shows very rich and complex patterns, allowing to identify activities which may be more productive for students and to uncover weak points and student’s difficulties

In search of the keys of deep understanding: Physics education research in Pavia

In this paper we present recent work of the physics education group at the University of Pavia, some of which in collaboration with other researchers. The unifying trait of research in Pavia, which the present paper aims to clarify, is its focus on conceptual understanding from a wide perspective, including the design of teaching-learning sequences, studies on teacher professional development, conceptual change research. We discuss three different examples of research directions, all concerning work performed in the past two years

Physics for Primary School Teachers in Italy: Comparative Analysis in a Dedicated Survey

In Italy, a five-year university course “Scienze della formazione primaria”, which can be translated as Primary Education Degree Course (henceforth PEDC), is dedicated to train the future teachers of kindergarten and primary school (age range 3–11). The Italian project PLS-Physics (“Piano Lauree Scientifiche”), financed by the government and coordinated by J. Immè, has among its objectives the improvement of school-university cooperation, through a pre- and in-service teacher education. In this context, a group composed of PLS members (named PLS group 6, coordinated by M. Michelini) organized a national survey to gather information about the physics courses for PEDC in all the Italian universities. A picture of a living community that has chosen to confront and improve together has emerged. The aim of this study is to monitor the status of the art concerning the initial training of kindergarten and primary school teachers in Italy, as a first step for the creation of shared formative actions, also in a dialogue with the national government. The relation between teaching practice and physics education research has also been investigated