The activities realized in the Physics Education project named Fisici Senza Frontiere are here presented and discussed

Bertelli, S.

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DOI 10.1393/ncc/i2018-18126-4Communications: SIF Congress 2017IL NUOVO CIMENTO 41 C (2018) 126Fisici Senza Frontiere: Physics laboratory-based activities forschoolsS. BertelliDipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara - Ferrara, Italyreceived 11 February 2018Summary. — The activities realized in the Physics Education project named FisiciSenza Frontiere are here presented and discussed.1. – IntroductionTeaching science in Primary schools in Italy is mainly affected by the training teachersreceived and some of them do not feel confident in teaching science subjects. In addition, afew adopted science textbooks give fragmentary notions and there are limited possibilitiesto participate to hands-on activities. Starting from an outreach event organized by theUniversity of Ferrara, we, as a group of young researchers in Physics, devised a project tofoster science dissemination based on practical activities involving pupils in experimentsand group discussions, making them playing the role of scientists. The recipients of thisactivity are mainly pupils attending the first cycle of the education system up to 14 yearsold, in the territory of Ferrara, Italy. We report about the developments of the projectin terms of best practice activities to bridge science and society.2. – The projectThe Physics Education project Fisici Senza Frontiere [1] is carried on by youngresearchers in Physics of the University of Ferrara and of the National Institute forNuclear Physics. It was instituted in 2014 as a by-product of an outreach event or-ganized by the Department of Physics of the University of Ferrara since 2010. Inthis outreach event Porte Aperte al Polo Scientifico Tecnologico [2], namely “Opendays at the Science and Technology campus” people have the chance to visit labora-tories devoted to STEM research. The recipients of these visits can be divided intothese samples: pupils up to 11 years old, pupils from middle and high schools (upto 18 years old), families and adults interested in science or motivated to discoverCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) 12 S. BERTELLIthe University environment. According to the recipients, two kind of visits are pro-grammed: junior and senior. In the junior visit, children can approach several ar-eas of science through short exhibitions related to Astronomy, Maths, Engineering,Computer Science, Physics and Earth Science. In this initiative groups of young re-searchers participate as tutors of these exhibitions and to make Physics attractive forkids, toy-based experiments are proposed to explore a specific topic that changes ev-ery year (such as light, optics, heat, pressure, matter). This science-related event canbe seen as a fruitful out-of-school learning space under several points of view: forkids as well for teachers to deepen science knowledge and it is a chance for teach-ers and researchers to compare and share ideas. In this environment, talking toteachers from different schools, it emerged that some of them do not feel confidentin teaching science and this kind of outreach events are very important for kids tocultivate a positive attitude to science. According to the Eurydice’s report [3], theway in which science is taught in schools depends on many factors related mainly tothe training received by teachers and the content of both school curriculum tests orexaminations.From the conversations with teachers it came out the idea to structure the exhibi-tions realized in this event in lectures providing pupils with a space to experience theopportunity of working as a scientist together with scientists. We thus created a groupof researchers dedicated to the realization of this project in some schools of the territory.Teachers have been involved while structuring the lectures in order to optimize the topicstreated as a function of the knowledge of pupils and the methodologies to adopt.The primary school curriculum in Italy [4] includes integrated science and the Physicstopics or concepts suggested to be treated in the guidelines are: atmospheric phenomena,astronomical phenomena, pupils should be able to identify the concepts of dimensions,weight, specific weight, force, movement, pressure, temperature, heat. Students shouldstart building the concept of energy. They should observe, schematize and describe statesof matter. In these guidelines there is a lack of continuity between different concepts.In our project, we structured several didactic units related to different Physics topicscollecting and analyzing materials from websites, video, science experiment books, usingscience kit existing already and making new ones with the help of technicians and profes-sors of the Department. The materials used during the lectures space from low-tech tohigh-tech. The lecture takes place in two hours and is structured in dialogic talk, demon-stration, group discussions and hands-on sessions. The children’s ideas play a central rolein the lecture. In the dialogic talk, pupils are required to share their knowledge and ex-perience using language to explain their thinking and to reflect on the reasoning, theyshould feel that they are an active part in the lecture. When the lecture is accompaniedwith demonstrations kids are asked to ponder about the phenomena under investigationand to explain what is going on. We tend to privilege the kinesthetic learning by meansof practical investigations, hands-on activities under our supervision or theatre-basedsession in which pupils play a central role in the explanation and the visual learningby means of video, drawings, schemes and diagrams. The topics explored during theselectures are: Heat and temperature, optics, electricity and magnetism, the Solar System,pressure and vacuum, atmospheric phenomena, forces and movement, the microcosm:from the atoms to particle physics. As examples I shall present three of them in the nextsessions: heat and temperature, optics and electricity and magnetism. Every lecture isprefaced by a short discussion on what physics is and studies, then the structure of thescientific method is introduced and related to the figure of Galileo Galilei. When possi-ble, we try to include some chronicles of History of Physics since we would like pupils toFISICI SENZA FRONTIERE: PHYSICS LABORATORY-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOOLS 3Fig. 1. – The three disk used to prove the melting of ice on conductor materials.get familiar with the idea that science has is own time, that some phenomena took yearsto be understood and that science is animated and made by people.3. – Heat and temperatureThe didactic unit devoted to heat and temperature starts asking pupils to thinkabout the definition of heat. They generally answer connecting heat to the sensationof something warm, sun or summer. This is a chance to us to introduce pupils to thescientific language, telling them that scientists to communicate their work, their researchand studies use ordinary words and sometimes they invented new ones. We invite pupilsto check on the dictionary the meaning of heat and usually the second definition is relatedto heat in Physics as a form of energy. After this we divide the classroom in groups of4-5 pupils each and make them working together. We distribute different objects and weask pupils to touch and classify them as hot, cold or neutral. They have to prepare atable that summarize the answers of all the components of the groups and they have todiscuss their opinions. Then we ask whether the temperature of these objects is the sameand the answer is 99% no, the temperatures are different. We measure the temperaturesand we ask pupils why we feel them so different. After a guided discussion they concludethat it depends on the materials, in few cases (less than 5%) the answer comes directlyfrom pupils. At this point we define thermal conductors and insulators and we let pupilsplay the role of a conductor or an insulator using a homemade model of atoms (smallspheres connected with elastic cords) to explore what happens inside these materialswhen they approach a heat source. After that, we show different objects they see also intheir home (like a spoon, a wooden spoon, a pot holder, a polystyrene ice cream box) andwe lead pupil identify them in term of conductor or insulator and ponder about theirusage in different situations. We define the temperature and the Celsius, Fahrenheitand Kelvin scales are presented. We say when we use them and (what pupils like themost) we made them see an image of these scientists to highlight that science is madeby many people, discoveries and sometimes mistakes. The conduction of heat in solidat different temperatures is described using a picture that illustrated two objects atdifferent temperatures (different colors) when they are separated and when they are putinto contact. This drawing is distributed to pupils and they have to describe how theconduction of heat happens. The answer (95%) is that the heat goes from the warm tothe cold one. To explore this fact we proceed with a demonstration in which we takethree equal disks made of different materials: cork, plexiglas and metal, see fig. 1. Pupilsare asked to touch these materials and to answer this question: if we put an ice cube oneach of these disks, where does the ice cube melt faster? The answer (95%) is betweencork and plexiglas. Pupils are astonished when they see that the ice cube melts fasteron the metal disk and after having seen this they claim it is because the metal disk is aconductor.4 S. BERTELLIFig. 2. – A thermoscope made by pupils.Students are asked to build a thermoscope, see fig. 2, using a bottle, water, foodcoloring, modeling clay and a straw. Pupils take the bottle filled partially with coloredwater and place the straw inside the bottle without touching the bottom; they thus createa cup with the modeling clay. When warming the bottle with their hands they observethe water raising in the straw. This is the chance to investigate the dilation in solid,liquid and gas. To appreciate the difference of the dilation in the states of matter, weshow them the Gravesande’s ring experiment. The last session is dedicated to convectionin fluids and we used a toy-based experiment to investigate this phenomenon. We usuallybring a lava lamp and we explain this in term of a slow-motion convection. To concludethe lecture we propose a quiz by means of a crossword puzzle.4. – OpticsThe unit starts with a definition of light and optics and we classify together withpupils different types of materials when they interact with light as reflective, transparent,opaque, translucent material. Using a flexible tube and a torch, pupils working in smallgroups can demonstrate the linear propagation of light. After that, students are requestedto represent how the mechanism of vision takes place, the correct answer is around50%. The other 50% represent the vision as ancient Greeks used to. In this stage isvery significant how they communicate together sharing their idea and how they makedecisions. Using a didactic kit, pupils explore the laws of geometrical optics. The didactickit consists of a multi-ray projector that provides collimated light beams (adjustablein direction) that one can turn on simultaneously or not and make them impinge ondifferent obstacles. We usually start with a plane mirror and students can verify using aFISICI SENZA FRONTIERE: PHYSICS LABORATORY-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOOLS 5Fig. 3. – The top used to show an effect of refraction.paper goniometer the reflection law. After that we use a concave mirror to determine thecharacteristics of images formed by these surfaces and we compared them with the imagesobtained using a spoon. Another topic investigated during the lecture is the refractionthat pupils explore using the beams of the multi-ray projector impinge on objects ofseveral shapes made of plexiglas. In everyday life pupils are familiar to refraction whenat the seaside they observe fishes or stones above the water and they have an higherapparent height with respect to the actual one. Pupils can prove it using a top of a jar inwhich we have glued an image on the bottom of it. Pupils are invited to find a positionin a room when they no longer see the image but only the border of the top. We fill itwith water and the image is visible again. Most of pupils think that the image floats onthe water but they realize this is not true when they come closer and they see that theimage is still on the bottom (see fig. 3).Using a light beam and a prism, pupils explore the dispersion of light and they cansee the difference when we use a monochromatic light incident on the prism. We henceexplain the rainbow. Using colored filters, we investigate how do we see the coloredobjects. During this didactic unit, we often explain the colors of the sky, to accomplishthis we imply a box filled with water and some milk and we illuminate it with a torch.The water and the milk play the role of our atmosphere and pupils can observe howthe white light torch passing through water and milk looks blue in the region close tothe torch and looks yellow-orange when observing it through the longer path. Anothertopic treated during this lecture is the additive color synthesis and this is realized usinga three-led kit (see fig. 4), pupils can interact with them, create different colors andvary the intensity to create the white light [5]. We tell pupils about the electromagneticspectrum and we discuss about despite the fact we can only see the visible region, we usea large part the spectrum in our ordinary life, for instance we talk about the microwaveoven.5. – Electricity and magnetismIn this unit pupils explore the physical phenomena related to charging. The lecturebegins introducing the atom and his components to end up with electric charges and theCoulomb interaction. We talk about the existence of the four fundamental interactions.After that we start defining the different types of charging. By means of balloons, cans,rice and polystyrene students, working in small groups, conduct experiments to investi-6 S. BERTELLIFig. 4. – The three-led kit used to explain and demonstrate the additive color synthesis.gate the charging by friction and by induction and they are asked to ponder and explainwhat they observe. We treat the charging by contact and pupils build an electroscopeexploring what happens when neutral or charged objects approach or touch the top ofthe electroscope. We provide pupils with a sketch that represents the phases of the exper-iment involving the electroscope and they have to complete the illustration reproducingby drawing the charge distribution inside the electroscope. The following demonstrationis aimed to catch pupils’ attention with an apparent magic using a portable Van deGraaff to make objects flying. Students are required to reason on what happens, on theshape objects acquired once charged and what they observe when they are discharged.After that the Wimshurst’s machine is showed in operation and its working principleis illustrated by means of schemes or videos. At this point simple cases of circuits areintroduced and pupils are asked to play the role of the components of a circuit, they haveto form a chain (holding their hands) that closes on each end of a small tube armed withelectrodes; when these electrodes are touched, the circuit is closed causing the LED lightsinside the tube illuminate and a sound signal is turned on. Pupils experiment close andopen circuits as they break the chain stopping holding their hands. Students have thetask to create together a circuit that consists in a battery that powers a LED light. Theequipment is composed by little pieces of sponge, copper and zinc foils, lemon, screwsand rods. Students can test different types of components (little pencils, plastic . . .) toidentify insulator and conductor materials. In the last part of the session, magnetism isintroduced using magnets and making pupils reason on the behavior of magnets whenfacing the same or opposite poles. Using different shaped magnets, pupils are asked toobserve the displacement of iron filing when magnets are placed close to it. We makeFISICI SENZA FRONTIERE: PHYSICS LABORATORY-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOOLS 7them ponder of the possibility to trace and visualize the existence of the magnetic field.We use a magnetic clepsydra, a toy-based experiment to investigate the behavior of ironfiling when gravitational and magnetic forces act on it.6. – Perspectives and conclusionStarting from 2014 we went in different school in the territory of Ferrara and we tookpart to different science-related initiatives like festivals, University for kids lectures [6],museum-based activities in which we conducted interactive exhibitions addressed mainlyto kids and their families. In 2016/2017, 600 pupils attending schools in Ferrara andin the countryside, Milan and Frascati (Rome) participated to our activities. DuringJune 2017 we were involved in a STEM summer camp addressed to children in whichwe organized Physics Education activities in different days. Between September andNovember 2017, this project inspired a work-related program that involved 12 studentsaged 16-17 attending the High School Liceo Scientifico Roiti in Ferrara. The focusof the program was to study the profile of the expert in science communication. Atthis aim, the 12 students under our supervision, had the task of devising a Physicslaboratory-based lecture for kids dedicated to Astronomy. They conducted this lecturesduring November 2017 in the presence of 24 Primary school classes promoting publicengagement with science. In the activities proposed so far, an assessment stage was nottaken into account. We proposed quiz (after the lecture) to some group of students tohave a feedback on the topics knowledge and to probe the comprehension and the useof the scientific language. For the future we intend to include an assessment phase todevelop a research on these activities and we are going to organize courses addressedto teachers to cultivate science literacy either at the pupil level or at the teacher level,providing teachers with the support and the instruments to make experiment in scienceteaching.∗ ∗ ∗I would like to acknowledge the researchers who contributed in preparing and structur-ing the didactic units and participated to the project: Ilaria Balossino, Laura Bandiera,Pietro Bergamini, Paolo Bernardoni, Micol Boschetti, Martina Buiat, Silvia Calabrese,Enrico Calore, Elena Dall’Occo, Barbara Fabbri, Silvio Fugattini, Giacomo Gadda, En-rico Gamberini, Isabella Garzia, Giulio Mezzadri, Linda Polastri, Francesco Forastieri,Gaia Pupillo, Valentina Rolando. I would like to thank the Department of Physics andEarth Science of Ferrara University and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics tosupport us.REFERENCES[1] Fisici Senza Frontiere, www.fe.infn.it/fisicisenzafrontiere.[2] Porte Aperte al Polo Scientifico Tecnologico, porteaperte.fe.infn.it.[3] Eurydice, Science Teaching in Schools in Europe, www.indire.it/lucabas/lkmw file/eurydice/Science teaching EN.pdf.[4] indicazioninazionali.it, http://www.indicazioninazionali.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/decreto-ministeriale-254-del-16-novembre-2012-indicazioni-nazionali-curricolo-scuola-infanzia-e-primo-ciclo.pdf.[5] Planins̆ic̆ G. et al., Phys. Teach., 52 (2014) 94.[6] Unijunior Università per Bambini, https://www.unijunior.it.

Fisici Senza Frontiere: Physics laboratory-based activities for schools

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Fisici Senza Frontiere: Physics laboratory-based activities for schools

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