Program Overview

M.Ed on Education and Innovation: EDUP2 - Evidence-based Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Physics I

Course Description

This course focuses on the theories and principles of learning design in physics and their application in the physics classroom and laboratory. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of relevant theories and practice in the physics teaching profession and then critically reflect on selected pedagogical practices and the overarching nature of physics education in the UAE context.

Course Resources

The following books are recommended for the course:

• Good Practice in Science Teaching by Justin Dillon; Jonathan Osborne
• Learning to Teach Science in the Secondary School by Rob Toplis (Editor)
• Science Education by Keith S. Taber (Volume Editor); Ben Ben Akpan (Volume Editor)
• The Big Ideas in Physics and How to Teach Them by Ben Rogers
• The Teaching of Science in Primary Schools by Wynne Harlen OBE
• Cognition, metacognition, and culture in STEM education : Learning, teaching and assessment by Yehudit Judy Dori, Zemira R.varech, Dale R. Baker
• Visible Learning for Science, Grades K-12 : What Works Best to Optimize Student Learning by John T. Almarode, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie
• Teaching Secondary Science by Keith Ross; Liz Lakin; Janet McKechnie; Jim Baker

Weekly Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to Course
  • Required Reading:
    • Dillon, J., & Manning, A. (2010). Science Teachers, Science Teaching: Issues and Challenges.
    • Toplis, R. (2015). Learning to teach science in the secondary school: A companion to school experience (Chapter 1)
• Week 2: Effective Teaching Practices for Science Education: What does the research say?
  • Required Reading:
    • Luft., J.A. & Dubois, S.L. (2017). Essential Instructional Practices for Science Teaching.
    • Holbrook, J. (2017). 21st Century Skills and Science Learning Environments.
• Week 3: Inquiry-based Learning (1)
  • Required Reading:
    • Riga., F., Winterbottom., M., Harris., E. & Newby, L. (2017). Inquiry based science education.
    • Ben, R. (2018). The Big Ideas in Physics and How to Teach Them: Teaching Physics 11–18.
• Week 4: Inquiry-based Learning (1)
  • Required Reading:
    • Seraphin, K. D., Philippoff, J., Kaupp, L., & Vallin, L. M. (2012). Metacognition as means to increase the effectiveness of inquiry-based science education.
    • Harlen, W. (2018). The Teaching of Science (Chapter 8: Learning through Inquiry)
• Week 5: Active Learning Approaches in Science: Bridging the gap between Theory and Practice
  • Required Reading:
    • Ben, R. (2018). The Big Ideas in Physics and How to Teach Them: Teaching Physics 11–18.
    • Crawford, B. A., & Capps, D. K. (2018). Teacher cognition of engaging children in scientific practices.
• Week 6: Effective Teaching Strategies in Science
  • Required Reading:
    • Hattie, J. (2018). Visible Learning for Science, Grades K-12: What Works Best to Optimize Student Learning (Chapter 1).
    • Ross, K., Lakin, L., McKechnie, J., & Baker, J. (2010). Teaching secondary science: Constructing meaning and developing understanding.
• Week 7: Planning and Preparation for Effective Physics Pedagogy Lesson planning (I)
  • Required Reading:
    • De Winter, J. (2017). Teaching and Learning Physics.
    • Harlen, W. (2018). The Teaching of Science (Chapter 20: Class level planning)
• Week 8: Planning and Preparation for Effective Physics Pedagogy Lesson Planning (II)
  • Required Reading:
    • Toplis, R. (2015). Learning to teach science in the secondary school: A companion to school experience (Chapter 4)
• Week 9: Micro-Teaching
• Week 10: Strategies for teaching "Hard to teach" (H2T) topics in Physics (I)
  • Required Reading:
    • Kaur, T., Blair, D., Moschilla, J., Stannard, W., & Zadnik, M. (2017). Teaching Einsteinian physics at schools: part 1, models and analogies for relativity.
    • Hattie, J. (2018). Visible Learning for Science, Grades K-12: What Works Best to Optimize Student Learning (Chapter 5)
• Week 11: Professional learning and meeting teaching standards as a science teacher through critical reflection
  • Required Reading:
    • Teacher standards
    • UAE inspection framework