Abstract
Problem-solving plays a central role among the various manifestations of the interrelations between physics and mathematics in the high-school physics classroom.
Research on the problem-solving habits of physics high-school students shows that they often start and end solving problems by looking for seemingly relevant formulas, thus decrementing the development of their physics understanding. From another perspective, teachers were found to employ in their teaching different phys-math patterns which share in common one aspect: they all begin from physics (qualitatively) before moving on to mathematics.
Here we describe a study on the use of a classroom activity (“Starting with Physics”) that attempts to motivate students to employ, when solving problems, physics concepts and principles before using formulas and other mathematical manipulations technically. Students receive only the first part of a problem consisting of a textual description of a phenomenon and the relevant mathematical information, without any subsequent questions. They are asked to describe and explain the phenomenon by using physics concepts and principles without using equations.
A study was carried out in physics high-school classes that used this activity. The findings indicate that most of the students managed to adequately describe the events using appropriate physics concepts and principles and that the mathematics that they utilized helped them promote their physics understanding. The students were cognizant of the rationale of the activity’s design and its important contribution to their learning. This activity is highly appreciated by physics teachers. They claim that it emphasizes the common underlying physical principles of apparently different problems and supports problem-solving in physics. However, it is necessary to carry it out with the same students several times in order to bring about its habitual use.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bagno, E., Berger, H., & Eylon, B. S. (2008). Meeting the challenge of students’ understanding of formulae in high-school physics: A learning tool. Physics Education, 43(1), 75–82.
Berger, H., Eylon, B., & Bagno, E. (2008). Professional development of physics teachers in an evidence-based blended learning program. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17(4), 399–409.
Bing, T. J., & Redish, E. F. (2009). Analyzing problem solving using math in physics: Epistemological framing via warrants. Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 5, 020108.
Byun, T., & Lee, G. (2014). Why students still can’t solve physics problems after solving over 2000 problems. American Journal of Physics, 82, 906.
Chi, M. T. H., Feltovich, P. J., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5(2), 121–152.
Eylon, B., Berger, H., & Bagno, E. (2008). An evidence-based continuous professional development program on knowledge integration in physics: A study of teachers’ collective discourse. International Journal of Science Education, 30, 619–641.
Harrison, C., Hofstein, A., Eylon, B., & Simon, S. (2008). Evidence-based professional development of teachers in two countries. International Journal of Research in Science Education, 30, 577–591.
Heller, K., & Heller, P. (2010). Cooperative problem solving in physics – A User’s manual: Why? What? How? Alexandria: The National Science Foundation.
Karam, R. (2014). Framing the structural role of mathematics in physics lectures: A case study on electromagnetism. Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 10, 010119.
Kim, E., & Pak, S.-J. (2002). Students do not overcome conceptual difficulties after solving 1000 traditional problems. American Journal of Physics, 70, 759.
Lehavi, Y., Bagno, E., Eylon, B. S., Mualem, R., Pospiech, G., & Böhm, U. (2015). Towards a PCK of physics and mathematics interplay. In The GIREP MPTL 2014 Conference Proceedings.
Lehavi, Y., Bagno, E., Eylon, B. S., Mualem, R., Pospiech, G., Böhm, U., Krey, O., & Karam, R. (2017). Classroom evidence of teachers’ PCK of the interplay of physics and mathematics. In T. Greczyło & E. Dębowska (Eds.), Key competences in physics teaching and learning (Springer proceedings in physics) (Vol. 190, pp. 95–104). Cham: Springer.
Linn, M. C., & Eylon, B. S. (2006). Science education: Integrating views of learning and instruction. In P. A. Alexander & P. H. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of Educational Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 511–544). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Linn, M. C., & Eylon, B. S. (2011). Science learning and instruction: Taking advantage of technology to promote knowledge integration. New York: Routledge.
Mason, A., & Singh, C. (2010). Helping students learn effective problem solving strategies by reflecting with peers. American Journal of Physics, 78, 748.
Pospiech, G., & Geyer, M.-A. (2016). Physical – Mathematical modelling in physics teaching. In Electronic proceedings – Key competences in physics teaching and learning (pp. 38–44). Wroclaw: Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Wrocław. Abgerufen von. http://girep2015.ifd.uni.wroc.pl/.
Pospiech, G., & Oese, E. (2014). Use of mathematical elements in physics – Grade 8. In Active learning – In a changing world of new technologies (pp. S. 199–S. 206). Prag: Charles University in Prague, MATFYZPRESS Publisher.
Redish, E. F., & Kuo, E. (2015). Language of physics, language of math: Disciplinary culture and dynamic epistemology. Science & Education, 24, 561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-015-9749-7.
Reiser, B. J. (2004). Scaffolding complex learning: The mechanisms of structuring and problematizing student work. Journal of the Learning Science, 13, 273–304. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327809jls1303_2.
Sherin, B. (2001). How students understand physics equations. Cognition & Instruction, 19, 479.
Uhden, O., Karam, R., Pospiech, G., & Pietrocola, M. (2012). Modelling mathematical reasoning in physics education. Science & Education, 20(4), 485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-011-9396-6.
Van Heuvelen, A. (1991). Learning to think like a physicist: A review of research-based instructional strategies. American Journal of Physics, 59(10), 891–897.
Yerushalmi, E., & Eylon, B. (2016). Problem solving in science learning. In R. Gunstone (Ed.), Encyclopedia of science education. Heidelberg: Springer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bagno, E., Berger, H., Magen, E., Polingher, C., Lehavi, Y., Eylon, B. (2019). Starting with Physics: A Problem-Solving Activity for High-School Students Connecting Physics and Mathematics. In: Pospiech, G., Michelini, M., Eylon, BS. (eds) Mathematics in Physics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04627-9_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04627-9_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04626-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04627-9
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)