Description
In our world today, scientists and technologists speak one language of reality. Everyone else, whether they be prime ministers, lawyers, or primary school teachers speak an outdated Newtonian language of reality.
While Newton saw time and space as rigid and absolute, Einstein showed that time is relative – it depends on height and velocity – and that space can stretch and distort. The modern Einsteinian perspective represents a significant paradigm shift compared with the Newtonian paradigm that underpins most of the school education today. Research has shown that young learners quickly access and accept Einsteinian concepts and the modern language of reality. Students enjoy learning about curved space, photons, gravitational waves, and time dilation; often, they ask for more!
A consistent education within the Einsteinian paradigm requires rethinking of science education across the entire school curriculum, and this is now attracting attention around the world. This book brings together a coherent set of chapters written by leading experts in the field of Einsteinian physics education. The book begins by exploring the fundamental concepts of space, time, light, and gravity and how teachers can introduce these topics at an early age. A radical change in the curriculum requires new learning instruments and innovative instructional approaches. Throughout the book, the authors emphasise and discuss evidence-based approaches to Einsteinian concepts, including computer- based tools, geometrical methods, models and analogies, and simplified mathematical treatments.
Teaching Einsteinian Physics in Schools is designed as a resource for teacher education students, primary and secondary science teachers, and for anyone interested in a scientifically accurate description of physical reality at a level appropriate for school education.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Motivations and needs to teach Einsteinian physics
1. Intuition in Einsteinian physics
Bernard Schutz
2. Time for changing paradigms in science and in education
David F. Treagust
3. The difficult birth of quantum physics
David Blair
4. The difficult birth of gravitational wave astronomy
David Blair, Magdalena Kersting
Section 2: Instructional approaches to teach Einsteinian physics
Special Relativity
5. Dynamics first - a novel approach to relativity
Friedrich Herrmann, Michael Pohlig
6. Event diagrams – supporting student reasoning in special relativity through thought experiments
Floor Kamphorst, Elwin Savelsbergh, Marjolein Vollebregt, Wouter van Joolingen
7. Introducing relativity on rotated graph paper
Roberto B. Salgado
8. Pushing the boundaries of Einsteinian physics education using virtual reality technology
Jackie Bondell, Mark Myers
General Relativity
9. Standing on the shoulders of giants – how historical perspectives on gravity can inform modern physics education
Magdalena Kersting
10. Models and analogies in teaching general relativity
Markus Pössel
11. Gravitational lensing as a focal point for teaching general relativity
Karl-Heinz Lotze, Silvia Simionato
12. Introducing the geometric concepts of general relativity with sector models
Ute Kraus, Corvin Zahn, Sven Weissenborn
13. Where do gravitational waves come from, and how can we detect more?
Joris van Heijningen
14. Using the language of gravity to teach about space, time, and matter in general relativity
Magdalena Kersting
Quantum Physics
15. Introducing quantum physics with toy photons
Tejinder Kaur, David Blair
16. Teaching quantum physics to middle and high school students using phasor-wheels
Rahul Choudhery, David Blair
17. Gold, Einstein’s Metal
David Blair
18. Patterns and atoms: the structure of atomic matter
David Blair
Section 3: Introducing Einsteinian physics around the world
19. Norway: Designing learning resources and investigating student motivation and learning in general relativity and quantum physics in Norway
Ellen Karoline Henriksen
20. Germany: Towards a comprehensive general relativity course for secondary school
Ute Kraus, Corvin Zahn
21. Australia: Einstein-First: modernising the school physics curriculum in Western Australia and beyond
Carolyn Maxwell, David Blair, Jyoti Kaur, Rahul Choudhary, Marjan Zadnik
22. Scotland: The introduction of Einsteinian physics to the upper secondary school physics curriculum in Scotland: experiences and observations
Stuart Farmer
23. Netherlands: Towards a study module on general relativity in the Netherlands
Stanley Delhaye, Lesley de Putter, Birgit Pepin
24. Czech Republic: Introducing general relativity without special relativity - classroom experience from the Czech Republic
Matěj Ryston
25. South Korea: Toward understanding Einsteinian physics education: relativity education as an exemplar
Hongbin Kim, Gyoungho Lee
