Hands-on experiments and inquiry for teaching electricity and magnetism in Secondary Science IV

Abstract

T

he proposed workshop to be presented during the 2006 SPP Physics Congress is intended to enable teachers of Secondary Science IV (Physics) to teach physics through simple hands-on experiments and inquiry with the use of improvised apparatus. It will focus on the topics of electricity and magnetism included in the learning competencies of the new Secondary Science IV (Physics) syllabus.
Participants in groups of two or three will do the hands-on experiments from one learning station to another until they have completed the series of experiments prepared for electricity and magnetism. They are supposed to record their observations and answer/discuss the questions in each activity. It is hoped that through the exposure the participants will be encouraged to teach physics in an inquiry and activity based learning environment. It is also to demonstrate that the absence/lack of apparatus in most high schools is not totally hopeless; experimentation and inquiry learning can be done by students using improvised apparatus and the adoption of learning station in the conduct of experiments of students experiments.