Addressing students’ difficulties with Faraday’s law: A guided problem solving approach

Abstract

In traditional teaching, the fundamental concepts of electromagnetic induction are usually quickly analyzed, spending most of the time solving problems in a more or less rote manner. However, physics education research has shown that the fundamental concepts of the electromagnetic induction theory are barely understood by students. This article proposes an interactive teaching sequence introducing the topic of electromagnetic induction. The sequence has been designed based on contributions from physics education research. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between experimental findings (macroscopic level) and theoretical interpretation (microscopic level). An example of the activities that have been designed will also be presented, describing the implementation context and the corresponding findings. Since implementing the sequence, a considerable number of students have a more satisfactory grasp of the electromagnetic induction explicative model. However, difficulties are manifested in aspects that require a multilevel explanation, referring to deep structures where the system description is better defined.

Analyzing high school students’ reasoning about electromagnetic induction

“…There exists a considerable amount of research on student difficulties with the basic concepts in the domain of electricity and magnetism [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], but relatively few studies focus on the difficulties that students face while tackling the topic of electromagnetic induction (EMI) [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Yet, EMI might be the most difficult topic in the domain of electricity and magnetism at the introductory level, as some studies suggest [2], at least of those covered by the widely used Conceptual Survey in Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) [1].…”

Identifying student and teacher difficulties in interpreting atomic spectra using a quantum model of emission and absorption of radiation

“…This article is part of a more ambitious project for the development and testing of guided problem-solving materials [22][23][24] in introductory physics courses to enable students to understand some basic concepts in quantum mechanics. In this article we focus on the difficulties that students encounter when trying to understand quantum emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation, and the frequency and the intensity of spectral lines.…”

Teaching Physics for Engineers using an Active Learning approach

“…Usually, students have several misconceptions related to Electricity and Magnetism [1][2][3][4][5], to overcome this difficulties and promote a better understanding of Physics concepts, Maua Institute of Technology adopt active learning techniques, such as project development through project-based learning (PBL) in teaching Physics methodologies. PBL approach develops numerous skills, such as critical thinking, information processing, analysis, reflection, and questioning [5][6][7][8][9].…”