Menahem Finegold

Students’ concepts of force as applied to related physical systems: A search for consistency

Abstract Recent attempts to categorize students’ conceptual understanding of physical phenomena into consistent and meaningful frameworks have had limited success. We report here on an analytic technique by means of which we were able to identify what appear to be meaningful conceptual categories of students’ understanding of force. However, we found only very limited support for two often‐quoted alternative frameworks, viz.: (a) if a body is moving, a net force always acts on it in the direction of the motion, and (b) no forces act on objects at rest.

Models in physics: perceptions held by final‐year prospective physical science teachers studying at South African universities

Abstract The nature of physics as a scientific discipline is largely determined by the models of reality it utilizes. It is therefore appropriate that teachers of physics have a sound knowledge of the origin and nature of these models, their functions and the role they play in the development of the discipline. The results of a study with regard to the perceptions of models held by prospective physical science (a combination of physics and chemistry) teachers studying at South African universities are reported in this paper. The overall conclusion drawn from the study is that these students are far from prepared to incorporate models properly in their teaching. General misconceptions about models have also been identified. These misconceptions can have far‐reaching effects on the structuring of the physics knowledge of pupils exposed to them.

Adapting physics curriculum materials across a language barrier: a feasibility study

This paper has two purposes, one general and the other specific. The general purpose is to examine, from a case‐study point of view, the scope and limitations of adapting curriculum materials developed in one country, to the language and needs of another country. The specific purpose is to examine the feasibility of adapting an existing Israeli programme in order to meet the physics curriculum needs of a disadvantaged population in South Africa.

Student Learning Behaviours as a Means for a Cognitive Evaluation of a Physics Program.

Abstract The formative evaluation model presented here examines the character of classroom interaction by juxtaposing required and performed student learning behaviours. We use the concept of learning behaviours as a tool for the examination of interactions among the commonplaces of learning (students, teachers, and curriculum materials). We define learning behaviours as actions performed by the students as a result of learning stimuli that are presumed to advance the student towards the acquirement of new knowledge. Learning behaviours may have negative as well as positive outcomes. For example, the identification of variables in an experiment, a required learning behaviour, might very possibly lead to the identification of non-relevant as well as relevant variables. This could lead to the development of misconceptions concerning conclusions drawn from the experiment. Hopefully, such student misconceptions arising from the materials would be identified during the process of formative evaluation. The evaluation model described here is an integral part of a curriculum project aimed at the development of learning materials in physics for technical vocational high schools. In particular, the materials are intended to teach basic principles of physics to students of poor motivation and limited ability. They are oriented towards the needs of technical vocational students and present physics and technology as complementary disciplines (Finegold & Reiner, 1984).

Conic sections through the looking‐glass

An experimental‐optical approach to the teaching of conic sections is presented. This approach has been used successfully for a considerable time with high school pupils and with students taking degree courses in the teaching of mathematics and physics. Mirrors in the form of parabola, ellipse, circle and hyperbola are used to show paths of incident and reflected light. These paths demonstrate the optical characteristics of the mirror curves and some geometrical characteristics of the conic sections. Finally, for completeness as a teaching tool, the string and pencil methods of drawing the conic sections are noted.