Didactics and Digital Technologies in Physics Education

Code:

DID4022

Acronym:

DID4022

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Didactics

Instance: 2025/2026 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://elearning2.fc.up.pt/aulasweb0910/
Responsible unit:	Science Education Unit
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Physics and Chemistry Teacher Education for Middle and Secondary Schools

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:EFQ	22	Official study plan since 2025/2026	1	-	9	63	243

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

• To be prepared at pedagogical and didactic level, for the future teaching practice of Physics of Middle School Education.

• Analyze the potential of epistemology of science in teaching and learning of physics.

• Implement Problem Solving as a teaching strategy for physics, both at a theoretical and laboratory levels.

• Discuss the approach of physical concepts under the Middle School Education Program.

• Plan activities of teaching, learning and assessment at the level of Middle School education.

• Mastering content conceptual and procedural Physics Program of Middle School Education.

• Plan activities of teaching, learning and assessment, according to research results didactic.

• Master the use and exploration of Digital Technologies (micro:bit, Arduino, Stellarium).

Learning outcomes and competences

It is intended that at the end of this Course, students are able to plan properly a teaching unit, prepare adequately teaching strategies with strong interactive component, choose diverse teaching methods, prepare and implement laboratory activities and reveal autonomy in critical reflection on the teacher's role in teaching practice, in order to provide a good student learning.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

General scientific training in physics, particularly in Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Optics, Thermodynamics and Electrical Circuits.

Program

Program  

1. introduction to the programs of the 3rd Cycle of Basic Education

Analysis of Programs in the Physics component of the 3rd Cycle of Basic Education (7th, 8th and 9th years); planning of classes of said programs: construction of teaching strategies, elaboration of didactic materials, experimentation.

2. Learning and teaching methods

Scientific knowledge: facts, concepts, principles, laws, models and theories. Physics as an experimental science. Cognitive levels of learning: memorization, understanding, analysis and problem solving. Teaching Methods: exposition and discussion; investigative method. 

3. Use of digital technologies for the teaching and learning of Physics

Basic principles of digital technologies and platforms. Block-based programming with micro:bit — implementation of simple experimental setups in the form of small projects. Block-based programming in Tinkercad with Arduino, followed by conversion to text-based coding. Circuit assembly on a breadboard. Development of small projects involving control and automatic data acquisition. Exploration of an astronomy application (Stellarium).

4. Learning concepts, principles or laws and scientific theories or models

Types of concepts: categorical concepts and formal concepts. Learning categorical concepts; discrimination and classification; examples and counterexamples. Learning formal concepts; direct and inverse proportionality, variable control, graphical representation. Analysis of laws and principles; induction and deduction. Teaching laws, principles, models and theories: experimentation and control of variables. The role of Gowin's "V" in experimentation in Physics. Prerequisites for learning. Previous and erroneous conceptions of the students. POE Strategy; concept maps; Construction of glossaries.

5. Computational thinking and gamification strategies

Computational thinking at school. Model of the 3 A's and operationalization (examples). Scratch and computational thinking – creating applications for teaching Physics. Gamification elements. Gamification as an educational process. Assessment with gamification.

       

Mandatory literature

Arends Richard I.; Aprender a ensinar. ISBN: 972-9241-75-9
Carvalho Paulo Simeão 070; Ensino experimental das ciências. ISBN: 978-989-8265-95-1 pbk

Teaching methods and learning activities

- Interactive methodology.
- Inquiry based approach.
- Problem based learning method.

keywords

Social sciences > Educational sciences > Education > Science education
Social sciences > Educational sciences > Teaching methods > Teaching science
Social sciences > Educational sciences > Education > Teacher training
Physical sciences > Physics > Applied physics > Experimental physics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Prova oral	25,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Trabalho laboratorial	15,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	20,00
Teste	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	95,00
Frequência das aulas	63,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	30,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Trabalho laboratorial	35,00
Total:	243,00

Eligibility for exams

The evaluation includes the topics:

Individual component (CI):

- Prior reading activities (ALP) (0 %) - individual reading of preparatory texts for the classes. (only formative)

- Continuous evaluation work (TAC) (20 %) - practical tasks to be developed in a group during the semester (problem solving, use of educational resources, information research, application of evaluation tools ...)

- Test (E) (30 %) - individual written test, according to the model to be provided.

- Lesson Planning (PAO) (35 %) –Written lesson planning (10%) and individual oral presentation of lessons (25%)


Group component (CG):

- Experimental Work (TE) (15 %) - planning and execution of experimental group work and individual preparation of written reports in a didactic perspective.

To obtain attendance in the course, students must:

1. Achieve a minimum grade of 8 (out of 20) in each of the components E and PA.
2. Attend at least three-quarters of the in-person classes.

 

Calculation formula of final grade

NF =  CI + CG

where:

CI =  0,20*TAC + 0,30*E+ 0,35*PA

CG = 0,15*TE 

 

NF = final classification; PAE = classification of lesson planning in the writing component; PAO = classification of lesson planning in the oral presentation component; TE = classification related to the execution and reports of the Experimental Works; E - classification in the individual written test / test.

If the student has the status of Worker-Student and cannot take the TAC component, then that percentage will revert to the exam component. In this case, the final classification will be given by the formula:

NF = CI + CG

where:

CI = 0.50*E+ 0.35*PA
GC = 0.15*TE 

The NF classification will be rounded to the unit.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Laboratory work:

- Full written Planning and oral presentation of classes, including objectives, strategies and evaluation;

- Experimental work and elaboration of the respective didactic reports.

Internship work/project

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Working students who are unable to attend the PL classes will have the opportunity to complete all laboratory activities on an alternative date, to be scheduled in accordance with the availability of both instructors and students, and to submit the corresponding assessment elements.
In the event that they are still unable to attend and carry out the laboratory activities, they must present a formal justification for their absence and take a laboratory exam to practically perform a set of activities, along with an oral exam to deepen the didactic-scientific understanding of the various topics covered in the PL classes.

Classification improvement

The final ranking will be improved only on the component of the individual written test / exam.

Observations

 

Main bibliography:

Aires, L. M., Disciplina na Sala de Aulas, Edições Sílabo, Lisboa, 2009

Arends, R. I., Aprender a ensinar, McGraw-Hill, Lisboa, 1997

Bernardino Lopes, J., Aprender e Ensinar Física, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Braga, 2004.

Caamaño, A. (coord.), didáctica de la Física y la Química, Efitorial Graó, Barcelona, 2011

Carvalho, P. S., Sousa, A. S., Paiva, J., Ferreira, A. J., Ensino experimental das Ciências – um guia para professores do Ensino secundário. Física e Química, U. Porto Editorial, Porto, 2012

Driver, R. (ed.), Children's Ideas In Science, Open University Press, Milton Keynes, 1985

Driver, R., et al., Making Sense of Secondary Science, Routledge, London, 1994 Fensham, P., Gunstone, R., White, R., The Content of Science, The Falmer Press, London, 1994

Inhelder, B., Piaget, J., A psicologia da criança (3ª edição), Edições ASA, Porto, 1997

McDermott, L., et al., Physics by Inquiry, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1996

Ministério da Educação, Ciências Físicas e Naturais – Orientações curriculares para o 3º ciclo do Ensino Básico, Departamento da Educação Básica, 2001

Ministério da Educação, Retroprojector, Transparências, Retroprojecção. Pequeno manual de boas maneiras, Departamento de Educação Básica, Lisboa, 1998

Novak, J. D., Gowin D. B., Aprender a Aprender, Plátano Editora, Lisboa, 1996

Osborne, R., Freeman, J., Teaching Physics - a guide for the non-specialist, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1989

Osborne, R., Freyberg, P., Learning in Science, Heinemann, Auckland, 1985

Shayer, M., Adey, P., Towards a Science of Science Teaching, Heinemann Ed. Books, London, 1983

Turner, T., DiMarco, W., Learning to Teach Science in the Secondary School, Routledge, London, 1998

White, R., Gunstone, R., Probing Understanding, The Falmer Press, London, 1992

Secondary bibliography:

Ausubel, D. P., Novak, J. D., Hanesian,H., Psicologia Educacional, Interamericana, Rio de Janeiro, 1980

Bigge, M., Teorias da Aprendizagem para Professores, E.P.U., São Paulo, 1974

Bruner, J., O Processo da Educação, Edições 70, Lisboa, 1998

Coll, C., et al., O construtivismo na sala de aula, Edições ASA, Porto, 2001

Cruickshank, D. R., Bainer, D., Metcalf, K., The Act of Teaching, McGraw-Hill, Inc., NY, 1995

Gagné, R., Como se realiza a Aprendizagem, Liv. Técn. e Cient. Ed., Rio de Janeiro, 1982

Hodson, D., Teaching and Learning Science, Open University Press, Buckingham, 1998

Joyce, B., Marsha, W., Models of Teaching, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1980

Karges-Bone, L., Lesson Planning, Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights, 2000

Marques, R., Modelos Pedagógicos Actuais, Plátano Editora, Lisboa, 1999

Mintzes, J. J., Wandersee, J. H., Novak, J. D., Ensinando Ciência para a Compreensão, Plátano Editora, Lisboa, 1998

Monk, M., Osborne, J., Good Practice in Science Teaching, Open University Press, Buckingham, 2000

Novak, D., Uma Teoria da Educação, Bibl. Pioneira de Ciências Sociais, São Paulo, 1981


Jury

Paulo Simeão Carvalho
Marcelo Hahn