Teachers' Communities of Learning

Integrating digital technologies in teaching-learning Physics

Why this course?

With the pandemic continuing its march, schools are yet to resume normal classes. While different states have been experimenting with face-to-face interactions, these are yet to become regular and are not adequate to meet the academic requirements for high school students, especially for students who face challenges in accessing online education.

To address this challenge, therefore, it is necessary for schools to adopt methods and processes, which will support the students’ learning. These processes must consider challenges of students’ learning levels, gaps in their understanding and their difficulties with language which impacts their reading, understanding and expression.

Digitally enabled teaching learning processes can be one such solution. Amongst school subjects, Physics is often seen as the most challenging by students, and teachers have to often struggle to help students to overcome their diffidence and build conceptual understanding. Digital tools with their multiple possibilities for supporting visualization, simulation, verifying complex mathematical relationships that represent several phenomena in physics and model building would be a very useful addition to the teaching-learning kit of Physics teachers.

This course has been developed to support the capacity building of physical science teachers in the use of different digital tools and applications in the teaching-learning of Physics.

Course objectives

1. To collaboratively develop lesson plans for select topics in Physics for class 9 and 10 students using different digital tools

2. To create learning materials for self-learning to be used along with physical and hands-on activities for different topics in Physics

3. To introduce teachers to the possibilities of formative assessments using digital tools

4. To develop a model for delivering digital lessons for under-resourced learning contexts

Course Curriculum

1. Key conceptual areas from Class 9 and 10 physics and chemistry

2. Development of lesson plans and identification of appropriate resources

3. Developing a personal digital library of different on-line and off-line resources for teaching physical sciences

4. Introduction to using a course platform along with resources

Course Structure

1. Fully online certificate course through a Learning Management System

2. Course duration 4 weeks

3. Each week will have 2 webinars of 90 minutes each, followed by hands-on activities and discussions on the course forum. Each webinar will involve demonstration and transaction of a lesson using multiple resources

4. Each participating teacher can mentor a group of students in parallel and pilot the lessons and resources accessed in the course

5. Certificates will be awarded based on successful completion of course; criteria for completion include webinar attendance, assignments submission and participation in the course forum

6. Estimated time requirement – 3-5 hours, per week, excluding webinars

7. Course start date : October 12, 2020

Context of the course

1. Computing is becoming an increasingly important skill of today‘s world

2. There are a variety of digital tools that are available for supporting mathematics learning as well as for building computing skills

3. Mathematics is the subject most feared by students (NCF 2005 Position Paper). One reason is the over use of traditional ‘chalk and talk’ pedagogies where student engagement is lesser. The NCF PP has stressed need to move beyond algorithmic understanding to developing mathematical thinking. Possibilities exist in meaningful digital technologies integration.

4. There is a need for rich and diverse curriculum to develop deeper conceptual understanding of Mathematics

5. Teachers need to expand their (Pedagogy Content Knowledge) PCK with appropriate integration of technology – "Why teach Mathematics as if computers don‘t exist“.

Objectives

1. To create a community of teachers who become experienced in ICT integration in teaching learning, and mutual support group

2. To demonstrate an on-line course delivery for CPD for teachers

How is the course structured

1. An online course spread over 4 weeks

2. Participants will get a certificate upon satisfactory completion of the online module

3. Participants can complete the course at their own pace within overall time limits

4. Learning resources include videos, digital artefacts using different educational tools, discussion forums, quizzes,

5. On a LMS where all resources will be structured and arranged for the teachers to progress through the course

This course supports the continued learning and professional development of Head Teachers from Government Aided Schools in Bengaluru South 3 block.

It is a part of the 'Teachers Communities of Learning' (TCOL) program of Centre for Education and Technology, IT for Change. This program will be implemented from 2018-21.