Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This work describes the design and implementation of an evaluation methodology based on the use of ICT, aimed at contributing to the development of professional skills such as: collaborative work, problem solving and creative thinking. The results allow verifying the potential of technological resources as a didactic tool for the evaluation of contents and competencies the Physics 1 class, of Engineering in National University of Mar del Plata.

A qualitative diagnostic study is presented, aimed at identifying and analyzing the presence of Astronomy in the initial Physics teachers training in the Argentine Republic. For this purpose, it was necessary to survey all Physics teaching careers in the twenty-four educational districts of the country, in the national educational system as well as national and provincial universities publicly and privately administered. Afterwards, curriculum and study programs of the previously mentioned careers were thoroughly analyzed studying the characteristics of the curriculum spaces associated with Astronomy. The obtained results have provided relevant information about the existence of more than one hundred Physics teachers careers, which is relevant not only for this research but also for future investigations related to the different areas of the initial teacher training in Physics. It is concluded that Astronomy is taught in 75% of the surveyed careers, in specific subjects with a different format, workloads, location in the career, course schedules and minimum contents, with different names according to the institutional dependency of the career.

This work shows some results of a degree thesis of the Teaching Career of Natural Sciences at the UNED of Costa Rica, on the analysis of Simple Experimental Activities (SEA) as a strategy for teaching molecular geometry in the subject of Chemistry at the secondary education level, from the logic of the Extended Laboratory Model (ELM) using an SEA called Pedagogical Boxes. The strategy was applied to 32 tenth-grade students from Liceo Experimental Bilingüe de Palmares, their appreciations were extracted through a checklist and a Likert-type questionnaire after developing the SEA proposal. The results showed encouraging data where the students recognized a gain in learning when they study molecular geometry with the Pedagogical Boxes. The improvement of the ability to understand the subject, the promotion of the experimental component, the development of cognitive skills and the development of sensorimotor procedures were highlighted. In conclusion, the proposal represents an adequate strategy for approaching the subject and a resource that enhances the learning processes in students

Previous studies conducted by our group allowed us to develop a model for the cognitive structure of the mechanics initial private knowledge which led to the formulation of recommendations for teaching, and to the development of a teaching proposal which has been implemented and systematically improved over the last four years. This proposal is based on the hypothesis that social interaction is required for allowing the individuals to adopt normative knowledge schemes which, from an individual perspective, wouldn’t have incentives to achieve. In this work we show the first systematic study which puts this hypothesis to test in controlled conditions, through the register of a debate during a virtual activity in a short course introducing university to freshmen.

This research presents new perspectives for the approach of Mathematics in Physics teaching. It is argued that physical-mathematical structures, such as F⃗ = ma⃗, for example, condense nominal, conceptual and relational meanings. The first ones would be associated with symbolic representation, the second with the physical concepts that the symbols express and the third ones with the physical- mathematical relationships, in which symbols and concepts are intertwined, in the structure or derivations kind of a⃗ = F⃗ m . Such meanings would be endowed with a semantic complexity, so that their intertwining would strengthen such complexity, generating what is called Semantic Density (SD). A concept of the Semantic dimension of Karl Maton's Legitimation Code Theory and which concerns the degree of condensation with which meanings are related within symbols. The more intertwined meanings, the greater the semantic complexity and the stronger the DS. The DS concept proposes three types of approaches to Mathematics in Physics teaching: the technical, structuring, and hybrid approach.

The study presents an analysis of learning difficulties related to the decomposition of forces on the inclined plane, based on research that investigated student learning on this subject. The goal is to highlight these difficulties and seek to understand them through Bachelard's idea of obstacles. The research methodology is qualitative, with bibliographic research procedures. The results show that the main difficulties are related to the understanding of the representation of forces on horizontal and inclined surfaces and the exaggerated attachment to equations commonly used in problem solving, difficulties that can be interpreted as generalization obstacles and substantialist obstacles. It is highlighted that the results contribute to reveal dimensions that hinder the learning of physics during its teaching, being necessary a careful look of the teachers in the discussion of the forces in the inclined plane so as not to reinforce these possible obstacles, seeking the overcoming them

The following work is carried out in the framework of a design-based research and aims to identify the graphic representations of movement developed by high school students from a didactic design for free fall that integrates the Tracker software. The proposal in its first cycle of implementation and evaluation, took place in a 5th year course (16-17 years old) of a high school in Cordoba (Argentina) composed of 37 students. From the analysis of the resolution of the activities, it is shown how the students, through the use of Tracker software within the framework of a specific didactic design, improve their velocity graphs with respect to time when representing a ball in free fall. At the same time, issues of the didactic design that will allow improving the proposal and carrying out a second cycle of implementation and evaluation are analyzed.

The work presents the development of methodological strategies applied for the learning of geometric optics with undergraduate Physics students, during the isolation period by covid-19. Two cohorts of students participated (2020 and 2021). The objectives, the structure of the experimental work proposal and the student's assessment mechanism are detailed. The main results obtained are presented and illustrated with some students' productions. The application of various evaluation instruments indicates that most of the objectives that have been proposed for the virtual modality were achieved, but the lack of synchronous interaction with the student while doing the practice stands out as a weakness. Furthermore, it includes the results of an online survey of students about their opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of the methodology used to learn geometric optics during isolation. The responses indicate that the students have valued the instances of interaction much more than the experimental home activities themselves or any other tool during the virtual course and that they prefer the face-to-face instance for more effective work.

The article describes the development and results obtained in the implementation of an innovative experience in a postgraduate course using an integrated STEM approach, to facilitate the construction of interdisciplinary scientific-technological skills. The population consisted of professors of various experimental sciences who used computerized sensors for the acquisition and processing of data in real time. The work teams designed original experimental didactic sequences for the integration of knowledge from Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Technology and Mathematics, putting them to the test to detect errors and successes, promoting discussion regarding the promotion of interdisciplinary activities. The evaluation of processes and products allow us to affirm that the collective work of the participants was achieved, the development of strategies, skills and attitudes necessary to build competencies in experimental sciences was strengthened, integrating different disciplines and mathematically modeling the phenomena. The STEM work methodology used in the course was transposed by the students to the designs of the didactic sequences

We focus on reflecting on teaching ideas about free fall. We interviewed secondary school physics teachers using Galileo Galilei'sthought experiment on bodies falling from the top of the Tower of Pisa. We found that teachers build mental models that refer to (1)the Galilean theoretical model as absolute truth, (2) to free fall itself, and (3) to the Galilean model as personal construction. Eachteacher builds their model according to their understanding; teachers think, problematize, and validate their models based on didactic experiences and previous knowledge. The teaching ideas are similar in content to the ideas of free fall in their historical origin but epistemologically differ because are validated from the didactic experience