Teaching Electricity

Objectives

• To consider models for teaching electricity• To explore some of the common misconceptions

about electricity• To begin to appreciate the importance of good

demonstrations• To get some hands on experience with the

equipment available in school for teaching electricity

• To be able to explain clearly how to carry out experiments

What is in the National Curriculum?

• Use the documents for KS1/2/3/4 for the 2014 curriculum

• To what extent does it match Bruner’s idea of the spiral curriculum? Present your answer as a table or diagram.

Models of Electric Circuit: The Bicycle Chain

Models of Electric Circuit: The Water Mill

Models of Electric Circuits: Jewels and Couriers

Models of Electric Circuit: Conventional Model

Four explanatory models

Misconceptions continued

• Role of the battery – a constant current device

• Voltage = current = electricity = energy• Sequential model of the circuit – cannot

account for instantaneous lighting of a lamp

• Use of analogy – use multiple analogies• Drawings to diagrams – hard to recognise

circuits in practical situations

Making simple circuits

1. What implications are there for teaching this to children?

2. What instructions would you give them?

Show that current is conserved

Taken from ‘Teaching Secondary Physics’

Other ideas about teaching sequences

• Consider teaching voltage before current• Consider teaching static electricity before

current

Electricity Circus

1. Static electricity

2. Comparing resistors

3. Ohm’s law – current and voltage for a fixed resistance

4. Comparing the efficiency of motors

5. Crocodile Clips on laptop

• Would this be a demo or a class practical?

• If a demo, what types of things would you show/say to students?

• If a practical, what instructions would you give students?

• Any other comments about the activity?

Electromagnetism

National Curriculum Requirements

KS2

a) about the forces of attraction and repulsion between magnets, and about the forces of attraction between magnets and magnetic materials

Right Hand grip rule

Motor Effect

Fleming’s Left Hand Rule

References

• Chapman, C., Musker, R., Nicholson, D. and Sheehan, N. (2000) ‘Eureka!: Success in science Book 1’, Heinemann

• Hind, A., Leach, J., Lewis, J. and Scott, P. (date?) Teaching Science for Understanding: Electric Circuits, Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, The University of Leeds [Online document, accessed from http://www.education.leeds.ac.uk/research/cssme/ElecCircuitsScheme.pdf 13/10/11]

• Sang, D. (2000) ‘Teaching Secondary Physics’, Hodder Education• Osborne, R. and Freyberg (1985) ‘Learning in Science’, Heinemann

Educational• University of York Science Education Group and Nuffield

Curriculum Centre (2007) ‘Twenty-first Century Science GCSE’, Oxford University Press