Launer, Sebastian

Basic models and conceptual thoughts play a major role in the field of physics. Also as far as school education is concerned, theoretical model considerations - e.g. those of the models of point mass, of rigid bodies, of the ideal gas or of electron conduction in metals - are traditionally and frequently covered. This raises the obvious question whether the conceptual aspect of physical thought processes and theories can be conveyed via school teaching/education and to what extent physics concepts have previously been taught. In order to examine this problem formulation, this dissertation deals with the different concepts of (physical) interaction and their treatment in subject didactics. The aim of this thesis is to help develop lesson plans which put the underlying concepts of interaction into the focus of educational teaching. In this regard, the established effect-based physical concepts of force, of fields, of geometrization and of mediators will be examined. In order to establish concrete recommendations for teaching practices regarding them, those concepts will be closely analyzed as to their historical emergence as well as their current role and understanding in the field of physics and its subject didactics. The underlying work sees its purpose not only in making different topics and aspects of Physics as a school subject understandable for students, but to enable them to further their understanding of physics as a science of principles as a whole. Thus, the units of lesson plans as presented in this dissertation are developed within a framework of historical and explorative learning. Decisions regarding contents and teaching methodology of the given lesson plans are legitimized both via the didactics of general education, through an analysis as per Klafki’s “five basic questions”, and via the subject didactics of physics, as well. All of this is accompanied by an analysis of school books, which reveals the current state of affairs in the institutional teaching of Physics and which points out that, while concepts of interaction within Physics are part of the subject matter dealt with therein, those books also present obvious shortcomings as far as a focus on problem-solving competencies and promoting principle-based thinking are concerned. Current curricula, with their predominant emphasis on competence-oriented teaching, often speak of the need for students to learn through self-directed research and examination of subject matters. Based on this idea, this thesis analyses whether students are able to conceive of physical concepts of interaction through independent study.

Launer, Sebastian

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