But where does it go wrong? First, the teaching of physics is “dry”. The teaching of the subject hasn’t changed for decades. “It is carried out in a stereotyped manner with emphasis on the transmission of knowledge rather than on the development of process skills which requires students to be engaged in a state of cognitive dissonance”, says the research.

Second, theory classes are not linked with practical work. Explaining without demonstrating, especially when talking about science, is like asking to a cyclist to pedal without a bike. “The teaching of concepts is done in isolation from the practical aspect of that concept”, points out the report. But Science is above all a practical subject and, according to the research team, “students should be given the opportunity to visualize a number of processes to be able to develop an understanding of the concept”. Otherwise, and this is what happens often in the classrooms, “students will resort to rote learning”.

Pritam Parmessur and his colleagues also feel that any lesson should start by “testing pre-existing ideas of students which are related to the concept”. In this way, the teacher will be able to further guide students during the lessons as they go along. Unfortunately, “only knowledge type questions are asked” at present and those don’t determine to what extent students are prepared to develop an understanding of the concept that will be taught.

<B>One way traffic</B>

But, adding insult to injury, the research found that there is almost no interaction between teachers and students. The consequence is that this “one way traffic” type lesson once again promotes, rote learning and jeopardizes the development of cognitive structures. “Interaction between teachers and students is important for the students to develop conceptual understanding of the lessons.”

Other findings include that the link between mathematics and physics is not being developed during the physics lessons. The teachers, assuming that students have the mathematical pre-requisites to understand the associated physics concepts, pay insufficient attention to the establishment of those links.

“Unfortunately, our research has shown that this is not the case and students still have difficulty linking the mathematical knowledge to physics.”

A change in habits is essential to get rid of those practices and this would only be possible with the collaboration of teachers and they should therefore “be provided with more effective training opportunities”, says the former MIE director. The research team further suggests that there is a need to review all assessment and evaluation procedures in order to obtain useful and constructive feedback throughout the process of teaching and learning.

The use of core-constructs is considered as vital to attain a certain success in the comprehension of this subject. “The use of core-constructs in teaching and learning of physics takes into consideration the existing level of acquisition of mathematics and physics concepts by learners”, concludes the research team.

The findings further indicate clearly that the effective teaching of physics “would require teachers to create the relevant linkages with core mathematics concepts in the first instance and the core concepts in other disciplines as well”. If this were done, students would be equipped to develop a “holistic understanding of concepts and their interrelationships and use the knowledge acquired to solve complex problems in real life solutions”.