Physics teaching in the search for its self: From physics as a discipline to physics as a discipline-culture

Michael Tseitlin*, Igal Galili

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

The crisis in physics education necessitates searching for new relevant meanings of physics knowledge. This paper advocates regarding physics as the dialogue among discipline-cultures, rather than as a cluster of disciplines to be an appropriate subject of science education. In a discipline-culture one can distinguish elements of knowledge as belonging to either (1) central principles and paradigms - nucleus, (2) normal disciplinary area - body of knowledge or (3) rival knowledge of the subject - periphery. It appears that Physics cannot be represented as a simple dynamic wholeness, that is, cannot be arranged in a single tripartite (triadic) structure (this result presents a deconstruction), but incorporates several discipline-cultures. Bound together by family similarity, they maintain a conceptual discourse. Teaching physics as a culture is performed in polyphonic space of different worldviews; in other words, it is performed in a Kontrapunkt. Implications of the tripartite code are suggested with regard to representation of scientific revolutions, individual conceptual change, physics curricula and the typology of students learning science.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)235-261
Number of pages27
JournalScience and Education
Volume14
Issue number3-5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2005

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