Teaching Physics: An Insoluble Task?

Given the ever-increasing acceleration of science and technology, every modern scientist is to some degree concerned about the future of his subject and, as a teacher, about how to come to terms with the interaction of science and the needs and aspirations of his students.This book reports the proceedings of the International Congress on the Education of Teachers of Physics in Secondary Schools, held in Eger, Hungary, during September 1970. It reviews the recruitment and education of prospective physics teachers in secondary schools, considers the solutions found by some countries and attempts to aid others in solving the problems of their own local situations. The 151 participants from 28 countries represented many different educational systems and the conference’s location made possible the attendance of teachers from the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Africa, the United States, and the United Arab Republic, in addition to a large group from the host country. In presenting the material, the editors have attempted to retain the conversational tone — the “free flow of information” — of the conference.Chapter 1, “The Response to Modern Society,” provides the backdrop against which all further discussions are cast — namely, a concern for the relation of physical science to culture in the most general sense and to the problems of society in particular. Subsequent chapters begin with guidelines formally adopted by each international “working group” as it pursued such specific topics as: constraints on teacher education; the recruitment, initial training, and in-service education of teachers; curriculum innovation in teacher education; the technology of physics education; procurement of low-cost equipment; and special problems of developing countries. Five appendixes provide information on papers and documents contributed to the conference, the names and addresses of participants, curriculum projects, teaching films, and the conference exhibition.