Development Of Physics Assignments Applying High Order Thinking Skills

Mathematics is used in a profound manner to understand phenomena in the physical world. It is therefore not surprising that 80% of the high school students in five units in physics, also major the five-unit track in mathematics. In the PISA framework, these two disciplines are often intertwined, as physics is one of the real-life contexts in which mathematics is implemented and tested. Students are expected to use mathematical models in order to solve problems that are typically taught in a physics class.

However, in Israel, physics is only one part of the middle school curriculum that includes biology, chemistry and technology as well. Since the sciences are taught to a diverse class and not in an ability group, the common mathematical denominator allows very basic mathematics to be included in the study of physics. An exception to this situation are excellence classes, in which students of the high ability group in mathematics study together. Nevertheless, even there, the physics content is rather basic.

In order to raise the bar, we approached Ze’ev Krakover, one of Israel’s leading physics teachers, who previously developed the physics content that is currently used by many of the excellence classes across the country. Krakover is now suggesting to develop a set of 30 assignments in physics, which will apply high order mathematical thinking for 9^th grade mathematics students who attend the high-ability mathematics groups or the excellence classes.

The assignments, which will be developed both in Hebrew and Arabic, will be based on the 5-6 levels of the PISA mathematics framework, and will be aligned with the mathematics and physics curriculum for 9^th grade. Students will need to explore and formulate the physics context, employ mathematical techniques, and interpret the results. The assignments will be fully accessible through an online environment, free of charge.

The assignments will be developed so that middle school mathematics teachers can teach them during two weekly hours in their excellence classes throughout the school year. To support the teachers, a tutorial will be developed that will include the solutions, instructions and recommendations, as well as an assessment tool to measure the learning progress of students. As part of the development process, four mathematics teachers will pilot the content in their classes.

Following a successful pilot test, and based on demand from schools, we may propose assisting the program to be implemented at scale.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 365