Designing and implementing a constructivist learning environment for physics education

SUMMARY Designing and Implementing a Constructivist Learning Environment for Physics Education In this century in which operational knowledge and performance is of great significance, teaching/learning strategies are the most crucial supplementary elements of the specialization of individuals. From the viewpoints of formal educational institutions, this is a case in which individuals are not only provided with academic knowledge but also equipped with and enthusiasm towards constant learning. Inasmuch as traditional teaching strategies remain highly inefficient in this respect, more contemporary approaches should be experimented in physics area, which is known to be highly difficult to teach and learn. In this study, with the consideration of the factors affecting traditional physics learning environments, a constructivist learning environment according to 5E model about the subject of electromagnetic induction was designed and implemented in class 2 in high schools. This study in which a case study approach is employed consists of four steps. The data were collected from 36 teachers and 206 students using survey, interview and observation methods between the years 2000 and 2002. In the first step, the factors shaping the activities in traditional physics classrooms were identified and also studied with regard to the characteristics of constructivist learning environments. In the second and third steps, two pilot studies were carried out to reorganize the model as well as to assess the activities. In the last step, the fundamental study was conducted in two different classrooms, each of which consists of 30 students including their physics teacher, in Anatolian High School in Trabzon. The main components of the study are a model of constructivist learning environment, developed materials belonging to the model, and a survey named BORAN for assessing the activities. Despite the difficulty of making the changes expected in traditional physics classrooms, it was proved in this study that developed model of constructivist learning environments had a useful structure. And, a lot of recommendations were made about the developed model, especially, in view of used design, implementation and evaluation approach for researchers designing similar academic studies in the other science fields. Keywords: Physics Education, Constructivism, Traditional Learning Environments, Constructivist Learning Environment Design, Electromagnetic Induction VII