Educational reconstruction of physics and/or STEM topics in an interdisciplinary perspective

The reformed secondary school curriculum in Italy requires students of the “Liceo Scientifico” to address, at grade 13, topics of contemporary physics, including relativity, quantum physics, particle physics. Furthermore, the second quantum revolution and the Quantum Manifesto are making quantum technologies a key-topic on which educational strategies have to be designed for citizen awareness and for the formation of new professional skills.

The main goal of the research is to design teaching materials aimed at giving contemporary physics, including quantum technology, conceptual, cultural and social relevance. In designing the materials, contents are reconstructed around core-concepts, like space-time and symmetry or the debate between discrete and continuous, the comparison of the classical and quantum logic, chosen because of their structural and foundational role, their interdisciplinary nature, and their epistemological value.

The latest studies on contemporary physics have been carried out in order to investigate the role of interdisciplinarity (interdisciplinarity between physics and mathematics or between physics, mathematics and computer science) to understand the contents but also to form linguistic, argumentative and epistemic skills of knowledge organization. To this end, the studies foresee the collaboration with researchers in linguistics, philosophy, as well as in mathematics and computer science education. The materials are implemented in PLS courses (Piano Lauree Scientifiche) for students or for teachers.

Studies on contemporary physics are conducted within the Erasmus+ IDENTITIES project (Integrate Disciplines to Elaborate Novel Teaching approaches to IntTerdisciplinarity and Innovate pre-service education), started in 2019.

Settori ERC

PE2_16 General physics 

SH4_11 Education: systems and institutions, teaching and learning

SH4_14 Teaching and learning

National and international partnerships

IDENTITIES: Integrate Disciplines to Elaborate Novel Teaching approaches to Interdisciplinarity and Innovate pre-service teacher Education for STEM challenges (ERASMUS +, 2019-1-IT02-KA203-063184, 01/09/2019 - 31/08/2022. Coordinator: Olivia Levrini, University of Bologna (www.identitiesproject.eu)

FEDORA: Future-oriented Science Education to enhance Responsibility and Engagement in the society of acceleration and uncertainty (H2020-SwafS-2019-2-two-stage, 01/09/2020 - 31/08/2023). Coordinator: Olivia Levrini, University of Bologna (www.fedora-project.eu)

PIANO LAUREE SCIENTIFICHE (National project with the aim of improving the connection between secondary schools and scientific departments) (http://www.pls.unibo.it/it/fisica)

Produzione scientifica

Branchetti, L., Cattabriga, A., & Levrini, O. (2019). Interplay between mathematics and physics to catch the nature of a scientific breakthrough: The case of the blackbody. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 15(2). doi: 10.1103/physrevphyseducres.15.020130

Branchetti, L., Tasquier, G. (2018). The Role of Mathematics in Quantum Physics for High School Students: a Case Study. Paper published on Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of New Perspectives in Science education, 23-23 March, 2018, Firenze – Italy.