At the start of the 21st century the teaching and learning of science for a responsible citizenship is an issue of concern in many countries. The Dutch approach to the problem in the context of a general reform of the school system is reported. […]
In molte scuole olandesi molti studenti non apprezzano le materie scientifiche e questo potrebbe spiegare la diminuzione del numero di quelli che ?scelgono opzioni scientifiche o tecnologiche?. Finora i tentativi di migliorare la situazione non hanno prodotto risultati soddisfacenti. In questo articolo si illustra dapprima una procedura per costruire la cosiddetta Educazione Scientifica basata sul Contesto partendo dagli obiettivi generali del programma. […]
This paper deals with a didactic activity on astronomy carried out with a class of 13 year old students, during 2014-15 school year. The topic is the “Solar System” and hypothesis about its shape made through the ages by scientists from Aristotle to Galileo. […]
This article reports about an engaging school activity performed in a class of 13-year-old students. The Sun’s daily motion in the sky was observed during the whole school year. We wanted to understand how it really changed day after day, if the Sun really rises in the East and sets in the West as it is commonly believed, […]
How could we listen to the sound of motion? We did it, during an evening at school devoted to Galileo, using easy-to-find materials, such as fishing-rod bells and a metal upright from a set of shelves as an inclined plane. […]
Carnot’s theorem, which plays a central role in thermodynamics, is usually exposed in textbooks in an unsatisfactory way, which does not stress adequately the unique status of Carnot’s cycle. Moreover, the core of this theorem, that is the concept of thermal efficiency, […]