Physics Webinar: Learning Together

    I was fortunate to be the presenter during the online forum entitled Physics Webinar: Learning Together conducted yesterday. I consented to take part as a Speaker in the program because sharing information was one of the few things that I promised in the Letter to my Future Self which I wrote in 2018.

    This virtual meet was the first of its kind organised by the Department of Curriculum and Professional Division (DCPD), Ministry of Education, Bhutan to provide a platform for Physics teachers to encourage collaborative learning. 

    At the time when the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented challenge to the people and the learning institutions such as schools, virtual session such as this was welcoming to bring together all the teaching fraternity to learn and exchange some ideas even if it was for a very brief moment. 

    I was overwhelmed by the number of participants where we had whopping 207 Physics and science teachers from all parts of the country excluding the large crowds of students in some schools. 

    Here are some of the things that I spoke about in the webinar. 

Kuzuzangpola! 

    First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Phuntsho Norbu, the Physics Curriculum Developer, for granting me the opportunity to present at this august virtual meeting in the attendance of our esteemed fraternity of Physics teachers and amazing students. 

    Mr Phuntsho, who is one of my closest friends, proposed me this idea several months ago but I had to put it on hold because of my studies until today. 

    Since I do not have anything unique or profound to say to the audience here, I was initially hesitant to speak in a large forum like this. More importantly, what I have done so far is neither an accomplishment nor something that calls for praise and appreciation.

    Nevertheless, after a series of communication with Mr Phuntsho, considering the novelty of this webinar entitled Physics Meet: Learning Together, I consented to participate and present on the hands-on model that I developed while pursuing my master’s degree. 

    Given that there are students in this virtual meeting, to make things comprehensible and clear to all range of audiences, in the process of explaining the model, I may discuss some concepts that are already familiar to the teacher colleagues here. In that case, I sincerely ask for your patience even if the information that I share is only a repetition because I always believe that, at times, worth telling is worth repeating twice.

    I may take around half an hour and I will present 6 key themes:  

1.        Positionality

2.        Motivation 

3.        Literature Review 

4.        Methodology

5.        Findings and 

6.     Implications of the hands-on model that I developed. 

1. Positionality 

        Let me begin by stating the Positionality first. 

    The fact that I am speaking in this webinar as a presenter does not in any way indicate that I am an expert or that I possess exceptional talent. I am merely using this chance to share my experiences of developing a low-cost hands-on model to demonstrate the law of conservation of energy, for which I recently received a Petty Patent and a Certificate of Appreciation. 

    Before I begin explaining the model, let me make my stand more relatable by narrating in the context of our Buddhist philosophy. 

    As a Buddhist, I always believe in Tendrel (རྟེན་འབྲེལ་) which in English means  (རྟེན) dependent and (འབྲེལ) connected or simply interdependent causation. This theory of Interdependence elaborates how everything including our life and existence is the outcome of causes and conditions. There are 2 key points to consider: 

    1. Nothing happens by accident. In other words, it means things do not come out of nothing. 

2.  Results and causes are co-related. Results depend on causes. For example, good causes lead to good results. 

    This idea applies to everything in our life, including our life goals, such as being happy, content, getting promoted or achieving our dreams. 

    Whether a student, someone who is unemployed, or even somebody who is already employed, we have our own life goals (shown with an arrow and a target). Life goals are those lists of things that we wish to fulfil in our life. Even as a classroom teacher, besides wishing to help students excel in their life and assist to make their future bright, I always had my own set of life goals, that is, to do well (academically and professionally) in my life. 

    After identifying the list of my life goals, I used to work diligently with lots of commitments (shown as a man pushing the rock against the slope) in accomplishing it. In the process, I had to undergo lots of sacrifices. During times of failure, I had to respond to difficult situations by developing resilience so that I can harness positive energy and cultivate a growth mindset to further move on.  

    When I worked constantly and consistently, I came to understand that I could achieve my goal – either partially or wholly. Then I realised that my results were produced basically as the outcome (shown with four-leaf clover) of my causes. When my outcomes became visible, I met many people who said that I was lucky because they only saw the results that I have obtained. But actually, it was the work that I did. I worked for it; I sacrificed for it. I suffered for it. 

    Specifically, the hands-on model that I developed and that I am going to present in today’s session is not something that occurred due to an accident or because I was lucky. Neither has it occurred because I have a special talent. I only believe that it happened at the right time after I identified my life goals, put in lots of commitments, and eventually got the outcome in the form of a Petty Patent.   

    I narrate this experience, I only feel that all of us have our own set of life goals that have their own blooming time. The only thing is that we have to work with lots of commitments to get the outcome. The harder we work, the luckier we feel. 

    Having said that, I do not claim whatever I have done and achieved this far is all due to my effort alone. Precisely, for the development of this hands-on model and gradually getting a Petty Patent (Number 18158) after 6 years, I was indeed helped by many people – both far and close. 

    I was fortunate to have embarked on my master’s degree under these two ideal advisors Dr Monamorn and Dr Paisan Kanthang. More than their academic potency and competence, I appreciated how they were flexible, supportive, open to ideas (good listeners), took interest in my work and always had a positive attitude toward what I was doing. Because they had so much trust and belief in me, I was always kept vigilant to work harder to meet their expectations. It was a time when I experienced a Pygmalion effect where I performed better when they had great expectations of me. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank them for making my idea of developing the model to be successful. 

2. Motivation 

    In 2008, I graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Science. However, I was placed in a Community Primary School where I ended up doing multi-grade teaching. A year later, due to the need for a science teacher, I was transferred to a lower secondary school. 

    In 2013, I applied for a transfer, and I was placed at Kabesa Middle Secondary School. Since it was a newly upgraded school, there was no physics teacher to teach Year 9 students. That was the first time I got to teach the subject that I specialised in. It was already 5 years then. Most of the contents that I have learnt in college and the contents included in the curriculum were revised. I have almost forgotten the pedagogic skills and strategies in teaching secondary students because I was working in a lower and community primary school. And very sadly, the feelings of teaching physics creatively and innovatively that I had when I was in the teacher training college have plummeted by a huge margin. 

    However, whenever I entered the classroom, I became more passionate to teach because of my love and concern for the children. Seeing their innocent faces waiting eagerly to learn something new from me every day was one reason that I was always motivated to teach in a way that I can make a difference in their lives. Somehow, I was always encouraged to make do justice to my role as their physics teacher.  

    Unfortunately, as His Majesty the King said in his Royal Address to the teacher trainees of Samtse College of Education on November 16, 2012, I quote, “we cannot give what we don’t have”. I was not able to give them more because there was nothing in me. 

    That’s how I started to think that I need to upgrade myself professionally if I want to make difference in their life. That is how I applied for some scholarships to upgrade my qualification and contribute to our education system. So, I was fortunate to have obtained TICA Scholarship for pursuing my master’s degree. For this, I would like to thank the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB), Ministry of Education (MoE), Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), and my terrific Parents, family, and friends for enabling me to complete my master's degree in Science and Technology Education from Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.    

 

3. Literature Review 

    I did my master’s degree by research. By the end of 2 years course, I was required to publish my own thesis. 

I read the relevant literature on various science topics. Eventually, I was attracted to explore more on the concept of energy. Understanding energy is very important because it is one concept that helps us to understand any physical phenomena taking place around us. 

    However, like any other physics concept, students have misunderstandings regarding the concept of energy conservation. When describing the conservation of energy, students think that conservation is a synonym for saving or not wasting energy while the scientific meaning is to remain the same (constant) despite repeated change and energy transfer process. 

    Studies have revealed that students find difficulty in understanding the law of conservation of energy because the terms energy itself is abstract and confusing. Elsewhere it is indicated that students confuse energy with the terms such as force, power, heat, or fuel. In many cases, students think that energy is an entity that can exist for a while and exhaust completely. 

    While science educators have initiated numerous teaching methods to make scientific concepts simple and understandable for the students, experiment or hands-based learning was largely recommended in the literature for teaching the law of conservation of energy. Hands-on learning is one of the most meaningful learning strategies that can encourage students to involve directly in performing the specific task and learn through observation and manipulation.     

    Even in the Bhutanese curriculum materials, the teaching of science which is classified into 4 strands: Working Scientifically, Life Processes, Materials and their Properties, and Physical Processesidentifies the importance of hands-on learning. However, the law of energy conservation is dominantly taught using theoretical examples (e.g., derivations based on freefalling body, simple pendulum) or imaginary illustrations (e.g., inclined plane). Consequently, based on my own teaching experience, I found that our students are only able to write the definition of the law of conservation without being able to relate it to practical contexts. I understood that our students are still in the practice of doing rote memorisation.

    This prompted me to look for some alternatives in finding an innovative and simple method to learn the law of conservation of energy. Not only will it be the first of its kind but being able to construct a simple hands-on model can contribute to the scientific literature by achieving methodological, empirical, or population gaps. 

Theoretical Explanation of the Law of Conservation of Energy

    The law of conservation of energy is defined as energy can neither be created nor destroyed but it can be transformed from one form to another. 

    For those of you who are not from a science (Physics background), let me briefly explain using the inclined plane. 

    Consider that there is an object initially placed at Point 2. By virtue of being at rest, the object will have Potential Energy (PE). When the object rolls down from Point 2 to Point 1 and then to Point 0, it has Kinetic Energy (KE) due to the virtue of being in motion. In theory, the law of conservation says that total Mechanical Energy (ME) at Point 2, Point 1, and Point 0 will remain the same. When we add, PE and KE, it gives ME at each point. 

    This means that, even if there is a change in PE or KE, the total ME is not affected. To show PE and KE graphically, the object has the highest PE at Point 2 because of the height of the object from the ground as PE depends on the height (PE = mgh where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the object from the ground level. However, as the object is at rest at Point 2, it has zero KE. 

    When the object moves from Point 2 to Point 1, the height decrease, and the PE ultimately decrease. PE of the object keeps on decreasing (shown with the green dotted line on the graph) as it moves from Point 2 to Point 1 and then to Point 0. At the same time, the KE of the object keeps on increasing (shown with a blue dotted line) because the object gains velocity as it moves down from Point 2 to Point 1 and then to Point 0. But if we find the total ME at Point 2, Point 1 and Point 0, it will be the same because ME is the sum of PE and KE. 

Hence, the law of conservation of energy says that ME at Point 2 = ME at Point 1 = ME at Point 0.

4. Methodology 

    After reading the relevant literature, I was informed about what and how to construct the model. I have specifically undergone 3 significant steps: 

i) Construct Prototypes 

ii) Test the Precision of the model

iii) Conduct a Pilot Study using the hands-on model and then finally use it in my study for the data collection. 

    Let me now explain first on to construct the prototypes. 

Prototype I

    To find out whether my idea of developing a hands-on model would work, I used some locally available materials such as cardboard, and a bottle cap (shown with a white round shape on the inclined plane). I used the same formula in our textbook to calculate Potential Energy (PE) and Kinetic Energy (KE). Since I was recording the time manually and also using models that were not very smooth, there was human errors and friction on the surfaces of contact. 

Prototype II

    In prototype II, I replaced the cardboard with the plyboard, and the bottle cap with the trolley, and made the height of the inclined plane adjustable using the hook. 

Prototype III

    At this phase, again I changed the wooden inclined plane to an acrylic material because of its durability, visibility, lightweight, and smoothness so that the trolley can seamlessly roll down the ramp. In the inclined plane, I  embedded 5 sensors that can indicate the time when the trolley passes through it. The time is shown in the timer in milliseconds. 

 Prototype IV 

    In prototype IV, instead of having the end of the wire from each sensor connected to the timer, all the wires emerging from the sensor were joined at one end, at the base of the inclined plane. From that point, I used a VGA cable to connect to the timer, which in turn is connected to the power source using the power adapter. 

 

5. Findings 

    I will now share the findings about the hands-on model I developed. 

i) Precision of the hands-on model

ii) Pilot Study at Horwang School, Thailand 

iii) Pilot Study at Kabesa Middle Secondary School, Punakha

iv) Data Collection at Dechentsemo Central School, Punakha

    The precision of the developed hands-on model was compared with the commercial models. The hands-on model was found as precise as the commercial one. The findings of this precision study were presented at the 40^th Congress of Science and Technology of Thailand (STT40).

    Then, after getting consent from the School Principal, I had the opportunity to teach students of Year 11 at Horwang School in Thailand about the law of conservation energy using my model. I found out that the model was functioning well and was effective in making the students understand the concept of energy conservation. 

    Since I aimed to use the model in the Bhutanese context, I went to Kabesa Middle Secondary School, Punakha where I initially worked. With 30 Year 9 students, I taught the concept of energy conservation using the model. Interestingly, I found out that the model was efficient in enhancing the students’ conceptual understanding. The findings of the pilot study were later published in the Asia-Pacific Forum of Science Learning and Teaching.    

    After the pilot study, I was already convinced that the model can be used in teaching the law of conservation of energy. I involved 100 Year 10 students of Dechentsemo Central School, Punakha to collect data for my thesis writing. The use of the hands-on model was successful and its findings were later published in the International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education.  

    The findings I obtained from this study were later submitted to Mahidol University, Thailand in the form of my thesis in 2015. I also submitted the details of my innovation to the Department of Intellectual Property of Thailand for a patent. It took 6 years to get the patent because the patent team investigate and examines every material that I used to construct the model was new, authentic, and innovative. 

6. Implications 

    By developing a hands-on model to demonstrate the law of conservation of energy, I identify 2 implications: 

i) Methodological / Practical Implication

This hands-on model is simply one that any student who does not have any technical ideas can operate; it is innovative because it can precisely and effectively demonstrate the law of conservation of energy. The development of this model can be used as an alternative approach in addition to the existing ways of teaching the law of conservation of energy. 

ii) Empirical Implication 

    Based on the findings obtained from my studies, provides evidence that students' conceptual understanding of the law of conservation of energy is enhanced. This contributes to the scientific literature by indicating the usefulness and effectiveness of the newly developed hands-on model.

    As I mentioned earlier, the materials used in other models are very expensive. My intention in creating this model was to ensure that it is low-cost so that it can be reproduced in huge numbers and make it accessible to any student in any location of the school.

    The other implication of developing this model was that it could be used for exploring some other relevant physics concepts such as momentum, work-energy theorem, and friction to name a few.  

Scope

    Considering the emphasis placed in our curriculum documents on learning science by doing, teachers and students may be encouraged by presenting how I have created a simple hands-on model like this. We can never predict that our simple idea can be sometimes a useful and innovative invention. 

    With our science curriculum increasingly driven towards technology-based learning, incorporating coding and STEM-based education, the scope for further exploration is enhanced. One simple approach in the school can be done by encouraging the students to perform project works that focus on practical utility and convenience. In the current scenario, we are only reinventing the wheel by following the conventional ways of doing the project. However, to encourage both the teachers and students to be innovative and perform at their optimum capacity, we must provide some enabling conditions. Some of the conditions in the form of professional support, access to materials (such as the WIFI or reliable and consistent internet facilities in the school) and the right platform to showcase the talent are necessary. 

My Impression of the Webinar

    Finally, I am grateful to Mr Phuntsho for providing me with this opportunity to speak in this forum. I thank you all for the time even if it was not a worthy session. Although I communicated with Mr Phuntsho, I may propose here that, this webinar henceforth can be a quarterly or annual event. 

    As a science teacher who worked in remote parts of the country, I have experienced and observed that our teachers are working tirelessly within their ends to make classroom learning enriching for kids. In doing so, they work with lots of creativity driven with a sense of innovation. But teachers are rarely acknowledged for their outstanding work done in the classroom. Thus, a platform such as this can offer our teachers to share their experiences and wisdom thereby enhancing collaborative learning. As a teacher by heart, I will render my sincere support for this program to be a successful milestone for the STEM Division of the Ministry of Education. 

    Thank you all for being a wonderful audience.