Communicating Physics Education (PE300)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

This module aims to develop the skills and understanding required for explaining key concepts in Physics to a range of learners, with a particular focus on those working in post 16 education.

The module begins with an exploration of the features, and types of explanations in the Physical Sciences. This is then applied to psychology and pedagogy of different types of learners from across different educational contexts including both mainstream and inclusive settings. The skills of good scientific explanations are then developed through engaging with common misconceptions, progression of scientific ideas in Physics and those concepts that are particularly troublesome to grasp. This will be underpinned by engaging with different learning theories and ideas associated with designing sequences of learning and assessing progression.

The final sessions will bring these ideas together and develop knowledge and understanding of questioning, models and modelling of scientific concepts and processes to aid effective explanations.

The module will be assessed by an individual oral presentation, with supporting notes, providing an opportunity for students to apply their understanding of how we address misconceptions. Students will be assessed on the quality of the written parts of the presentation as well as the oral presentation itself.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 37 hours of contact time and about 113 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.