Electricity+1

Electricity 1

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The questions... ...about electricity from the day, answered with wit and panache.

This is an interesting approach to talking to students about charge and electricity - fair warning: not and educator, just an amateur scientist. Interesting reading, though, even if it's jut to compare against your own understanding. As we've pointed out throughout the course, critical analysis of a model is a good learning tool, even if the model isn't always that great.

Starting electricity in KS3 is too often a traumatic experience for students and teachers alike. Without a clear model of what's going on in their heads, non-specialist teachers are often too insecure to respond properly to questions. Students pick up on this subconscious fear of the subject. Approached with confidence and enthusiasm it can be a fascinating journey. Make sure that models are proerly developed. It's not too early to start relating the idea of current to the ideas about electrons and the structure of metals. Stress that the electrons are there in the wire and keep referring to it, keep asking your students to imagine them. Use the rope analogy provided by the IOP. Practical experiences in electricity can be miserable - kit not functioning, kids not wanting to follow activities purposefully. Break the points of failure down to their essentials. If some of your students can't follow circuit building instructions, use 'champions' in the lesson, provide video tutorials, use a technician as a help desk, have some circuits set up ready. Keep making the links between circuits and the models. Teach logical troubleshooting techniques as part of the practical.

At KS4, students often perceive Ohm's law problems as being too hard for them. Stress that its simple algebra but try to resist the temptation to let them use formula 'triangles' to solve the problems - it won't help in the long run when problems are more complex and it will only reinforce their fear of mathematical problem solving.