Investigating the use of ICT in the teaching of Physics

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the teacher's role and the student's motivation during lessons that included the use of hands-on simulations. In this study, two classes from different schools were observed during five physics lessons. Each class was working on the topic 'optics' when using these simulations. After the lessons, individual interviews were carried out with the teachers and group interviews with the students. Findings from the study suggest that teachers found it quite challenging to let go of their usual control over the learning process and let students work more autonomously. Their role was observed to remain rooted in a traditional style of teaching. This contrasted with the role required when using ICT and the teacher was expected to re-think the way he/she now approaches teaching. The study shows that teachers need to give up the traditional center stage they usually occupy to allow more student input. The data generated shows that teachers are not always ready to take this step. As regards the students, the simulations were found to be quite motivating when applied appropriately. Students mostly enjoyed the interactive aspect of the lessons. This level of interactivity gave students some more independence and responsibility which they seemed to appreciate. However it was observed that students were not confident in working independently without constant support and reference to their teacher.