Report

On June 18, 2024, the University of Kassel hosted an advanced training course on the topic of "Nature of Science" (NOS) with four physics teachers and two physicist. The aim of the event was to shed light on the processes of scientific knowledge acquisition and cooperation in research (especially between theoretical and experimental physics) and to further develop ideas for teaching these aspects in physics lessons.

After a welcome and a short round of introductions, the day began with an overview of the Institute of Physics at the University of Kassel. The participants were given an insight into the Institute's various Research Groups and projects. The focus was on the research project SFB 1319 ELCH, which deals with the analysis and control of molecular chirality using extreme light. This project illustrates how universities and Research Groups work together on an interdisciplinary basis in a joint program.

Theoretical physicist Janine Franz and experimental physicist Stefan Aull then gave practical insights into their day-to-day work. While Janine Franz's presentation focused on her approach to physical questions, Stefan Aull showed a laboratory of his working group and gave a vivid description of how his current experiment developed and how he solved problems in the research process through collaboration.

Towards the end of the morning, the participants analyzed video clips on the topic of "Nature of Science" and recorded their impressions of the video clips in writing. This task served as the basis for the creative work in the afternoon, in which the participants worked in small groups to produce short video scripts that addressed key aspects of scientific work. The focus here was on communication, cooperation and the interplay between experiment and theory.

After a joint lunch break in the canteen, physics educational professor Rita Wodzinski gave insights into modern didactic research on Nature of Science (NOS). Based on a number of misconceptions and myths about scientific work that can arise in physics lessons or through the unreflected use of texts in textbooks, she presented the physics teachers with a series of suggestions for a didactically meaningful approach to the topic, which the participants were able to examine and test out in the seminar room.

The training also gave participants the opportunity to reflect on their own ideas about physics as a natural science. With the help of concept maps, they visualized their thoughts, organized them and presented their results to the group.

The participants particularly praised the varied design of the training course. The pleasant and appreciative atmosphere in a small group was emphasized, which enabled a very intensive exchange and provided sufficient space for individual experience reports and different perspectives.