LUMA News

Recent doctoral dissertations from the universities of Helsinki and Jyväskylä update knowledge on the teaching and learning of essential concepts in physics.

Students encounter the concept of force not only in the Star Wars movies, but also in the physics classroom while studying Newton’s laws of mechanics.

In physics and other exact natural sciences the understanding and management of key concepts has an important role in the learning of central themes and issues. If abstract concepts are not actively processed and connected to reality, students may find them difficult to understand and as a results experience lack of motivation.

In order to develop conceptual understanding of a subject matter, students require familiarity with the associated language and representations such as symbols, graphs, diagrams and formulae. Additionally, the skills of physics teachers can be augmented through in-service trainings where they are familiarized with novel approaches and teaching methods.

Johanna Jauhiainen and Pasi Nieminen defended their doctoral theses in May 2013 in the University of Helsinki and Jyväskylä, respectively. Their studies provide new information on the usefulness of experimentation and representations in physics teaching. Both Jauhiainen and Nieminen approached their research themes through the learning and teaching of the concepts of force in Newtonian mechanics.

Both dissertations are available via the universities’ electronic archives:

• Johanna Jauhiainen: Effects of an in-service training program on physics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge: The role of experiments and interacting bodies in teaching Newtonian mechanics
• Pasi Nieminen: Representational consistency and the learning of forces in upper secondary school physics

Text: Maija Pollari.

The third International Symposium on Science Education (ISSE2013) gathered STEM teachers to Helsinki Finland in June 2013 to discuss and learn about global environmental challenges in science education.

Finland’s Science Education Centre LUMA organized the third International Symposium on Science Education (ISSE 2013) on 10th – 12th of June 2013. The conference was held at the Kumpula science campus of the University of Helsinki. The Kumpula campus is a hotspot of expertise in natural sciences and mathematics as well as teacher education in these areas, which makes it the ideal venue for the ISSE symposium.

The theme of ISSE 2013 was global environmental challenges in science education. Plenary talks by internationally recognized experts tackled important issues linked to the main theme. Professor Mauri Åhlberg, for example addressed developments in sustainability education while Markku Kulmala, professor of atmospheric sciences, discussed the underlying reasons and mechanisms of climate change.

Global water resources and making our limited supply of clean water last for future generations are some of the most important current challenges. The plenary lecture by professor of geosciences, Markku Löytönen, gave insights on the mismatching global supply and demand for clean water. Löytönen emphasized how important it is to realize how little water is available for use and consumption in some areas of the World.

The International Symposium on Science Education is an event for teachers, science experts and education researchers to meet, network and share ideas with international colleagues. In addition to invited plenary lectures the program included hands-on workshops and experimentation, poster sessions and discussions.

• Check out the presentation slides and find out more from the ISSE 2013 program and abstracts for posters and workshops

The next International Symposium on Science Education (ISSE 2014) will also be held in Helsinki. Thematically the conference will focus on inquiry-based learning in science education through ICT experiments. More information will be available on the ISSE 2014 conference website.

Text: Maija Pollari

A delegation of Saudi Arabian education experts visited LUMA Centre on Thursday 5th of September to find out about Finnish e-learning solutions.

The delegation of Saudi Arabian education specialists, including deans and vice-deans representing Saudi universities and faculties among others, were visiting the University of Helsinki on a three-day training program focused on e-learning, distance learning and blended learning. The goal of the visit was to enhance the participants’ competence in the use and development of e-learning applications and methods in their own work fields.

At the campus the delegates were welcomed by vice dean Juha Karhu, who briefly introduced the Faculty of Science and the topics of the day: learning case studies in Finnish science and medical education.

LUMA was profiled as a science education model bringing new ways of learning to students and teachers by linking universities, schools and the business sector in a meaningful symbiosis. “Ten years ago we started with an eagerness to share our love for science education but now we have acquired good experience, practices and successful models of learning to share,” said professor Juha Oikkonen, vice director of the LUMA Centre of the University of Helsinki. “Some of the new practices and approaches we have developed at the university level can be applied to other levels of education as well,” he continued.

Distance learning possibilities are especially important for teachers and students in remoter areas. One of the tangible examples of e-learning was an in-service training course for teachers: “Electronic learning environments in STEM education”. The virtual course is organized by the LUMA Centre and includes lectures, group activities, practical exercises and discussions, everything online.

During the day the delegates were also familiarized with e-learning solutions and the organization of different learning environments at the department of Computer Science and the Medical Faculty.

“We have much to share but also want to develop our work. We are always open to new ideas,” Oikkonen reminded his audience.

Text: Maija Pollari.