An instructional experience for pre-service teachers: integrating simulations and hands-on activities in physics teaching

Simulations are a valuable tool in teaching modern science. We report on an experiment in a physics laboratory on electricity using both simulations as well as hands-on activities. The laboratory was implemented as part of a course for pre-service secondary school physics teachers. The 45 participants were divided into two groups, one performing first simulations and then hands-on activities, the other in the reversed order. The laboratory activities focused on DC circuits related to real-life situations, like a multiple socket or a chandelier modeled with simple wires, batteries and bulbs. The participants were asked to make predictions of the outcome before conducting each task and to compare their predictions with the observations and measurements they made during the activities. The participants were asked to make predictions of the outcome before conducting each task and to compare their predictions with the observations and measurements they made during the activities. No significant differences in performance were observed between the two groups, suggesting that in this experiment simulations did not help the pre-service teachers in transferring their conceptual knowledge to practical application.