The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has initiated a project aimed at supporting teachers who teach physics across the country.

According to the university, many teachers who teach the subject have the misconception that the subject is difficult, and such misconceptions have been transferred to students, resulting in many of these students not doing very well in the subject.

This came to light at a day’s workshop for tutors who teach physics in the Central Region hosted by the Department of Physics Education at the UEW.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Prof. Mawutor Avoke, the former Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Samuel Kwesi Asiedu-Addo underscored the vital importance of identifying and rectifying students’ misconceptions in the field of physics.

“As educators, we recognize that misconceptions hinder students’ learning and impede their progress. Hence, it is imperative for us to adopt innovative teaching strategies that will enable us to address these misconceptions effectively,” he emphasized.

He pointed out that the workshop would serve as a catalyst for transformative change in the teaching practices of participants. He added that by engaging in meaningful discussions, sharing research findings, and exchanging experiences, the SHS tutors would collectively explore novel methods to engage students and clarify their misconceptions about physics.

“Through interactive sessions, workshops, and collaborative activities, we aim to empower educators with the tools necessary to foster a deep understanding of the subject matter among their students,” he affirmed.

Prof. Asiedu-Addo entreated participants to seize the opportunity to learn from one another, inspire one another, and create a collective impact that would benefit their students and the academic community at large.

The Head of the Department of Physics Education, Dr. Gloria Armah, disclosed that the workshop was inspired by lecturers’ realization of most students’ misconceptions about physics in their day-to-day interactions with them.

"Misconceptions brought by students in the learning process will cause cognitive conflict when allowing new empirical concepts or facts. It is important to note that misconceptions cause students to be frustrated and disturbed. In their frustration, they become too lazy to learn. This becomes a barrier for students to build and deepen their understanding of concepts in learning," she said.

Dr. Gloria Armah asserted that the remediation of misconceptions could support 21st-century learning goals, adding that learning ought to be focused on eliminating students’ misconceptions.

She noted that, “For conducting a conceptual change approach, teachers must understand misconceptions in physics, from the process of diagnosis and causes to the remediation process.”

A physics lecturer at the Department of Physics Education and the initiator of the workshop, Dr. Desmond Appiah, took participants through misconceptions in density, heat energy, and light energy. He used improvised techniques to show teachers how to explain why ships would sink deeper in freshwater than in seawater.

He was hopeful that the training would bring about a transformational change in the participants’ teaching and in their various schools. He commended Faculty members for their immense contribution to the success of the workshop. 

Other presentations were made on the topics “hands-on activity teaching in physics education, improvisation technologies in teaching physics, use of technological tools to manage daily activities in school, differentiated instruction in teaching physics, and misconceptions in electricity”.

The facilitators for the aforementioned topics were Mr. Fortune Addo-Wuver, Dr. Ishmael K. Anderson, Prof. Mawuadem K. Amedeker, Prof. Kodjo D. Taale, Dr. Michael Gyan, and Ms. Cynthia Jebuni-Adanu. The Dean of the Faculty of Science Education, Prof. Victus Samlafo, chaired the event.