An Empirical Study On Modeling Skill Building Of Physics Courses

Physics modeling,as one of the core competence listed in the National Curriculum Standards for Senior High School Physics(2017 Ed.),lies at the center of scientific thinking.It is also the key focus of teaching reforms and the development of students’problem solving.Questions on scientific applications or innovations in real-life contexts are increasingly found in college entrance examinations these years.In 2020,there are six contextual physical questions out of the total 12 in the College Entrance Examination of Tianjin,while that exceeds 20%in other provinces.Therefore,modeling competence is crucial for high school seniors.The essay,based on the author’s years of teaching,experience,presents an overview of physics models,modeling and modeling methods,under the theoretical framework of relevant literature,educational papers and articles.Quantitative and qualitative research on the students who just start their final year in high school is conducted to investigate the current conditions of the modeling competence through with students and interviews with teachers.The findings show that the majority have significant difficulty in modeling--they can neither use the learned models flexibly nor construct correct models based on elements extracted from real-life contexts.Furthermore,modeling is seldom included in teachers’review due to time limitations and tight schedule of the final year.To address the problems above,a six-month trial teaching is conducted,followed by feedback collections from students.Positive results are identified.Suggestions are proposed for modeling competence building,illustrated by specific teaching cases.They are ① gradually forming the mindset of modeling and cultivating the awareness of modeling;②instilling modeling methods to enhance skills via review sessions on concepts;③arranging experimental review lessons with integrated equipment to build modeling competence;④helping Ss focus on procedures by model teaching and exercise classes;⑤introducing original physical problems for modeling ability building.