Demonstrating Conceptual Understanding of Electrical Circuits

Resource for Grades 9-12

| Citation

Demonstrating Conceptual Understanding of Electrical Circuits

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 3m 43s
Size: 11.1 MB

Source: WGBH Educational Foundation

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Related Resources:

Checking Circuit Models for Consistency
(Video)

Developing a Scientific Model for Electrical Circuits
(Video)

Relating Concepts to Scientific Representations of Circuits
(Video)

In this video from Physics by Inquiry, instructors in a teacher professional development workshop emphasize reasoning to help the participants learn the material and identify difficulties that their students may have. The teachers discuss sample student predictions about electric circuits, which helps them become more comfortable with the concepts. The teachers also examine ways to modify assessments to help students learn more.

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Discussion Questions

You may find it useful to watch this video with a group of your colleagues and then discuss it together.

Do you think the teachers' assessments of the students' responses reflect an improved understanding of electric circuits? Why or why not?
Do you have the opportunity to work with your colleagues in a similar way? Would you like to? Why or why not?
What ideas do you have for implementing this type of collaboration between you and your colleagues?
Sometimes students arrive at the right conclusion using the wrong reasoning. What questions or strategies could you use to determine if a student really understands a concept?