A teaching-learning sequence to present the relativity principle and the principle of equivalence in classical Mechanics to pre-service physics teachers

Abstract

We designed a teaching-learning sequence on the relativity principle and the principle of equivalence in classical Mechanics, rooted in previous research about students and teachers’ conceptions. A series of experiments based on video analysis is used to highlight selected key concepts and to motivate students in their exploration of the topic and interactive simulations, which can be modified on the fly by student teachers, are used to stimulate autonomous investigation. The sequence was designed for teacher education at University level and was tested with a group of 20 pre-service physics teachers.