International Perspectives on Science Education: David Fortus at IPN

Since July, Prof. David Fortus from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, has been a guest at IPN. Until the end of September, the professor and holder of the Chief Justice Bora Laskin Professorial Chair of Science Teaching will continue to strengthen the scientific exchange with researchers at IPN.

His visit builds on a long-standing collaboration between the Weizmann Institute of Science and IPN in the field of science education. One current example of this international cooperation is the ELeVATE-HS project, in which Fortus is involved. The project, conducted jointly by IPN, Michigan State University, the University of Iowa, and the Weizmann Institute of Science, focuses on developing students’ quantitative understanding of energy in upper secondary school. It investigates to what extent a qualitative energy-transfer approach previously developed for lower secondary education can be effectively applied to upper secondary school and, in particular, support students’ ability to engage in quantitative modelling.

For Fortus, the extended stay at IPN provides an opportunity to further strengthen the existing collaboration and develop new perspectives on shared research topics. “IPN is a great outstanding institute, with many outstanding researchers in every field of science and mathematics education. Both IPN and the Weizmann Institute are among the few places in the world where there is a critical mass of science and mathematics education researchers, meaning that for almost any topic of interest, one can find excellent people with whom to collaborate. I find that whenever I visit IPN, I leave feeling enriched with new ideas and plans for things I want to study and implement in schools.”

In an interview with IPN, David Fortus talks about his experiences during his stay in Kiel, his collaboration with researchers at IPN, and the importance of international cooperation for research in science education.

Interview

IPN: You have been a guest at IPN since July. What brought you to Kiel for this extended stay?

David Fortus: I have several projects, both funded and conceived, with different researchers at IPN. We may have finalized and submitted a DFG proposal on using the energy-transfer approach to help student develop a coherent understanding of energy across biology and physics, written manuscripts for publication, and addressed open issues in an existing NSF-funded project on energy in high school physics. I also serve as a critical friend for work being done by various PhD students or postdocs.

IPN: You have been collaborating with researchers at IPN for many years. How did this collaboration begin, and what do you particularly value about working with IPN?

David Fortus: I met Knut Neumann at a conference about 15 years ago. Something clicked and we have been working together ever since. We have had joint projects for almost this entire period. These projects brought me to IPN, where I met other researchers, such as Ute Harms and Ilka Parchmann. These connections grew and became friendships, until I realized that I really like being at IPN, I feel like I’m surrounded by friends with whom I happen to work.

IPN: One of your current collaborations is the ELeVATE-HS project. What are you and your colleagues currently working on within the project?

David Fortus: Many students struggle to understand and apply quantitative ideas about energy and its conservation, in part because energy continues to be taught using the 19^th century language of “forms”. The ELeVATE project (Exploring Learning in Various Approaches to Teaching Energy) has developed a transfer-only instructional approach that represents a substantial departure from how energy is typically presented in high school physics, doing away with energy forms and transformations. This approach has been instantiated in three project-based units (mechanics, electromagnetics, and EM waves) for high school physics that focus on building students’ quantitative energy knowledge-in-use. We are presently engaged in field tests to investigate the value of the new approach.

IPN: ELeVATE-HS focuses on developing students’ quantitative understanding of energy in upper secondary school. Why is understanding energy such an important and interesting topic in science education?

David Fortus: Many of the central issues facing society are energy related. Decisions around climate change, the replication rates of viruses, whether to pursue omnivorous or herbivorous diets, the generation, storage and transmission of energy, and transportation policy like whether to pursue hybrid, electric, hydrogen or turbo-charged cars all require a practical and quantitative understanding of energy. Many of these issues hinge on rates of energy transfer. Despite the importance of energy to all fields of science and to everyday life, traditional energy instruction has been repeatedly shown to fall short in supporting students in constructing the ability to use energy ideas successfully, especially in developing an understanding of the quantitative aspect of energy (much of the research documenting this was done at IPN!). Too many students leave school unequipped to use and disliking one of the most powerful conceptual tools that science has to offer for making sense of the natural and designed world.

IPN: What can international collaborations such as the one between the Weizmann Institute of Science and IPN achieve that individual research groups might not be able to achieve on their own?

David Fortus: The challenges facing science education are very similar across most western nations. Decreasing motivation, equity and identity issues, personalized instruction, conceptual constraints, and the effective use of AI are examples of some of these challenges. It is not efficient for every country to attempt to find solutions to these challenges on its own, but that is often what happens. In addition, the range of expertise needed to carry out high-quality research on these topics that can lead to findings with the potential to impact both theory and practice is beyond what exists at most institutes. And finally, we all get accustomed to a certain way of looking at things, and working internationally is an excellent way to break out of the conceptual box that constrains each of us. As Descartes pointed out, often the best way to learn about your own nation is to travel overseas.