How Multiple Representations Using a Cyber–Physical System to Teach Rectilinear Motion Improves Learning and Creativity
Description
: Learning physics can be seen by many as a problem, as the standard method of learning tends to focus on remembering and using concepts that fail to construct meaning. To overcome this prob-lem in teaching rectilinear motion, we implemented multiple representations using a cyber–physical system that enables interaction between a physical model and the real world. We did so by using a microcomputer system housed inside a ball, including motion and force sensors. This system communicated with the teacher’s laptop in order to display the corresponding data via a projector. The study was conducted with 49 tenth-grade students across five sessions on rectilinear motion. Using a pre- and post-test, we observed that the experimental group performed signifi-cantly better than the control group, both in terms of learning as well as in the development of cre-ativity (fluency and flexibility). With guidance from the teacher, the multiple representations al-lowed the students to improve their learning and creativity by connecting various forms of repre-sentation. In other words, the students were able to connect both abstract and concrete views through a real-world, physical experience. Our study reveals the potential of cyber–physical sys-tems within the teaching–learning process for physics, specifically rectilinear motion, and how such a system supports multiple representations.