Choice of Applet
Java Applet used: Circuit Construction Kit (DC)
URL of Java Applet: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc
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| Screenshot of the applet |
Rationale for choice of applet and task
During contract teaching at a secondary school, the author has come to realise that many students consider electricity as a difficult topic. This might be due to the fact that the terms involved in this topic are quite abstract and are difficult to visualise. To make matters worse, the inordinate amount of equations involved in electricity makes students lose interest in the topic. The next best method that teachers can fall back on would be the drill and practice method in preparation for the exam. However, the author feels that if the foundational knowledge of the concept of current and potential difference is strongly reinforced at the beginning, the students would have less difficulty in later topics in electricity. Besides finding the topic difficult, many students also have misconceptions or alternative conceptions about current and potential difference. The alternative conceptions to be addressed using this applet is as follows (Alvin, 2004):
- Source of current solely comes from the battery
- There is only fixed amount of current supplied by battery regardless of circuit.
- Bulbs "consume" current
- A bulb in asingle bulb circuit will be less bright as compared to bulbs arranged in parallel
The author has also experienced similar alternative conceptions amongst her students during her contract teaching.
How this task can be integrated into teaching-learning of electricity
The student will be learning the concept of current and potential difference with accompanying worksheets that will be given out during the computer laboratory session. They will then use the applet to answer the questions in the worksheet.
The worksheet is structured in a way to guide the students as it starts from scaffolding questions before leading to more difficult thinking questions.