ERIC Number: EJ1337177
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Apr
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
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Available Date: N/A
Effectively Illustrating Nature's Magic with Magic
Becchetti, F. D.
Physics Teacher, v60 n4 p276-281 Apr 2022
There is an ongoing challenge with STEM education: making physics, math, and science, in general, interesting, understandable, and retentive for college science and non-science majors, K-12 students, and the public. If not imparting detailed knowledge, at least one would like to introduce important concepts that will be remembered, appreciated, and hopefully would be pursued in more detail by audience members. One solution: as noted by Socrates, "Wisdom begins in wonder." Indeed, magic as a form of wonderment dates back to Socrates and even earlier. One of the first magic books, "The Discoverie of Witchcraft" by Reginald Scot, was published in 1584, predating publication of many science texts. In this paper the author, based on recent research, advocates using "special" forms of magic to both amaze and teach, and in particular to illustrate the wonders of modern physics, i.e., Nature's magic, but with connections also to classical physics.
Descriptors: STEM Education, Physics, Deception, Leisure Time, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Visual Perception, Validity
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A