IDAS: a student-centered teaching methodology to encourage the learning of physics

The continuous scientific-technological developments, which characterize the current times, have undoubtedly transformed the society we live in. Therefore, it is mandatory education’s objective to promote scientific and technological literacy for all students. To attain this, education must not be limited to the school, but rather different social sectors must promote spaces and proposals for formal, non-formal and informal education that contribute to classroom practices. With this premise in mind, a group of university professor-researchers, specialists in scientific teaching and educational technology, taking the paradigm of design-based research and in cooperation with secondary school physics teachers, we have designed the teaching methodology IDAS (Initiation, Development, Application and Synthesis). IDAS is a student-centered and learning-based methodology that seeks to promote the understanding of concepts, laws and theories related to science. Simultaneously it promotes the development of skills related to problem solving and critical and strategic use of the technology of information and communication. In this work, the IDAS teaching methodology is presented, described, substantiated and exemplified. Some results obtained by implementing it in the classroom are shared.

Keywords:
Teaching methodology; Active learning; Physics; Problem resolution; ICTs