Chapter 20
A Combination of Historical Physics
Documents and Other Teaching Tools
for the Instruction of Prospective Teachers
in Chaos and Complexity
Aristotelis Gkiolmas, Artemisia Stoumpa, Anthimos Chalkidis, and
Constantine Skordoulis
Abstract This work presents and analyses a didactic methodology for teaching
aspects of Chaos and Complex Systems in Physics to prospective Science educators.
The methodology includes historical Physics texts and experimental instrumentation, as well as computer models and simulations. The objectives are mainly to help
undergraduate teachers realise the way that Physics evolves through changes and
standoffs, and the way in which scientists work, which is much related to teaching
the Nature of Science (NoS). At the same time, through this teaching methodology,
there is an attempt to instruct undergraduate students in basic elements of Chaos
Theory and Complexity Theory, by avoiding heavy mathematical formalism incompatible with their age and their learning level and ability. This teaching sequence is
intended to be applied in a pilot study involving undergraduate students of the
Department of Primary Education, University of Athens, so as to generate initial
qualitative and quantitative results.
20.1 Introduction
There is a growing tendency in contemporary Physics education to include aspects of
(1) Chaos Theory, (2) Complexity and (3) Complex Systems’ properties (Strogatz
2014) and comportment.
Several attempts have been made or are being made to bring Chaos and Complexity into school classrooms (Peitgen et al. 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004), to popularise
these sciences (Briggs and Peat 1989; Ruelle 1993; Gleick 2008) and to didactically
A. Gkiolmas (*) · A. Stoumpa · A. Chalkidis · C. Skordoulis
Department of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Athens,
Greece
e-mail: agkiolm@primedu.uoa.gr; artemisst@primedu.uoa.gr; achalkid@primedu.uoa.gr;
kskordul@primedu.uoa.gr
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
B. G. Sidharth et al. (eds.), Fundamental Physics and Physics Education Research,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52923-9_20
251
A Combination of Historical Physics
Documents and Other Teaching Tools
for the Instruction of Prospective Teachers
in Chaos and Complexity
Aristotelis Gkiolmas, Artemisia Stoumpa, Anthimos Chalkidis, and
Constantine Skordoulis
Abstract This work presents and analyses a didactic methodology for teaching
aspects of Chaos and Complex Systems in Physics to prospective Science educators.
The methodology includes historical Physics texts and experimental instrumentation, as well as computer models and simulations. The objectives are mainly to help
undergraduate teachers realise the way that Physics evolves through changes and
standoffs, and the way in which scientists work, which is much related to teaching
the Nature of Science (NoS). At the same time, through this teaching methodology,
there is an attempt to instruct undergraduate students in basic elements of Chaos
Theory and Complexity Theory, by avoiding heavy mathematical formalism incompatible with their age and their learning level and ability. This teaching sequence is
intended to be applied in a pilot study involving undergraduate students of the
Department of Primary Education, University of Athens, so as to generate initial
qualitative and quantitative results.
20.1 Introduction
There is a growing tendency in contemporary Physics education to include aspects of
(1) Chaos Theory, (2) Complexity and (3) Complex Systems’ properties (Strogatz
2014) and comportment.
Several attempts have been made or are being made to bring Chaos and Complexity into school classrooms (Peitgen et al. 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004), to popularise
these sciences (Briggs and Peat 1989; Ruelle 1993; Gleick 2008) and to didactically
A. Gkiolmas (*) · A. Stoumpa · A. Chalkidis · C. Skordoulis
Department of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Athens,
Greece
e-mail: agkiolm@primedu.uoa.gr; artemisst@primedu.uoa.gr; achalkid@primedu.uoa.gr;
kskordul@primedu.uoa.gr
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
B. G. Sidharth et al. (eds.), Fundamental Physics and Physics Education Research,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52923-9_20
251