Research GRoup on Astronomy and Physics Education (GRAPE)
GRAPE (the research GRoup on Astronomy and Physics Education) is dedicated to promoting the teaching and learning of physics and astronomy at all educational levels. Our interdisciplinary team focuses on studying and developing innovative teaching strategies and resources to enhance physics education, leveraging authentic collaboration with physics teachers as the preferred channel to bridge the gap between research and practice.
We aim to make physics accessible to all students. Therefore, in our studies we adopt a lens that values equity and diversity, and developing inclusive learning environment is a priority.
Staff
Associate Professors: Ornella Pantano
Assistant Professors: Marta Carli
Post-doc
Eva Elisa Dryden Silva, Eugenio Tufino,
PhD students
Lucia Gabelli, Stefania Lippiello
External collaborators
Giorgio Lissandron (LS Cornaro), Francesco Maracci (ITI Severi)
Research activities
Didattica laboratoriale innovativa
We study the efficacy of instructional laboratories for learning physics. We aim to understand how to structure learning environments and progressions that promote the development of scientific abilities and foster expert-like attitudes towards experimental physics. Our research also explores how integrating technologies such as Arduino and smartphones into laboratory activities can contribute to achieving learning objectives.
This line of research operates in synergy with the departmental ToPLab project. At the secondary school level, we experiment through teachers’ communities of practice. In primary and early childhood education, we design teaching sequences aimed at fostering the development of scientific practices.
Contacts: Marta Carli, Lucia Gabelli, Eugenio Tufino, Ornella Pantano.
Formazione insegnanti: comunità di apprendimento e ricerca-azione
We study effective strategies for physics teacher training, seeking synergies between the learning community approach and action research. The research is conducted by establishing communities of in-service teachers who co-design and experiment teaching-learning sequences on various physics topics, taking into account the findings of physics education research. Our project COLLABORA - A Community Of Learners on LABORAtory work provided a model for teacher professional development that we have applied to other projects (e.g., ATENA - Asiago Teachers’ Network on Astrophysics; FisicaMente al Liceo; ADELANTE - Adopting Digitally-Enhanced Laboratories in a Network of Teachers).
As the national regulations regarding initial teacher training evolve, we are studying how to implement the model in pre-service and early service physics teacher training (projects “Virtual School” and “Mentoring Growth: cultivating the Next Generation of STEM Educators through Collaborative Research”, in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology of UniPD and Monash University, Melbourne).
Contacts: Marta Carli, Ornella Pantano.
Il ruolo della matematica nell’apprendimento-insegnamento della fisica
We study the relationship between mathematics and physics to improve the teaching and learning of physics. This link is particularly relevant to the development of problem-solving and modelling skills. The research targets both the first year of university and the last two years of secondary school, also to facilitate school-university transition.
Contacts: Marta Carli, Stefania Lippiello, Ornella Pantano.
