Teaching informatics in Physics Classes: The Case of Slovenia

Informatics education: Where We Are

Teaching informatics and developing digital competencies (Vuorikari 2022) is crucial for the long-term competitiveness and security of the European Union. In order to expand production capacities for modern technologies, resources and increasingly, knowledge and personnel,the EU needs to focus on educating future generations beyond basic technology use, enabling them to become innovative creators and leaders in the digital era.

While EU has established a framework for developing digital competencies, there is not yet a consensus on which informatics knowledge is truly important, nor a unified strategy on how to incorporate it into the curriculum and teaching. The implementation varies across the Member States: some offer computer science as an independent subject, others integrate it within existing subjects, while some have yet to include it in their educational programs. (Ramiro 2022, Broeders 2023)

The Case of Slovenia: What We Are Doing

Since computer science is not mandatory in primary schools in Slovenia, teachers explore ways to bring informatics knowledge closer to students. Two years ago, DIGITAL FIRST partner OŠ Toneta Čufarja Maribor conducted a pilot project of teaching informatics through physics experiments for gifted students (Bernad 2021, 2022). The school prepared five tasks where students had to set up a measurement system and interpret the results to solve a problem. Understanding the physics problem is essential before addressing data acquisition problem, which is quite a challenging task. For this purpose, students received a partially prepared measurement system with basic instructions for continuation. Using sensors, they detected various parameters and learned that measurement is always an electrical signal that needs to be correctly interpreted. Students programmed the Micro:bit controllers to collect and transform raw data into meaningful measurements.

This year, a group of teachers from the school developed methods to incorporate informatics knowledge into regular physics classes in the 8th grade.

The focus was on a physics experiment – measuring the cart acceleration on an inclined plane. Students released the cart down the ramp, recorded time and distance, and calculated the acceleration from the collected data. Measuring time may not sound too complicated, but it is necessary to consider the timely start and stop of the measurement. Therefore, they designed a measurement system that allowed the detection of the cart’s movement and its arrival at the finish line. For the measuring device, theyused the Micro:bit microcontroller, which allows easy detection of closed contacts – pins. We integrated the Micro:bit pins to the start and finish blocks and developed a computer program that captured and interpreted the data into understandable results.

 

 

When planning the experiments, the class focused on understanding the computer acquisition of input data and data interpretation processes. This emphasized the importance of precise instruction-following and scientific competencies, which are essential for experimental setup and execution. Moreover, without fundamental informatics knowledge, the setup cannot produce meaningful and interpretable results.

Challenges

We had to prepare enough measurement points, which is quite challenging due to the lack of equipment. We used Lego Duplo carts from a home playroom, and the teacher prepared the ramps, detection contacts, and start blocks from wood, sheet metal, and silicone glue – a bit of improvisation is necessary.

About one-third of the students had prior Micro:bits experience from computer science course or technology classes, which was considered as a criteria in forming groups.

The work revealed gaps in both scientific competencies and basic informatics knowledge. Most students do not have enough knowledge to complete the tasks without a pre-prepared partially assembled program. This finding is not surprising, as informatics education is not systematically organized, and students mostly do not receive it, as computer science is an elective subject mainly in the second triad.

The planning also built connection with the functional approach to informatics learning.  Programming code, as a formal language for computer instruction, requires absolute precision and strict rule adherence.

In this specific case, the properties of the “presentational or informative function” in informatics can be reflected in various ways, similar to a language for conveying or requesting information, technology for long-range communication, and multimedia support. Depending on the nature of the task, the teachers  used Micro:bit as a display and interpreter of results, allowing students to further analyse the outcomes of the experiment.

Students develop personal expression skills through data visualization, while using the display to communicate complex experimental findings. This combination of personal development and scientific communication exemplifies computer science’s presentational and informative functions.

Findings

The examples revealed several insights. While working with gifted students, the mentioned approach to learn computer science has proven beneficial (Bernad 2021, 2022). Continuous work (5 tasks over several sessions) showed progress in understanding the basic concepts of informatics, as well as improvements in the necessary scientific competencies to establish a measurement system.

Regular classroom implementation revealed challenges stemming from insufficient exposure to this type of problem-solving. Program assembly demonstrated clear differences between students with and without prior informatics education. Student performance notably improved by the end of the lesson, which, supported by experiences with two pilot groups, validates this approach. While quantitative indicators for these observations derive from over 20 years of direct classroom experience.

The experience also revealed the need for extended, more flexible time blocks, as single lessons proved insufficient. Without regular computer science education, students lack mastery of basic concepts needed for data capture and interpretation. This limits the focus to basic code assembly. The process often relies on capable individuals leading their groups through problems – a challenge for policymakers to address, as experts have already provided their recommendations.

Sources:

  1. Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S. and Punie, Y., DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens – With new examples of knowledge, skills and attitudes, EUR 31006 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022, ISBN 978-92-76-48882-8, doi:10.2760/115376, JRC128415.
  2. BERNAD, Peter, ŠIC, Danijel, REPNIK, Robert, OSRAJNIK, Damjan. Development of measurement systems with the BBC Micro:bit. In: SKALA, Karolj (ed.). MIPRO 2021 : 44th International Convention, September 27 – October 1, 2021, Opatija, Croatia : proceedings. Rijeka: Croatian Society for Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics – MIPRO, cop. 2021. Str. 911-916, ilustr. MIPRO … ISSN 1847-3946. http://docs.mipro-proceedings.com/proceedings/mipro_2021_proceedings.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 93306371]
  3. BERNAD, Peter. Razvijanje naravoslovnih in digitalnih kompetenc v fiziki z bbc micro:bit-om : magistrsko delo. Maribor: [P. Bernad], 2022. V, 76 str., ilustr., tabele. Digitalna knjižnica Univerze v Mariboru – DKUM. [COBISS.SI-ID 111688195]
  4. Ramiro Troitiño, David. The European Union Facing the 21st Century: The Digital Revolution. doi: 10.2478/bjes-2022-0003, Tallinn University of Technology (ISSN 2674-4619), Vol. 12, No. 1 (35)
  5. Broeders, D., Cristiano, F., and Kaminska, M. (2023) In Search of Digital Sovereignty and Strategic Autonomy: Normative Power Europe to the Test of Its Geopolitical Ambitions. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 61: 1261–1280. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13462.

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