Physics for Education

The aim of the study is:

• to create and develop professional knowledge and skills that graduates can use in practice, especially in further graduate studies,
• to establish skills and attitudes leading to further undergraduate study in physics and lifelong STEM education,
• create a positive attitude towards physics and science, including a positive attitude towards the communication of physical, natural and technical knowledge in society, especially to primary and secondary school pupils.

The study of the discipline links classical and modern parts of physics in a systematic consistent approach at the same level of abstract thinking and appropriate application of mathematical apparatus. The basic physics course is supplemented by a system of practical measurements and experimentation. Emphasis is placed on the continued establishment and understanding of key physics concepts (quantities, constants, laws, and theories) in an organic connection to their practical application. Students will acquire the basic skills of observation, experimentation, setting up experimental apparatus, measuring important physical quantities, forming hypotheses, and testing them theoretically and experimentally.

Overall, the study is aimed at creating disciplinary, pedagogical, psychological, communication and other personality-cultivating competences as a precursor to the follow-up Master's degree in physics teaching.

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Through studying for the Bachelor’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teaching assistant or other educational worker (e.g. free-time instructor in youth centres or after-school clubs, in various civic associations engaged in pedagogical activities) in an appropriate manner.

The degree develops students’ analytical and comparative skills, which enable them to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use subject-specific, pedagogical, and psychological publications in their work for planning, implementing and reflecting on educational activities. They develop communication skills important for communication and collaboration with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, with parents of pupils/clients and with practitioners. An important benefit of the degree is the development of self-reflective skills that provide space for the development of attitudes towards one another, to educated individuals and to the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, the acceptance of the moral obligations of a helping profession and its ethics.

The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects); the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).

“A good teacher of physics is a priority.”

Practical training

Reflected teaching practice is in accordance with the Framework Concepts at PdF MU. The system of teaching practice is long term and systematically directed towards developing the professional skills of the student and preparing them for the role of assistant teacher.

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The system of compulsory teaching practice is aimed at developing the students’ professional competences and preparing them for the full-fledged role of a teaching assistant. The aim of the teaching assistant practice is to acquire the necessary skills for individual work with a pupil outside the process of teaching (tutoring at school in the pupils’ homes) and also when working with a teacher during lessons.

The teaching practice consists of a coherent system of consecutive subjects, which are taken from the third to the fifth semester of the degree. These are the subjects teaching assistant practice - tutoring 1, teaching assistant practice - tutoring 2, consisting of individual tutoring (60 hours), teaching assistant practice - teaching assistant 1 (60 hours) and teaching assistant practice - teaching assistant 2 (60 hours) and teaching assistant practice – teaching assistant 3. Overall, there 180 hours of teaching practice.

In the third and fourth semesters, the teaching practice is followed by the subjects self-experiential preparation for the profession 1 and self- experiential preparation for the profession 2, in which the students of the teaching assistant practice reflect (24 hours). Their aim is to enable students to have real experience with selected themes (see seminar topics) regarding personal and professional development through experiential learning with an emphasis on reflection; to encourage students to gradually take responsibility for their own learning process (self-directed learning); to enable students to become aware of and, if necessary, to revise their attitudes towards their future profession.

The system of teaching practice is regularly evaluated both through closed and open questions, both by students and the mentor teachers. The reflective seminars are also evaluated.

Further information

http://katedry.ped.muni.cz/fcho/oddeleni-fyziky

According to Act No. 563/2004 Coll., on pedagogical staff, as amended, graduates can work as teaching assistants, instructors in leisure centres, as educators in youth homes, educators in day care centres, and in various civic associations engaged in pedagogical activities. In addition to the professional outcome, the graduate is prepared for entry into the follow-up master's degree programme in physics teaching.

No information available

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

A graduate of a bachelor's degree programme may (after fulfilling the admission requirements) go on to any follow-up master's degree programme, for example, the follow-up master's degree programme in physics teaching.