C14. Commission on Physics Education (1960)

Report to the 2002 General Assembly for 1999-2002, Berlin, Germany October 7-12, 2002


A) MANDATE OF THE COMMISSION
The Commission's main aim is to promote the exchange of information and views among members of the international community of physicists in the general field of physics education. To pursue this aim, it tries to assist the communication of information concerning education in physics at all levels. This information includes in its scope the assessment of the standards of the physics teaching and learning, ways in which the facilities for the study of physics might be improved, and ways to help physics teachers incorporate current knowledge about physics, physics pedagogy, and results of research in physics education into their courses and curricula.

B) A GENERAL REMARK ON PHYSICS EDUCATION
Physics Education is a cross-sectional discipline connected with almost all subjects in physics. It is a research field on its own investigating the process of teaching and learning physics with the aim to improve them. There are two characteristic views in this field using different scientific resources and methods but interconnected with each other in manifold ways: one directed to the physics subject to be taught, the other focussed on the student and his ability to learn and understand physics. For this purpose researchers in this field have to cooperate with scientists from other disciplines like educational theorists and psychologists and with teachers, as well. But the main partners are physicists from the different areas of physics. Therefore it is essential for the development of physics education that these scientists remain willingly to make appropriate contributions to this field and to cooperate with the science educators.

C) CONFERENCES
One of the main ways to meet the mandate of the commission is the promotion of conferences on physics education. There are several forms to do that:

D) PUBLICATIONS
The commission continued with its policy of distributing information in the field of physics education as widely as possible.

E) ICPE MEDAL
The ICPE medal is awarded for contributions to physics education which are major in scope and impact and which have extended over a considerable time. In 2000 the medal was awarded to Professor Paul Black (London, UK). In 2002 the commission had two excellent nominees and decided that as an extraordinary exception this year the medal is awarded to both of them: Professor Tae Ryu (Tokyo, Japan) and Professor Lillian McDermott (Seattle, USA).

F) WORLD YEAR OF PHYSICS 2005
At its last meeting ICPE discussed possible contributions from the commission to the World Year of Physics 2005. It was suggested that every IUPAP conference in 2005 should include one session or at least one contribution focussing on problems of physics education connected with the special subject of the conference. ICPE offer its help to set up an appropriate program and to look for qualified speakers.

G) LONG-TERM PRIORITIES FOR ICPE
The Commission feels that it would be helpful to form a long term view of activities that it particularly wishes to encourage. Having discussed the problems and issues that the Commission feels are likely to be central to Physics Education over the next five or so years, the Commission would be particularly pleased to support activities that address these problems and issues. The Commission has identified a number of changes to which physics educators need to respond, and hopes that activities will be developed which address these needs and possible responses to them.


Berlin, August 2002 Juergen Sahm Chair of C14