Home page of Society of Norwegian Physics Teacher (Norsk fysikklærerforening).
Geir Arge:The concept of force
The concept of force was focused in a course for science and physics teachers from primary and secondary schools in the Municipality of Asker outside Oslo on the 26th of October 2001. All upper secondary schools in Asker were represented (pupils 16-19 years), all lower secondary schools but one (pupils 13-15 years), and in addition science teachers from two primary schools (pupils 6-12 years).

	A wooden block in equilibrium. Analysis of the forces acting. (Click picture for ful size)
	Teachers from different schools focus upon the force concept.
	The magnet, the thread and the earth keeps the paper clip in equilibrium. Draw the forces. Name the forces. Which force is the greatest?
	Which bodies are affecting the paving-stone with pushes or pulls?

The course was based upon a teaching programme, which can be found on the Internet: http://home.chello.no/~garge . (Click for English version, then Teaching Materials, then Push and Pull.). This programme was presented at the Norwegian stand at Physics on Stage  which was arranged at CERN in November 2000.
What was unique about this course was the fact that we had gathered together teachers with quite different educational backgrounds and who teach pupils of quite different ages in such a way that all the teachers seemed to find something to fulfil their own needs. Two quotations from the evaluation can illustrate this:

• For a poor primary school teacher this was good supplement. There was a useful exchange of opinions and it was amusing to see that a professional milieu can think in much the same way as we are used to when working with 10 to 13 years old children.
• This was a clear, good approach to the subject. Many of my physics students (age 17) have problems with this.

From this we may assume that a basic understanding of the concept of force should be introduced at the age of 10 to 13. When this is not done until the pupils reach the age of 17, there might then be little time for the necessary ripening of the understanding. The lack of basic understanding becomes latent and not only affects the concept of force, but also other concepts that are based upon the concept of force.

At the end of the day every school could take home some simple equipment that should make it easy to start teaching.

To develop a framework wherein you can gather teachers who teach the same pupils at different levels of the pupils’ development is fascinating. It was a real pleasure to listen to and watch discussions between science teachers and physicists. The participating teachers have confirmed that they will join a new course that will take place this school year – it will be in February 2002. This will be about energy transfer, which means analysis of energy flow from one body to another.