Creativity and Motivation in Physics Education

Marcela Chovancová
(Department of Physics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, SUT, Radlinského 11,813 68 Bratislava, Slovak Republic)

Abstract: The article deals with motivation and creative problems. One of the ways may be nonconventional tasks. A part of the task description could be assigned in a pictorial form. The perception of the situation given by the picture is graphical and more intensive than verbal setting of the task. There is an option to use funny figures, full colour scheme, situations from real life or humour scenes. The verbal part of the picture has only supplementary function and consists mainly of questions for students to answer.

Majority of essential data are hidden within the picture. A squere grid is necessary to obtain input numeric data from the picture. This form of assignment can reduce the formality of problem solving. The student have to consider more carefully what is relevant to the solution. It is possible to find out or “read” input data in two or three dimensions. Actual metrics are given in a particular problem. In one picture there could be used different metrics for variety of physical quantities.

In addition to an ordinary verbal task students have to use their knowledge to look for required hidden data in the picture. Most attributes are not given explicitly. Students should be aware of what data is required to solve the task and how to obtain the missing information (using metrics of the task). The pupils who have only theoretical knowledge might not be able to solve the task. They have to be able to transform their experience into the physical “language” (Holá O., 2012).

Pictorial tasks occur very seldom in the process of education. Mostly they are used as an additional illustration to the verbal task. Students are not used to extracting any hidden information from pictures. Creative tasks should evoke students’ deeper interest in physics.

Key words: motivation pictorial task, motivational problem, centre of gravity, unconventional pendulum, forced vibrations, resonance