Constructivist Paths in Teaching Physics

Electrostatics

Bibliographic Data

ID22047752
AuthorsAnna Kaminska (0000-0001-8712-8979, Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku), Helena Nowakowska (0000-0002-6342-1596, Institute of Fluid Flow-Machinery), Grzegorz P Karwasz (0000-0001-7090-3123, Nicolaus Copernicus University)
Year2026
Volume16
Issue6
Pages889
Publication date2026-06-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci16060889
OpenAlexW7163563102
LanguageEN
References cited43

We propose an interactive approach to teaching Coulomb’s law and electrostatics in general, rooted in two complementary pedagogical methodologies: hyper-constructivism (H-C) and neo-realism. Unlike standard constructivism, our hyper-constructivist approach treats students’ prior ideas—even if incomplete or inconsistent—as essential “submerged logs” that teachers may use to guide students across the cognitive lake, toward the correct understanding. We implement a triadic model of cognitive didactics, balancing amusement (the ludic “hook”), formal teaching, and deepening scientific inquiry. Here, we present a hyper-constructivist path on electrostatics—Coulomb’s and Gauss’s laws. Through a sequential path of experiments involving plastic rods, “trained” aluminum cans, Volta’s electrophorus, and “Christmas” ornaments, we demonstrate how students can spontaneously formulate problems and bridge the gap between intuitive observations and complex effects of electrical polarization, going beyond the scholastic Coulomb’s law, via numerical modeling. The proposed interactive approach is rooted in phenomena-based learning and leverages discrepant events—surprising physical phenomena that challenge prior intuitions—as “ludic hooks” to trigger spontaneous inquiry and conceptual reconstruction. The main goal of our strategies is to trigger and develop young students’ interest in physics, which in many European countries is low. This method not only facilitates the acquisition of physical laws but also fosters “intellectual inquisitiveness” and social competencies, proving that well-rooted knowledge emerges from a synthesis of tangible experience and advanced scientific modeling. Our contribution constitutes a complex pedagogical proposal, iteratively developed and implemented in diverse didactical environments over several years. This paper presents a pedagogical proposal developed and refined through more than twenty years of educational practice. For teachers interested in implementing hyper-constructivist instruction, we provide a detailed teaching pathway on electrostatics, with didactical explanations and pedagogical notes

Cognition · Constructivist teaching methods · Physical law · Social constructivism · Teaching method · Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques · Science Education and Pedagogy

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