department of physics

Recent research shows that teaching physics concepts with the help of practical and non-practical tools can make children’s minds more active and resilient.

If physics is taught to children, they will learn efficiency and proper use of tools through a hands-on approach. In their research, children between 4 and 11 years old held a suitable tool and performed a specific task and found out how they could achieve a result and receive a reward by choosing the right tool and a reliable method.

If these children get a floating token in the blue container twice, they will receive a picture sticker as a reward. In this test, children receive a container with water and a number of necessary tools. Some tools are functional and some are non-functional.

Functional tools are tools that, if placed in a standard container, raise the water level and indicate the water level for the user, while non-functional tools do not because they themselves float.

In this test, it is clear that sometimes children use practical tools to try to raise the water level in a container that has a hole and leaks water. In this case, the water will never rise high enough to make the mark accessible. Of course, it does not matter that the practical tool was used and the required result was not obtained. In some cases, even though children use non-practical tools, they get the right result and win the prize.

After this stage, which is the stage of learning to use tools, researchers provide children with a standard water container and a set of practical and non-practical tools. Next, using their choice model, researchers can calculate what kind of information, whether reward or performance, is influential in children’s decision-making.

In this research, it is clear that the information about winning a prize is never a reliable predictor of children’s choices. Instead, the use of reliable practical information increases with age,               in a way that the influence is visibly observable in their decision making capabilities.

It is a belief here at Nikoo International School, that if children are taught physics problems, they will acquire a more active and flexible mind and make better decisions and choices at different stages of life.