Using PhET simulations to replace real equipment in lab Circuit Construction Kit
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Description
Labs and tutorials that use equipment such as circuits can be modified to use PhET simulations instead. Research shows that substituting the PhET Circuit Construction Kit simulation for real equipment in a variety of contexts leads to improved conceptual learning in the best cases, and the same conceptual learning in the worst cases. There are many advantages to using PhET simulations over real equipment: They are easy to use, so students can play around and modify the experiment quickly and easily without fear of breaking the equipment. They have productive constraints to focus attention on the most important aspects of the experiment (e.g. bulb brightness and current flow) rather than on irrelevant aspects (e.g. wire color and length). Finally, if real equipment is not available, PhET simulations provide the opportunity to do multiple experiments with a single piece of equipment: a computer. Less
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Topics and Grades
Grade: 9 to 12, Undergraduate to Graduate
Topics: Multimedia Presentation, Instructional Strategies, Professional Development
Resource Pedagogy
Resource Type/Classification:
- Teacher Materials
Tool for: Teachers