Responsibility of Teachers: The SSIBL Model in Hungary

Abstract

Physics teacher education traditionally focuses on a science-grounded educational approach that involves experimentation in the form of teacher demonstrations and student laboratory work. Introducing the SSIBL model in the framework of an in-service training course, “Contemporary methods in Physics Education”, required an in-depth introduction of the components of the model but also a case-based explanation of the relevance and necessity of socially sensitive science education for Hungary. The development of the course started with an immersion of teachers in science communication media related to burning social issues like the use and abuse of nuclear energy, the potentials of renewable energy, safe and conscientious energy consumption etc. Background knowledge gained during the course was reinforced by the 2015 international conference in Budapest, “Teaching Physics Innovatively”. Many presentations, symposia and a roundtable discussion targeted components and philosophy behind the SSIBL model. One much discussed social issue, the necessity of the expansion of the Nuclear Plant at the town of Paks was also supported by a guided site visit preceded by a roundtable discussion and followed by further elaboration during the TPD course. A survey supplemented by interviews was used to identify results and problems of the introduction of SSIBL in Hungary. This paper provides an overview of the TPD course, the projects designed by the teachers and the general perception of the SSIBL model by Hungarian secondary school teachers of Physics.