Abstract
This paper reports on an action research project undertaken with the primary aim of investigating the extent to which situations that evoke a sense of wonder can promote scientific inquiry. Given the intense interest, curiosity, and wonder that some students had begun to develop after seeing the film The Prestige, a science teacher used this film, which showed Tesla’s demonstrations on the wireless transmission of electrical power, as a source of curiosity and wonder. The class that participated in this action research project was an 11th grade class in a rural area of southern Greece. Through an analysis of students’ journals, observation, informal discussions, and paper-and-pencil tests, it was found that students (a) became involved with Tesla’s life and work, thus developing an interest in current electricity; (b) learned about the skin effect, the biological effects of AC and DC currents; and (c) better understood Ohm’s law in their attempt to find out the degree of damage or injury a certain measure of current can cause. Moreover, some students began to develop scepticism and open-mindedness, in addition to their sense of wonder. The paper also presents a planning framework for teaching the Tesla story.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bass J., Contant T., Carin A. (2009) Activities for teaching science as inquiry. Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA
Brickhouse N. (1994) Bringing in the outsiders: The sciences of the future. Journal of Curriculum Studies 31: 131–142
Brickhouse N. (2003) Science for all? Science for girls? Which girls? In: Cross R. (Ed.) A vision for science education. RoutledgeFalmer, London, UK, pp 93–101
Burke E. (1990) A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas. Oxford University Press, New York
Feynman R. (1964) The value of science. In: Arons A., Bork A. (eds) Science and ideas. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp 3–12
Goodwin A. (2001) Wonder in science teaching and learning. School Science Review 83: 69–73
Greene M. (1978) Landscapes of learning. Teachers College Press, New York
Hadzigeorgiou Y. (1997) Relationships, meaning and the science curriculum. Curriculum & Teaching 12: 83–89
Hadzigeorgiou Y. (1999) Problem situations and science learning. School Science Review 81: 43–49
Hadzigeorgiou Y. (2005a) Romantic understanding and science education. Teaching Education 16: 23–32
Hadzigeorgiou, Y. (2005b). Inclusive practice in science education: Fulbright Project – Part I: Theoretical framework. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Northern Iowa.
Hadigeorgiou, Y. (2006, July). Wonder: Why is it important and how can it be fostered in the science classroom? Paper presented at the 4 th International Conference on Imagination and Education. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.
Hadzigeorgiou Y. (2008) Encouraging involvement with school science. Journal of Curriculum & Pedagogy 5: 39–54
Hirst P. (1972) Liberal education and the nature of knowledge. In: Dearden R., Hirst P., Peters R. (eds) Education and the development of reason. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, UK, pp 391–414
Jardine D., Clifford P., Friesen S. (2003) Back to the basics of teaching and learning. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ
Jenkins E., Nelson N. (2005) Important but not for me: Students’ attitudes toward secondary school science in England. Research in Science and Technological Education 23: 41–57
Martin D. (2003) Elementary science methods. A constructivist approach. Thomson/Wadsworth, Belmont, CA
Millar R., Osborne J. (1998) Beyond 2000. Open University Press, Milton Keynes, UK
National Research Council: (1996) National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
Opdal P.M. (2001) Curiosity, wonder and education seen as perspective development. Studies in Philosophy and Education 20: 331–344
Peters R. (1967) What is an educational process? In: Peters R. (Ed.) The concept of education. The Humanity Press, New York, pp 1–23
Peters R. (1973) Aims of education: A conceptual enquiry. In: Peters R. (Ed.) The Philosophy of Education. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp 1–35
Pugh K. (2004) Newton’s laws beyond the classroom walls. Science Education 88: 182–196
Renzulli J., Gentry M., Reis S. (2004) A time and place for authentic learning. Educational Leadership 62: 73–77
Schank R. (2004) Making minds less well educated than our own. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ
Silverman M. (1989) Two sides of wonder: Philosophical keys to the motivation of science learning. Synthese 80: 43–61
Stefanich G., Hadzigeorgiou Y. (2001) Models and applications. In: Stefanich G. (Ed.) Science teaching in inclusive classrooms: Models and applications. Woolverton, Cedar Falls, IA, pp 61–90
Toulmin S. (1976) Knowing and acting. An invitation to philosophy. McMillan, New York
Williams C., Stanisstreet M., Spall K., Boyes E., Dickson D. (2003) Why aren’t secondary students interested in physics? Physics Education 38: 324–329
Witz K. (1996) Science with values and values for science. Journal of Curriculum Studies 28: 597–612
Wong, D., Pugh, K., and the Dewey Ideas Group at Michigan State University. (2001). Learning science: A Deweyan perspective. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38, 317-336.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hadzigeorgiou, Y., Garganourakis, V. Using Nikola Tesla’s Story and His Experiments as Presented in the Film “The Prestige” to Promote Scientific Inquiry: A Report of an Action Research Project. Interchange 41, 363–378 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-010-9136-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-010-9136-x