Evaluating and enhancing grade eleven science teachers' teaching of physics concepts in Nuwara - Eliya zone

Abstract

It is obvious in all over the country suitably qualified science teachers are in short supply especially in Nuwara-Eliya district its effects are more. In many Tamil schools in NuwaraEliya zone there are no science teachers therefore the schools manage with non-science teachers. And few schools have enough qualified science teachers with trained certificate or Teachers Diploma. Among them there are considerable percentage of teachers are not studied some units at all, especially in physics sections, but they have to teach however these for the students. There is a common doubt, whether most students in upper secondary classes acquire a sound conceptual grasp of basic physics principles covered in Science and Technology text! Also there is a complain from A/L physics teachers the secondary grade science teachers have failed to change student’s misconceptions concerning the physics sections or fail to teach the aspects of this theory in any meaningful way. Since the teachers who teach science and technology are from biological background they may have some problem in teaching physics sections. To overcome this problem there are two necessary steps have to be taken. First one should concentrate on improving teachers' knowledge of basic physics concepts. The second to enhances their pedagogical repertoires to include the effective use of guided inquiry, peer collaboration and modern technology in teaching physics concepts. The purposes behind of this study are to improve teachers’ knowledge of basic concepts.