Physics Education vol.52: Ciênsação and others educational papers

One of the most interesting paper published on the last issue of Physics Education is Ciênsação: gaining a feeling for sciences about a learning repository for high school theachers.
The project born for brazilian schools, but I think that it could be useful for allo teachers in the world. For example in most educational systems there are the same reasons against the introduction of hands-on experiments in classroom:

• lack of time;
• insecurity and lack of training;
• lack of resources and infrastructure.

So the repository Ciênsação propose to all teachers some interesting and simple experiments. It try

(...) to convince teachers that short experiments — which may take just a couple of minutes or even seconds to conduct — can smoothly transit to productive class discussions, in which students simultaneously advance their fact knowledge, deepen their understanding and foster their scientific skills.

If we see some experiments (for example the brief activity about magnetism), we can apreciate the simple integration of the experiment in the usual lesson with few materials.
I think that the phylosophy of Ciênsação is very near to my (past) teaching activities:

The research tasks, around which Ciênsação experiments are built, invite students to actively do science, instead of merely reproducing known results and confirming textbook claims. Giving students a few minutes to pursue such a task autonomously in small groups, allows them not only to experience the excitement of discovery, but also to experience science as a creative activity, as a craft they can master, rather than the privilege of an elite called 'scientists'.

For theachers that are intrested to sbmit their teaching activities, there's also a submission form.

Henrique Abreu de Oliveira, M., & Fischer, R. (2017). Ciênsação: gaining a feeling for sciences Physics Education, 52 (2) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6552/aa5430

And now some others interesting papers:

We present a new teaching and outreach activity based around the construction of a three-dimensional chart of isotopes using $\text{LEG}{{\text{O}}^{\circledR}}$ bricks5. The activity, binding blocks, demonstrates nuclear and astrophysical processes through a seven-meter chart of all nuclear isotopes, built from over 26 000 $\text{LEG}{{\text{O}}^{\circledR}}$ bricks. It integrates A-Level and GCSE curricula across areas of nuclear physics, astrophysics, and chemistry, including: nuclear decays (through the colours in the chart); nuclear binding energy (through tower heights); production of chemical elements in the cosmos; fusion processes in stars and fusion energy on Earth; as well as links to medical physics, particularly diagnostics and radiotherapy.

Diget, C., Pastore, A., Leech, K., Haylett, T., Lock, S., Sanders, T., Shelley, M., Willett, H., Keegans, J., Sinclair, L., Simpson, E., & Binding Blocks Collaboration, T. (2017). Binding blocks: building the Universe one nucleus at a time Physics Education, 52 (2) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6552/aa550c (sci-hub)

For this article, we use a 3D printer to print a surface similar to universal gravitation for demonstrating and investigating Kepler's laws of planetary motion describing the motion of a small ball on the surface. This novel experimental method allows Kepler's laws of planetary motion to be visualized and will contribute to improving the manipulative ability of middle school students and the accessibility of classroom education.

Lu, M., Su, J., Wang, W., & Lu, J. (2017). Visualization of Kepler’s laws of planetary motion Physics Education, 52 (2) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6552/aa539e (sci-hub)

We discuss strategies for the general solution of single-step 1D constant acceleration problems. In a slightly restricted form, these problems have five variables ($\Delta x$, $v_0$, $v$, $a$ and $t$) and two independent equations, so three variables must be given to solve for the other two, giving 10 cases. Instead of the haphazard solution of individual problems, we advocate teaching a strategy for tackling the entire class of problems. We enumerate the possible strategies, and present in detail one which reveals a number of interesting special cases and also allows the possibility of developing an automatic problem generator and solver.

Wheaton, S., & Binder, P. (2017). Solution strategies for constant acceleration problems Physics Education, 52 (2) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6552/aa568b (sci-hub)

In a dramatic physics demonstration, a professional flutist produces four resonances with a 12 ounce Boylan soda bottle solely through her breath control. The 22 cm bottle acts like a Helmholtz resonator for the lowest pitch. The three higher pitches fall near the 3rd, 5th, and 7th harmonics for a 22 cm closed pipe. A video of this remarkable feat is provided. The video also reveals that a flutist can bend resonance pitches by as much as 10% through control of air speed.

Ruiz, M., & Boysen, E. (2017). Flutist produces four resonances with a single bottle Physics Education, 52 (2) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6552/aa532b (sci-hub)

A simple model is presented to explain Higgs boson physics to the grand public. The model consists of a children's ball pool representing a Universe filled with a certain amount of the Higgs field. The model is suitable for usage as a hands-on tool in scientific exhibits and provides a clear explanation of almost all the aspects of the physics of the Higgs field interaction with other particles.

Organtini, G. (2017). A ball pool model to illustrate Higgs physics to the public Physics Education, 52 (2) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6552/aa4f8a (sci-hub)