Séquence d’enseignement de la symbolisation des grandeurs physiques au collège

Abstract

This communication relates to a teaching sequence designed to help college students to overcome their difficulties of understanding of the physical formulas caused by the conventionality depended of the choice of the symbolism of the physical magnitudes. Despite the dynamic that has characterized its realization, the results of the assessment of the sequence shows that more than half of the students maintained their misconception relating to the existence of an exclusive, official and definitive symbol for each physical magnitude. It seems that the symbolization practices of these magnitudes exercised in classes has been an obstacle to the hoped change. Therefore, the training of the college teachers on the confusion of the symbolism of physical magnitudes can be an appropriate didactical strategy to allow students to remedy the difficulties raised.