An Open Inquiry Research-Based Teaching-Learning Sequence About The Cause of Seasons

Abstract

In this paper we describe an inquiry-based module aimed at explaining the physical mechanisms underlying the astronomical phenomenon of seasonal changes . In the module's activities, radiation flow and energy transfers are quantitatively measured by the students in simplified situations to construct the models that account for evidences related to the seasons. The module has been implemented with 45 secondary school students (17-18 years old). Analysis of students’ answers to the pre- and post-test questionnaires supports the effectiveness of the proposed activities.