5 Reflection on modern teaching theory and practice in physics

In China, many high school teachers have been aware of trends which have been taking place in teaching in Western countries, and have tried their best to make some changes. But teaching at universities does not appear to have changed. This has puzzled me for a long time. In 2006 I was honoured to join in the Teaching Science in English program. A semester’s study made me aware of new exciting ideas about teaching. From Mike King’s class and relevant seminars I have learned about contemporary issues and research in teaching and learning in science. I have also observed teaching practices that are very different from that in China. I have gradually realised that the teaching and learning practices in China (perhaps in many Eastern countries) are similar to those used one hundred years ago (in Einstein’s era) in Western countries, and which have now been discarded. The possible application of some new teaching strategies to teaching in China will be discussed in this paper