Development of educational materials in the field of electricity that are intuitive and easy to understand for primary and secondary school students and educational support through mock lessons

Not only do students need to acquire knowledge about subjects, they also need to feel motivated and inspired. This provides the confidence to tackle subjects head on. In response to a concerning decline in interest from young people in the natural and physical sciences, Associate Professor Tomotaka Kozuki wants to spark enthusiasm for science and technology among children. He aims to do this by appealing to their curious nature and encouraging interest in learning and excitement of the unknown. He is working closely with collaborators Associate Professor Yutaka Kobayashi and Professor Takashi Terashige to overcome challenges associated with visualising electricity. The researchers are developing novel ammeters and voltmeters that visualise currents and voltages, making them accessible and understandable to primary and secondary school teachers and students alike. Using the ammeters and voltmeters they developed, teachers and students can observe the Joule heat generated in the resistor with a thermography camera. This helps them to see and understand the relationship between current and voltage. Having presented his findings so far at conferences, Kozuki is already garnering interest from fellow researchers. He and the team are also conducting mock lectures for primary and secondary school teachers, providing educational support. He conducted a survey and found that 57 per cent of teachers believe they are not good at teaching electricity, which confirms a lack of confidence with this field that needs to be rectified.