AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHING THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF QUANTUM MECHANICS IN AN OUTREACH COURSE

We present the results of a classroom experiment in an outreach course focused on teaching the concepts and principles of Quantum Mechanics, especially those of states and linear superposition of states. The theoretical frameworks of meaningful learning and conceptual fields were utilized to develop an introductory course on the fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics and we seek to identify suitable problem-situations for the presentation and understanding of these concepts. The course spanned eighteen hours, divided into six meetings, and was presented to a heterogeneous group of Physics Degree students (without prerequisites and from different semesters) at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos. Data were collected through a prior knowledge questionnaire, logbook, written assessment and interviews. The methodology and analysis were guided mainly on the references of Ausubel's significant learning and Vergnaud's conceptual fields. Among the problem-situations utilized, we found that the double-slit experiment and the Stern-Gerlach experiment are good examples of applying the fundamental concepts of Quantum Mechanics. Furthermore, the results indicate that a more conceptual approach to Quantum Mechanics during undergraduate studies can motivate future teachers to teach Quantum Mechanics topics in high school.