Labs in Building a Modern Physics Way of Thinking

Modern physics in secondary school is a challenge, which involves the possibility to transfer to the future generations a culture in which physics is an integrated part, not a marginal one, involving curricula innovation, in a way that allows the students to manage them in moments of organized analysis, in everyday life, in social decisions. Conceptual knots in classical physics are often quoted to argue the exclusion of modern physics in secondary school, but the physics of the last century is now part of the secondary school curricula in many EU countries and in the last 10 years appear in secondary textbooks, even if in not organic way and sometime with a prevalent narrative approach. A wide discussion on goals, rationale, contents, instruments and methods for its introduction in secondary school curriculum is now increasing. In the theoretical framework of the Model of Educational Reconstruction, the Physics Education Research Group of the University of Udine (UPERG) developed research based educational proposals based on active role of students. Different kind of Lab work are integrated in the research based proposals, chosen to offer an idea of the differentiated perspective of the work of physicists in modern physics and an epistemological reflection. Associated physics education research is focus on contributing to practice, developing vertical coherent content related learning proposals by means of Design Based Research (DBR 2003) to produce learning progression (Duschl R., Maeng S. & Sezen A. 2011) and finding ways to offer opportunities for understanding and experience what physics is, what it deals with and how it works in operative way. The strategies of Lab work assume a formative role in their integration in the context of the different proposals.