Innovative approach of teaching ray-optics in the classroom

Abstract

The present work discusses an innovative approach to teaching ray optics for students of class X. The school students were taught various concepts related to ray optics viz. Reflection, refraction, lateral displacement, mirrors, lenses, their types and terminologies, thin and thick lens, power of a lens, all cases of image formation in lenses, total internal reflection and its applications, human eye, its defects and corrections, making of telescope and microscope through practical demonstrations and hands-on approach using a self-conceived Ray Optics Kit. This activity was done independently in twenty two schools of Delhi, both government and private, with a massive total participation of 1200 students as part of SPIE Optics Outreach Activity. SPIE@ANDC Student Chapter members were trained at the college and they followed ‘Train the Trainer’ approach to create a pool of more than fifteen students who collectively conducted the workshops in teams in each of these schools. The student performance was assessed through a pre and post test as well as using a feedback form. An improvement of 65% in students’ performance was observed as indicated by comparing their pre-test and post-test results. The students as well as teachers gave a highly appreciative feedback of the whole activity. The feedback on their social media pages is a testimony of the success of the activity. Each school was awarded a Ray Optics Kit so as to make teaching and learning of ray optics interesting and engaging for batches in the future academic years.