Magdalena Kersting
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Department of Teacher Education and School Research
Norwegian version of this page
Username
Visiting address
Moltke Moes vei 35
Niels Henrik Abels hus
0851 OSLO
Postal address
Postboks 1099 Blindern
0317 OSLO
Other affiliations
Department of physics
I am an educational researcher and physics educator with a particular interest in collaborative meaning-making processes. In my research, I study how learners experience abstract knowledge in digital and virtual learning environments in formal and informal learning contexts. My broad interest in meaning-making processes and knowledge development in science requires a multidisciplinary approach. Thus, I bring together perspectives from science education, physics education research, the learning sciences, cognitive linguistics, and history & philosophy of science to understand the complex processes involved in teaching and learning science.
Currently, I hold a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo to study the quality of inquiry-based activities in science classrooms as part of the LISSI project. Previously, I developed a digital learning environment about Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity as part of project ReleQuant.
Please get in touch or go to my personal homepage for more information.
Research interests
- Physics Education Research (PER)
- Einsteinian physics education
- sociocultural perspectives & talking physics
- Science Education Research
- meaning-making and conceptual understanding
- embodied cognition in science education
- inquiry-based science
- Technology & learning
- computer-supported collaborative learning
- design of digital learning environments
- virtual reality in (in)formal learning spaces
- History & philosophy of science
- history & philosophy of the theory of relativity
- nature of science & teaching science
Research methods
- Qualitative research methods
- Design-based research
- Video and interaction analysis
- Focus group and interview methods
- Systematic metaphor analysis
Education
- 2019: PhD in Physics Education, University of Oslo
- 2018: Diploma in Public Relations Management, Freie Journalistenschule Berlin
- 2015: Master of Science in Mathematics, University of Göttingen
- 2012: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, University of Göttingen
- 2011: Bachelor of Science in Physics, University of Göttingen
Research stays
- November 2019: Visiting researcher at the Centre of Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education Research, SMEER, Karlstad University, Sweden
- May 2019 - June 2019: Visiting research fellow with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) at Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
- August 2018 - April 2019: Visiting research fellow with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) at the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Honours and awards
- 2019: Hartle Award for Best Oral Talk by a Student, GR22/Amaldi13
- 2019: Best Oral Presentation of a Young Researcher in Physics Education, GIREP
- 2019: Science Studies Colloquium Series Qualification Scholarship
- 2019: EARLI Mentoring Grant
- 2018: Norwegian Research Council personal overseas research grant
- 2018: ESERA Early Career Travel Award
- 2017: Winner of the Science on Stage National Competition in Norway
- 2014: DAAD Promos Mobility Stipend
- 2011: Bachelor of Science with Distinction, University of Göttingen
Professional membership
- ISLS, International Society of the Learning Sciences
- PESGB, Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
- EARLI, European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction
- ESERA, European Science Education Research Association
- ISGRG, International Society of General Relativity & Gravitation
Teaching
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Spring 2018: FYS4160 - General Relativity
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Spring 2017: FYS4160 - General Relativity
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Autumn 2016: FYS1120 - Electromagnetism
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Teaching assistant and course reader (undergraduate courses in physics and mathematics), Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (2009-2015)
Science communication and public outreach
(selection of articles and interviews)
- Navigating Four Dimensions - Feature article in Lateral Magazine
- General Relativity - Why high school students should learn about Einstein's most revolutionary idea - Article in Titan Magazine, National Geographic Education's "Read of the Week"
- Navigating Four Dimensions - Feature article in Lateral Magazine
- Da geniet Einstein tok feil - Interview with National Geographic (in Norwegian)
- Har frisket opp Einstein for dagens skoleelever - Interview with Titan Magazine (in Norwegian)
- The first catalogue of cosmic collisions, joint article with Jens Kube for Einstein-Online
- Meet the Scientist - Interview with Wonk!
Publications
- Kersting, Magdalena (2020). Visualizing Four Dimensions in Special and General Relativity, In Bharath Sriraman (ed.), Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-319-70658-0. chapter.
- Kersting, Magdalena; Toellner, Richard; Blair, David & Burman, Ron (2020). Gravity and warped time – clarifying conceptual confusions in general relativity. Physics Education. ISSN 0031-9120. 55:55 015023, s 1- 13 . doi: 10.1088/1361-6552/ab56d7
- Choudhary, Rahul; Kraus, Ute; Kersting, Magdalena; Blair, David; Zahn, Corvin; Zadnik, Marjan & Meagher, Richard (2019). Einsteinian Physics in the Classroom: Integrating Physical and Digital Learning Resources in the Context of an International Research Collaboration. The Physics Educator. ISSN 2661-3409.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). Free fall in curved spacetime—how to visualise gravity in general relativity. Physics Education. ISSN 0031-9120. 54(3), s 1- 9 . doi: 10.1088/1361-6552/ab08f5 Full text in Research Archive.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). Navigating four dimensions – upper secondary students' understanding of movement in spacetime. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. ISSN 1742-6588. 1287(1) . doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/1287/1/012007 Full text in Research Archive.
- Steier, Rolf & Kersting, Magdalena (2019). Metaimagining and embodied conceptions of spacetime. Cognition and Instruction. ISSN 0737-0008. 37(2), s 145- 168 . doi: 10.1080/07370008.2019.1580711 Full text in Research Archive.
- Steier, Rolf; Kersting, Magdalena & Silseth, Kenneth (2019). Imagining with improvised representations in CSCL environments. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning. ISSN 1556-1607. 14(1), s 109- 136 . doi: 10.1007/s11412-019-09295-1 Full text in Research Archive.
- Kersting, Magdalena; Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Bøe, Maria Vetleseter & Angell, Carl (2018). General relativity in upper secondary school: Design and evaluation of an online learning environment using the model of educational reconstruction. Physical Review Physics Education Research. ISSN 2469-9896. 14(1) . doi: 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010130 Full text in Research Archive.
- Kersting, Magdalena & Steier, Rolf (2018). Understanding Curved Spacetime: The Role of the Rubber Sheet Analogy in Learning General Relativity. Science & Education. ISSN 0926-7220. 27(7-8), s 593- 623 . doi: 10.1007/s11191-018-9997-4 Full text in Research Archive.
- Kamphorst, Floor & Kersting, Magdalena (2019). DESIGN BASED RESEARCH AND THE MODEL OF EDUCATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION – A COMBINED APPROACH TO DESIGN SUCCESSFUL SCIENCE INSTRUCTION.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). Bringing general relativity to secondary schools: Design and evaluation of a digital learning environment.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). Curved Spacetime: Investigating Students' Conceptual Understanding in General Relativity.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). Free Fall in Curved Spacetime.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). General Relativity in Secondary School -Research-Based Development of Learning Resources and Analyses of Students’ Conceptual Understanding Using the Model of Educational Reconstruction.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). General Relativity in Secondary School. Research-Based Development of Learning Resources & Analyses of Students' Conceptual Understanding Using the Model of Educational Reconstrucion.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS AND THE ROLE OF IMAGINATION IN THE LANGUAGE GAMES OF THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2019). THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS.
- Kersting, Magdalena & Bondell, Jackie (2019). MODERNISING SCIENCE TEACHING: BRINGING THE VIRTUAL UNIVERSE INTO THE CLASSROOM.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). General Relativity – Why high school students should learn about Einstein’s most revolutionary idea. Titan.uio.no. Show summary
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). General Relativity in Upper Secondary School.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). General Relativity in Upper Secondary School: How Philosophy of Science Can Inform Physics Education of the 21st century.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). Generell relativitetsteori. [www ].
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). How history and philosophy of science can inform teaching and learning of general relativity in upper secondary school.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). How history and philosophy of science can inform teaching and learning of general relativity in upper secondary school.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). International perspectives on Einsteinian Physics at upper secondary school level.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). Modernising Physics Teaching.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). Navigating Four Dimensions. Lateral Magazine. Show summary
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). Navigating four dimensions – upper secondary students’ understanding of movement in spacetime.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2018). The Role of Imagination in the Language Games of the Science Classroom.
- Kersting, Magdalena & Steier, Rolf (2018). Gravity, imagination and embodied conceptions of spacetime.
- Steier, Rolf & Kersting, Magdalena (2018). When a sandwich becomes the earth: imagination and creativity with improvised representations..
- Kersting, Magdalena (2017). Teaching General Relativity in Upper Secondary Schools: an Educational Reconstruction.
- Kersting, Magdalena; Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Bøe, Maria Vetleseter & Angell, Carl (2017). Educational Reconstruction of General Relativity Through a Collaborative Online Learning Environment.
- Kersting, Magdalena & Myhrehagen, Henning Vinjusveen (2017). A Relatively Modern Physics Lesson.
- Kersting, Magdalena & Steier, Rolf (2017). GRAVITY, IMAGINATION AND EMBODIED CONCEPTIONS OF SPACETIME.
- Kersting, Magdalena; Zadnik, Marjan; Stannard, Warren; Moschilla, John & Blair, David (2017). An International Research Collaboration in the Teaching and Learning of Einsteinian Physics.
- Bungum, Berit; Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Frågåt, Thomas & Kersting, Magdalena (2016). ReleKvant - læring og undervisning i kvantefysikk og relativitetsteori.
- Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Angell, Carl; Bungum, Berit; Bøe, Maria Vetleseter; Tellefsen, Cathrine Wahlstrøm; Frågåt, Thomas & Kersting, Magdalena (2016). ReleKvant - undervisningsopplegg om relativitetsteori og kvantefysikk.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2016). Curved space and warped time: Students’ understanding of gravity.
- Kersting, Magdalena (2016). General Relativity: Making Einstein’s Theory Teachable.
- Kersting, Magdalena; Frågåt, Thomas; Henriksen, Ellen Karoline & Tellefsen, Cathrine Wahlstrøm (2016). Introduction to ReleQuant: Developing online learning resources in modern physics.
Published Mar. 9, 2020 10:47 AM
- Last modified May 28, 2020 10:11 AM