Informal and non-formal learning of physics: methods and measures to develop an integrated model of learning and teaching of physics.

Informal learning contexts have always represented a great teaching opportunity and their role is increasingly recognized also at the institutional level. We discuss its features and potential role in facilitating science and physics instruction, integrating pedagogical theory and education research. We illustrate how to build a suitable pedagogy to use the good practices of informal learning concerning the fostering of motivation, curiosity, and interest towards physics, as well as to spread and bring physics in high schools and in the public to construct an integrated teaching pedagogy that mixes formal, non-formal and informal student-centered learning. We will also show the potentiality of this approach in providing alternative (supplementary) materials and tools for formal teaching and learning of physics in high schools. Moreover, we also focus on the qualitative and quantitative measure of the efficacy of informal learning by using suitably research questionnaires. Results in some explicit examples developed by the Educational Division of the Physics Department at the University of Cagliari are shown.