We present a critical analysis of the classical approaches to energy subjects, based on the work-energy theorem and the conservation of mechanical energy proposed in the courses of the first years of tertiary education. We show how these approaches present a series of inconsistencies and errors that are a source of conceptual difficulties among students. We then analyze a modern treatment of mechanical courses based on the results of research in physics education over the last 40 years. We place special emphasis on the principle of conservation of energy as one of the fundamental principles of nature, prioritizing the concepts of system, surrounding, and energy transfer and transformation.

One of the main goals of physics education is to develop in students the ability to think critically about data and scientific models. This skill is key in everyday life, as it allows one to interpret data accurately, evaluate whether conclusions are based on evidence, and distinguish between meaningful patterns and random occurrences. Although "correlation does not imply causation" it is common to make mistakes when interpreting relationships between variables, either due to bias or the human tendency to seek causal explanations. The history of science is filled with examples where causality was incorrectly inferred from correlation. In today's society, with the rise of fake news, misinterpretation, and data manipulation, educating students about scientific reasoning is more important than ever. In this paper, we present an activity aimed at high school physics students as part of an introductory module on scientific work. The learning objectives of this activity are to adequately plot a set of data, to extract relevant information from these data, and to clearly distinguish between correlation and causation. A brief overview of some types of correlation that do not imply causation follows, followed by a description of the activity, the results obtained, and finally the conclusions.

The Ampere-Maxwell's law and the displacement current constitute one of the most difficult aspects of electromagnetic theory for students in introductory electromagnetics courses. Here we present a set of examples that go beyond the classical ones usually discussed in introductory textbooks. In-depth analysis of these examples allows students to develop a deeper understanding of electromagnetic theory even in students who have not acquired the full mathematical toolkit of the more advanced courses.