Others have said it, so I can only second the suggestion. Look at
McDermott's Physics by Inquiry...or her papers in AJP, look at Sherwood
and Chabay...and then construct a lab experience which probes their
conceptual understanding...work on that before you get quantitative.
10 to 1 they all believe a battery always does the same thing whether it
is connected to a single bulb, two bulbs in series, or two bulbs in
parallel. Ask them to predict what the brightnesses will be, and be
prepared for lots of confusion.
cheers,
joe
Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. 219-284-4662
Associate Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556