This chapter of the text concentrates on giving us ideas and giving examples of how to produce science learning with understanding. I love that the author makes a distinction between what it means when u say that you 'know' a concept or idea versus what it means to 'understand' a concept or idea. The author also stated that rehearsal of a concept is a contrast to practice . We rehearsed the concept of electricity in our class because we did something in similar but not identical ways to reinforce what we had learned about electricity.
I found the section on children's alternate conceptions to be very enlightening and important. As a teacher, one has to be aware of common misconceptions one's students may have so that we can try to reteach or make clear to the students what theories are correct. The author went in depth into the common misconceptions students have when explaining the phases of the moon.
The piaget section of the chapter was particularly important to me as well because if I plan to teach younger children I have to be aware of their cognitive development.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You are connecting the text to your prior knowledge and to our experiences in class--a sign of a truly reflective practitioner! You are right to note that each electricity inquiry activity is a "rehearsal" intended to help students make connections. We are teaching children how to think!
ReplyDeleteYour other point is well taken. As teachers, we constantly encounter students' inaccurate, incomplete, and false preconceived notions. Helping students become dissatisfied with those preconceptions is key. Your job as the teacher will be to create learning opportunities that allow students to replace those preconceptions with scientific understandings. The same is true in any subject area you might teach!
Knowledge of Piaget is important as well. We know that the readiness factor is key to learning. But once we know students are ready, it is also our responsibility to ensure that students have the opportunity to learn. The inquiry approach, in my view, is the best way to help students learn how to think and learn scientific concepts.