Student Conceptions
The prior knowledge that students bring to the classroom is valuable, but not always correct in scientific terms (Koch, 2010). Students use their personal experiences to develop ideas about scientific concepts and sometimes these ideas are not completely correct but not necessarily incorrect, which is why they tend to be referred to as alternative conceptions (Koch, 2010). It is important for teachers to understand the prior knowledge students bring to the classroom and any alternative conceptions they may have.
Children are natural builders, so most students will have had personal experiences with building structures prior to the unit Testing Materials and Designs. For example, building with Lego, making a snowman in the backyard or building a sand castle at the beach. Most of these experiences have probably involved testing materials and designs through trial and error (Science Alberta Foundation, 2006). Students will often have alternative conceptions about the relationship between the physical dimension of a material and its strength (Science Alberta Foundation, 2006). Some possible alternative conceptions related to this unit are:
It is important to identify students' alternative conceptions, which can be done with an open-ended activity, such as the one we have planned to do with students.
Children are natural builders, so most students will have had personal experiences with building structures prior to the unit Testing Materials and Designs. For example, building with Lego, making a snowman in the backyard or building a sand castle at the beach. Most of these experiences have probably involved testing materials and designs through trial and error (Science Alberta Foundation, 2006). Students will often have alternative conceptions about the relationship between the physical dimension of a material and its strength (Science Alberta Foundation, 2006). Some possible alternative conceptions related to this unit are:
- the thicker the material the stronger it is
- the larger the piece of material the stronger it is
- the heavier the material the stronger it is
It is important to identify students' alternative conceptions, which can be done with an open-ended activity, such as the one we have planned to do with students.