Targeting Students' Science Misconceptions: Physical Science Activities Using the Conceptual Change Model

School Science and Mathematics, Jan 1997 by Vaughn, Alice

The Idea Factory Riverview, FL 1994 Reviewer Alice Vaughn

Russell Boulevard Elementary School Columbia, MO 65203

This book is written to provide teachers in constructivist learning environments of upper elementary and middle school physical science with information on implementing the Conceptual Change Model. Authorities such as Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Roselind Driver, and Robert Karplus are cited in support of the three-stage learning cycle implemented in SCIS, which is the framework for the six-stage Conceptual Change Model proposed by the author. The stages of the Conceptual Change Model are:

1. Students become aware of their own preconceptions about a concept by thinking about it and making predictions (committing to an outcome) before any activity begins.

2. Students expose their beliefs by sharing them, initially in small groups and then with the entire class. 3. Students confront their beliefs by testing and discussing them in small groups.

4. Students work toward resolving conflicts (if any) between their ideas (based on the revealed preconceptions and class discussion) and their observations, thereby accommodating the new concept.

5. Students extend the concept by trying to make connections between the concept learned in the classroom and other situations, including their daily lives.

6. Students are encouraged to go beyond, pursuing additional questions and problems of their choice related to the concept.

Within the framework of the Conceptual Change Model, Stephans presents the following topics: matter, density, air pressure, liquids, force, work and machines, levers, motion, pendulums, electricity, magnetism, models, heat, waves, sound, light and color, and geometry. The author supports this model with basic scientific knowledge and examples of common misconceptions and possible sources of the misconceptions related to each topic. Activities, with a list of necessary and easy to obtain materials, and a range of possible assessment opportunities stressing variety and integration are given. The author has included suggested authentic applications for some activities. Rubrics for teacher, peer, and/or self-evaluation are modeled. References are listed for each activity.

Throughout Targeting Students' Science Misconceptions: Physical Science Activities Using the Conceptual Change Model, Stephans presents not a cookbook of step-by-step procedures but a range of choices to meet the needs of learners with room for teachers to exercise their professional judgment. Some teachers will need more background information for activities as with the matter activities on pages 24 and 25.

The author did not provide a history of the scientific understanding of the concepts dealt with in his book.

Despite these omissions, the inclusion of information related to misconceptions, the teacher-friendly language, and choice of widely studied concepts make this a potentially useful book for teachers of physical science in the fourth through seventh grades. The book might be productively used in teacher education undergraduate elementary and middle school science methods classes.