The Research Perspective on Teaching and Learning Science

1
The Research Perspective on Teaching and Learning
Science

• Claudine Kavanagh
• Doctoral Candidate
• Tufts University
• Museum of Science, Boston

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Goals of this talk

• General overview of science education findings
  related to space science.
• Multidisciplinary synthesis.
• No methodological details.
• Teach through examples.

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Four questions

• What does the research say about understanding
  science?
• What does research say about the most effective
  ways to share science information?
• How do we deal with misconceptions in a gentle
  way that moves the public forward?
•  How can scientists help to address some of the
  misconceptions?

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• An analysis of students misconceptions reveals
  that intuitive knowledge consists of a number of
  fundamental experiential beliefs and that
  understanding a scientific theory requires
  replacing those beliefs with a different
  explanatory framework. For instruction to be
  effective, in bringing about conceptual change,
  we need to identify those experiential beliefs,
  to provide students with enough reasons to
  question them, and to offer a different
  explanatory framework to replace the one they
  already have (Vosniadou, 1991).

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Learning trajectory

• Initial knowledge based solely on experience
• Misconceptions are based on attempting to
  accommodate new information into existing
  knowledge. Students may transition through many
  hybrid frameworks.
• Finally, some (not nearly all) may internalize
  (own) scientifically accepted version of subject.
  

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Sense-making activities

• Are vitally important
• Arent synonymous with ignorance.
• Students use all analytical tools available to
  them
• Culture
• Religious
• Parascientific
• Observation . and Science

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What about adult learners?

• Most American adults do not believe in modern
  cosmology, biological evolutionary theory,
  geological timeframe, modern theories of
  planetary formation. Science is not internalized
  by most American adults. (Gallup)
• Adults beliefs/understandings often dont differ
  greatly from childrens ideas. (Teacher data re
  gravity)
• No overlap between belief in science and
  understanding of science. (Shtulman)

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Childrens cosmology example

• Initial knowledge flat, static earth
• Intermediate hybrid models
• Dual earth (one flat dirt earth and one globe
  earth in space)
• Stationary globe earth or terrarium earth
• Fully scientific models (not a universal belief,
  even among adults)

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Tonights sky example

• Consider three bright red objects
• Mars, red star in Orion, red star in Taurus
• same apparent magnitude, size and distance
• Vastly different absolute magnitude, size and
  distance
• How are these objects connected, according to
  your audience? 2D model? 3D model? Origin of the
  light?

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More learning trajectory

• Intuitive model only internalized,
  adult/scientific model only memorized by rote.
• Transitional understanding when learner becomes
  aware of contradictions and seeks to resolve them
  using available tools, including observation and
  quasi-experimentation.
• Finally, adult/scientific model internalized, but
  this does not necessarily mean the prior
  understanding are totally extinguished.
• Consider the question Do heavier objects fall
  faster? Adults often hold to Aristotelian
  notions.
• Lab experiences in school? Too confiirmatory!
  (Hanuscin, 2000).

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Misconceptions retained through adulthood

• What causes the phases of the moon? (more on
  this in a minute)
• What do the phases of the moon look like from the
  Southern Hemisphere?
• What do the phases of the moon look like from the
  equator?

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Common misconceptions

• Almost every idea in science has documented
  misconceptions associated with it (Phases of the
  Moon, Earth, Stars, Seasons, Energy, Gravity ).
• These sets of common ideas have been catalogued
  across cultures, age ranges and educational
  levels (e.g. support theory in gravity).
• Tend to fade with increased education, but not
  always so.

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Fundamental cognition?

• Fundamental cognitive structure as yet unknown
• phenomenological primitives (diSessa)
• naïve theories (Vosniadou among others)
• One thing that is apparent from the literature
  is that despite the fact that conceptual routes
  and mechanisms are poorly understood, childrens
  (learners) ideas can and do change (Sharp,
  1996).

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What does the research say about understanding
science?

• Aristotle is alive and well and living among the
  undergraduates (McCloskey, Whitaker).
• Many naïve theories survive intact after formal
  science instruction (widely reported in gravity
  research).

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What does the research say about understanding
science?

• Students apply scientific language to
  non-scientific understandings, and sometimes
  teachers do too! (gravity, evolution, energy)
• Your audience is likely to create an original
  hybrid idea from your info and their own ideas.
• Be careful about the assumptions you make, even
  with educated audiences.
• Even undergraduate science students have a poor
  understanding of what a theory is, how to
  evaluate evidence and how to develop hypotheses.
  (Dagher Boujaoude)

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What does the research say about sharing science
information?

• Help your audience come to the correct conclusion
  on their own, whenever possible.
• Direct teaching methods dont allow individuals
  in your audience to critically examine their own
  prior knowledge.
• Your information is likely to lump on top of
  non-scientific ideas about your subject, or be
  improperly integrated.

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What does the research say about sharing science
information?

• Find more than one way to convey what you want to
  address to your audience.
• The audience can listen with their hands
• Teachers who use hand gestures to convey
  information were rated as more successful in
  teaching new concepts to students.

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What does the research say about sharing science
information?

• Teach the nature of science explicitly as you
  also relate the findings of science (Brickhouse).
• What makes science different from other forms of
  knowledge? (Induction/Deduction)
• Why is the nature of scientific knowledge
  tentative?
• What is there to gain from using scientific tools
  of analysis to answer a question?
• Why does science embrace skepticism?
• What are scientific theories?
• What questions can scientific methods NOT answer?

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How do we deal with misconceptions in a gentle
way?

• Whenever possible, ask questions that will elicit
  your audiences ideas about the subject at hand.
  
• Ask questions to dig into their deeper
  understanding of fundamental mechanisms (solar
  system planets, but not gravity).

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How do we deal with misconceptions in a gentle
way?

• Find teaching methods that promote conceptual
  change, while acknowledging your audiences
  developmental perspective.
• Moon phases example

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Teaching moon phases
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• Credit where due
• Thanks to Dr. William Waller

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How can scientists help to address some of the
misconceptions?

• Research the common misconceptions in your field
  (Bird Guide model).
• Recognize the relationship between common
  misconceptions and fundamental misunderstandings
  (planets, gravity).
• Make yourself available at community education
  events, schools, libraries, star parties, church
  events.
• Make science real. (Feynman ice water and Car
  Talk)

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How can scientists help to address some of the
misconceptions?

• Engage learners concept of reality and
  causality.
• Caution with language Earth is round (like a
  globe or a pizza?)
• Experts problem solving skills are strikingly
  different from novices problem solving skills
  (Chi, Slotta)
• Experts see underlying, abstract issues.
• Novices report on only the surface features of
  the problem.
• Example gravity versus memorizing the order of
  the planets.

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How can scientists help to address some of the
misconceptions?

• Even adult learners with a great deal of
  education can struggle with basic concepts
  related to science (physics, astronomy).
• Can technology help? Hansen (2004) found gains in
  spatial reasoning and visualization by using 3D
  computer modeling.
• On the other hand planetariums may reinforce
  Aristotelian concepts.

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How can scientists help to address some of the
misconceptions?

• Your audiences existing framework must be made
  to seem inadequate.
• This allows your audience to create analytical
  leverage to hoist old understanding out.
• All misconceptions are sense-making activities
  and are not just crude ignorance.
• Historical understandings.
• Ideas themselves are only alive when people
  hold them as valid. (my Fahrenheit 451 theory)

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Why focus on scientific understanding among the
general public?

• Audience?

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Why focus on scientific understanding among the
general public?

• Three distinct cultural movements exist currently
  in America currently
• science / nonscience / antiscience (examples?)
• positive / neutral / negative
• Public funding of scientific research requires
  public understanding of scientific findings and
  rationales. (SCSC / Hubble space telescope/
  Beyond Einstein project)

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Final questions

• How does anybody ever learn anything?
• Nothing happens immediately
• What is the cost of doing this?
• Conceptual selectivity
• Isnt this awfully time consuming?
• Yes

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QA

• Recommended
• Franknoi, Astronomy Education A Selective
  Bibliography (1998). (www.astrosociety.org/educat
  ion/resources/educ_bib.html).
• Sadler, Astronomys Conceptual Hierarchy (via
  ASP)
• Neil Comins, Heavenly Errors

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Claudine Kavanagh

• Claudine.kavanagh_at_tufts.edu
• (Kavanagh, Agan, Sneider) Learning about Phases
  of the Moon and Eclipses A Guide for Teachers
  and Curriculum Developers. Astronomy Education
  Review
• (Kavanagh, Sneider) Learning about Gravity A
  Guide for Teachers and Curriculum Developers.
  (coming soon)

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Groups

• Moon (phases, etc.) Claudine (Phil 3) / Cass
• Solar System Scale Marilyn / Jackie
• Seasons Christine
• Lunar Exploration Phil Plait (1)
• Mars Sheri
• Solar System / Galaxies / the Universe Phil
  Sadler (2)
• Other will divide into other groups