THE IDEAS WHICH HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE STUDY OF
CONCEPTIONS OF TEACHING HAVE ARISEN FROM TWO DISTINCT BODIES OF RESEARCH. THE FIRST, A LARGE BODY OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE EDUCATION IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN DIRECTED AT EKPLORATING STUDENTS IDEAS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC FENOMENA RESEARCH ON STUDENT CONCEPTIONS
IN RECENT YEARS, MANY STUDIES OF STUDENT CONCEPTIONS OF
NATURAL PHENOMENA HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT IN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES, IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND AT ALL EDUCATIONAL LEVELS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THROUGH COLLEGE GRADUATES.
IT IS THESE CHARACTERISTIC WHICH POINT TO THE NEED TO DESIGN
INSTRUCTION WHICH ADDRESSES ALTERNATIVES EXPLICITLY, EVEN WHEN AS IS GENERALLY THE CASE, THEY ARE NOT PRECISE, NOT AS EXTENSIVE, NOT AS WIDELY USEFUL AS THISE WHICH WE WANT STUDENTS TO LEARN. THE CONCEPTUAL CHANGE MODEL AND TEACHING THE RECOGNITION THAT CHANGE OF THIS NATURE MAY HAVE TO OCCURS FORMS THE BASIS OF THE CONCEPTUAL CHANGE MODEL OF LEARNING (CCM)
THE CCM PROVIDES GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNING SCIENCE
INSTRUCTION WHICH TAKES EXPLICIT ACCOUNT OF STUDENTS EXISTING CONCEPTIONS. IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER EDUCATION AWARE OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY STUDENTS EXISTING KNOWLEDGE IN UNDERSTANDING NEW MATERIAL
CONVINCED OF THE NEED TO USE CONCEPTUAL CHANGE TEACHING
STRATEGIES WHEN STUDENTS EXISTING CONCEPTIONS CONFLICT WITH THOSE BEING TAUGHT
ABLE TO PLAN AND PERFORM TEACHING ACTIONS WHICH GIVE
EFFECT TO THESE STRATEGIES CONCEPTIONS OF TEACHING
THERE ARE SOME OBSERVATION TO BE MADE ABOUT THE ABOVE
APPROACHES OR CONCEPTIONS OF TEACHING
1. THE LIST IS NOT A COMPLETE ONE
2. THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS NEED NOT BE EXCLUSIVE 3. THERE CAN BE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS. A STUDY OF TEACHER EDUCATION
THESE MATERIALS ARE REFERRED TO BELOW AS THE DIRAC WROKSHOP.IN BRIEF
OUTLINE, THE WORKSHOP: 1. PRESENT EVIDENCE OF THE REALITY AND PREVALENCE OF ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTIONS 2. PROVIDES AN EXPLANATION IN TERM OF THE CCM OF WHY ALTERNATIVE OCCUR AND AND SO TENACIOUSLY PERSISTENT 3. DISCUSSES WAYS OF IDENTIFYING ALTERNATIVE CONSEPTIONS 4. PRESENT EVIDENCE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF ALTERNATIVE CONSEPTIONS ARE IGNORED IN TACHING 5. DISCUSS GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND PRESENT EXAMPLES OF TEACHING WHICH ADDRESSES ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTIONS THE GO WORKSHOP
PARTICIPANT DESIDE ON THEIR ANSWER TO A SET OF QUESTIONS ABOUT A
PARTICULAR CONTENT TOPIC PARTICIPANTS READ AN ESSAY WHICH DISCUSS DIFFERENT PATTERNS WHICH OSBORNE AND GILBERT HAD OBSERVATED IN STUDENT RESPONSES, SUCH AS THE USE OF SELF USE OF SELFT CENTRED AND HUMAN CENTRED VIEWPOINTS. PARTICIPANTS CONSIDER SAME OF THE METHODS USED IN IDENTIFYING STUDENT CONCEPTIONS AND THEN DESIGN A DIAGNOSTIC PROBE FOR A PARTICULAR STUDENT GROUP IN A SPESIFIC SUBJECT AREA. THE RESULT OF AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHING OUTCOME ARE PRESENTED IN ORDER TO INDETIFIED AND UNDISTURBED CHILDEREN SCIENCE OUTCOME. PARTICIPANT CONSIDER AN EXAMPLE OF TAKING ALTERNATIVE INTO ACCOUNT, BASED ON THE WORK OF NUSSBAUN AND NOVICK, AND ARE PROVIDED WITH DETAILS OF SAME SPECIFIC. THE DIRAC WORKSHOP
PEOPLE HAVE TO USE THE KNOWLEDGE THEY POSSESS IF THEY ARE TO
UNDERSTAND NEW INFORMATION.
PEOPLE STRIVE TO MAKE SENSE OF THEIR EXPERIENCE, WHETHER THEY ARE
PROVIDED INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS CONSTRUCT ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTIONS OF THE