A History of Conceptual Change Research

This chapter describes the history of research on conceptual change. Teachers and traditional methods of learning areas are problematic and permanent errors. Primary school to university physics, material science in many fields, density, Newtonian mechanics and electricity, biology, evolution, and genetic changes, such as the method of conceptual issues need to go. The first difficulty of conceptual change "change" is. Students create new knowledge in the context of old ideas. The second challenge perspective and the difference of opinion. Important conceptual change in science learning. Because the learning sciences concerned with learning difficulties. Conceptual change in learning some theoretical topics are covered by a deep and lasting. Conceptual change, developmental psychology, epistemology, history and philosophy of science is about. In this chapter also described the history of conceptual change scientists who are working on this issue, and given the views of these scholars on the subject. Even the most brilliant students in the classroom based on the false ideas of wrong assumptions can be permanent. Traditional teaching methods can not overcome this problem.

Aim of this study to understand the history of conceptual change and other researchers who work on this issue and to offer suggestions to teachers.

Questions:

1. How to identify students who should be misconceptions?

2. Conceptual change learning and teaching methods which should be used?

A History of Conceptual Change Research

The purpose of this review has been to prepare readers to understand the history and state of conceptual change, and to help orient researchers to productive avenues of future pursuit.

Conceptual change also engages some of the deepest, most persistent theoretical issues concerning learning. Conceptual change is important not only to education but also to developmental psychology, epistemology, and the history and philosophy of science.

For example Kuhn’s ideas are given in the article. Ordinarily we assume that when scientists trade their existing theory for a new one, they do so on the basis of objective evidence. But Kuhn argued that adopting a new paradigm involves a certain act offaith on the part of the scientist. He allowed that a scientist could have good reasons for abandoning an old paradigm for a new one, but he insisted that reasons alone could never rationally compel a shift.

Incommensurability is the idea that two paradigms may be so different as to render impossible'any straightforward comparison of them with each other - there is no common language into which both can be translated. As a result, the proponents of different  paradigms 'fail to make complete contact with each other's viewpoints', Kuhn claimed.

Questions:  1- What are the advantages of conceptual change learning research?

Fifth Graders’ Learning About Simple Machines Through Engineering Design- Based Instruction Using LEGO™ Materials

This study is a subset of a larger research project named Transforming Elementary Science

Learning Through LEGO™ Engineering Design. For the purposes of the project, four

design-based elementary science curricular units were developed and implemented. These

curricular units include (a) Design a Musical Instrument: the Science of Sound, (b) Design a

Model House: the Properties of Materials, (c) Design an Animal Model: Animal Studies, and

(d) Design a People Mover: Simple Machines. In this study, they focused on the impact of the design

based curriculum on students’ contentunderstanding of simple machines. Students built models of

seesaws (levers), food mixers (wheel and axle), ramps (inclined planes), optical illusion devices

(gears), and pulley systems. As students designed and built models of real simple machines, they

learned how each simple machine works and how simple machines are different from complex

machines. Students not only built real-life models of simple machines, but also engaged in an inquiry

process and collected and analyzed data, interpreted results, and made reasonable explanations by

using inference.

1) Is there any way to use this approach more cheaper way then using LEGO?

2) Is it possible to use more flexible equipments then LEGO, to use in science teaching?

Fifth Graders’ Learning about Simple Machines through Engineering Design-Based Instruction Using LEGO Materials

This  Project drew heavily upon Sternberg’s triarchic intelligence theory in both the designand the structure of the research and assessment techniques. Engineering design challenges enable each of the three types of abilities analytical, practical and and creative based on Sternberg’s triarchic intelligence theory and the traditional memory skills wth in discipline on science.This study is subset of a larger research project named Transforming Elementary science Learning Through LEGO engineering design For the purposes of the project four design-based elementary  science curricular units were devoloped and implemented. The results of this study confirmed the results of previous research that engineering design can be used effectively to teach science content and that engineering design activities which encourage students to practice theoretical scientific principles in everyday contexts. Based on these comprehensive results they found the triarchic intelligence theory tobe a useful framework for designing effective curricula.As a result of their findings they are undertaking additional design work which is requrired to devolop focused and  effective activities to help ameliorate students' misconceptions about simple machines.

Question:
1)What is the role of the teacher in this method?

Design- Based Research

This article is about design based research.In this chapter, he presented two design based research projects in order to highlight the notion of theory-in-action as a core focus of this type of work. In the first example, he described how they used our design work to illuminate the limitation in their thinking with respect to a theory about evolving online community.Using the second example, he illustrated how they used design-based research to evolve a theoretical framework called learning engagement theory.

At the core of this design-based work is the conviction that because these innovations are informed by a particular theoretical perspective, the continual testing and refinement of what works can inform both theory and practice.Design-based research (DBR) is used to study learning in environments which are designed and systematically changed by the researcher. The goal of DBR is to use the close study of a single learning environment, usually as it passes through multiple iterations and as it occurs in naturalistic contexts, to develop new theories, artifacts, and practices that can be generalized to other schools and classrooms.

It is especially useful for understanding the underlying reasons why something is happening, or the conditions under which a particular interaction or occurrence could happen.DBR is the belief that the “factoring assumption” of experimental psychology is not valid in learning environments.
  In addition to understanding learning in complex environments and engineering new learning environments, DBR accomplishes. It improves learning for those participants in the study.

Questions: 1-How should teachers  be trained to design-based research?
                2-What are the negative aspects of the design-based research  ?

Design - Based Research

In this chapter design-based research and practices, and provides information about what it is.Design-based research, as amended by the researcher systematically designed and used to work in learning environments. Design-based research is aimed at a uniform learning environment, several new theories are not doing it again, works to create and develop applications that can be generalized to other schools and classes. Engineering sciences to design experiments to support the use of learning and learning styles. This system is transferred to theoretical knowledge into practice in daily life poured out. Electronic information network developed by the researchers mentioned In this chapter. Quest Atlantis deep educational content developed by the students, scientists are playing games. This is the student plays an active awareness of the social environment is the winner. Students will complete the work in these games, a variety of scientific tasks. This research was carried out to improve the teaching and learning process. Students learn the theoretical design-based learning and transmits information to the application when it develops itself in social terms.

Questions:

1. Design-based research, what is the role of teachers?

2. Quest Atlantis is a similar can be done in our country?

Fifth Graders’ Learning about Simple Machines through Engineering Design-Based Instruction Using LEGO Materials

Simple machines could use in every elementary science curriculum for teaching and engaging engineering activities. In this study aim that students’ misconception will dispel about simple machines and teachers’ insight will change. Students’ attention holds a long time with LEGO. LEGO provide that teaching and learning are flexible and visual. In addition to students are creative and tangible what they have learned. According to triarchic theory of Sternberg’ learners are governed by three aspects of intelligence (practical, analytical, and creative) and suggest ways of maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses. Design based theory include same structure with Sternberg‘s triarchic theory (analytical, creative, and practical) but design based theory add memory skills and more scientific inquiry. Students have experience with learning by design’s steps. These steps are existed two cycles: Design/redesign cycle and explore cycle. This research interests in design/redesign cycle. Because students not only learn science but also they connect everyday life experiences. In this study, researchers focused on Design a people mover: Simple machine unit and they implemented what they have developed curricula and module. This implementation takes eleven lessons and every lesson is 60 minutes. Students will gain these: explaining and identifying simple machines, recognizing simple machines help humans by decreasing and increasing the input.  In this study, researchers use pre-test and post-test. And they want to triangulate data for this; they make semistructred interviews before and after instruction. This study implemented two classrooms. First classroom exist 17 students and second exist 16 students. Classrooms ‘teacher who has more 15 years of teaching experience and she attended workshop about Design a people mover: Simple machines curriculum module. Finally this study results student significantly improved their tests and interviews scores. According to the study’s results engineering design could be effectively to teach science and encourage students for apply scientific inquiry. In addition to triarchic theory can be useful at framework for designing powerful curricula. And using LEGO in science teaching decreases students’ misconceptions.  My question:

1) This study used LEGO and triachich intelligent theory. If this research intelligent theory instead of used multiple intelligent theory, what would be the results? Or why researchers chose triarchic theory?

2) How much time requires training for teachers who don’t know LEGO implementation?

Cased-Based Reasoning

The development process of case-based learning approach is stated in the article. Firstly case-based reasoning defined as an approach that claims that our minds are filled with thousands of “cases” – some the stories of specific events and some more generalized, script like stories about common sequences of everyday events – and that intelligent behavior is based on a person’s ability to identify the important features of a new situation and retrieve the best-matching case from this large repertoire. After that relationship between learning by design (LBD) and the case-based reasoning  is defined in the article by sentence “ Learners can learn from the cases of others as well as from their own. Presentation sessions are designed so that students not only hear about the experiences of their peers but also process their peers’ experiences in order to be able to glean new ideas or provide advice”.

         

     1) How can we design a case for this approach?

     2) How can we combined the project based approach and case-based learning?

Cognitive Learning Theories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8mo2CLSKJ8&list=UUKH7BtBwNKoKe_oHyG5pIFw

Cased-Based Reasoning

The article is about cased based reasoning and a short history of it. It discussed that as cased based learning will be helpful learning, student's learning have been carried out by taking advantage of each other's ideas and the relationship of learning by design between based learning event.
Learning by design's pedagogy includes a system of activity structures for the classroom and guidelines about teacher roles; roles peers should play in helping each other learn from experience; sequencing of individual, small group, and whole class activities;and phiysical and text resources that are needed.The LBD units are aimed at middle school students.LBD students consistently learn science content as well or better than comparison students.The other wise, cased based reasoning says nothing about collaboration; it focuses on individual minds only. But sharing experiences across groups in a classroom is a substantial pieces of what makes LBD successful.

Questions:

1. Could wrong learning be at the cased based learning?

2.How can we correct this wrong learnings of students?