Researchers have shown students develop misconceptions in projectile motion for various reasons. A common misunderstanding among first-year high school physics students is the notion that the horizontal and vertical components are interchangeable in projectile motion. The students' incorrect reasoning is connected to their personal experiences…

The Arnold Arboretum Field Study Program provides outdoor experiences for children in order to develop authentic firsthand knowledge of life sciences. The Arboretum welcomes approximately 3,200 children (preK-5) from greater Boston annually. During the program called Explorations with Head Start participants, the children visit three times…

Science teaching and learning require knowledge about how learning takes place (cognition) and how learners interact with their surroundings (affective and sociocultural factors). The study reported on focussed on learning for understanding of Newton's second law of motion from a cognitive perspective that takes social factors into account. A…

A three-step active-learning approach is described to enhance the spatial abilities of general chemistry students with respect to three-dimensional molecular drawing and visualization. These activities are used in a medium-sized lecture hall with approximately 150 students in the first semester of the general chemistry course. The first activity…

Despite our best teaching efforts, many students hold misconceptions related to the roles plants play in gas-related processes (Amir and Tamir 1994; Hershey 1992; 2004). In an effort to remedy this problem, the author presents a series of activities that address common plant-related gas-process misconceptions held by middle school students. The…

Virtual schooling, or the practice of offering K-12 courses via distance technologies, has rapidly increased in popularity since its beginning in 1994. Although effective interaction with and support for students in these environments requires a unique set of skills and experiences, teacher education programs rarely include teaching and…

Learning by using the lecture method based on memorization, students miss the opportunity to learn basic concepts. Uses animation and diagrams to teach key concepts. (Contains 14 references.) (YDS)

Most students enter their first formal science courses with intelligently conceived and sophisticated concepts of science. Some of these may be compatible with the principles of modern science, but others may be incorrect, inadequate, outdated, or otherwise unacceptable. Conceptual frameworks based on intuitive misperceptions, naive inferences,…

Examines the role of social interaction as a facilitator of learning in general and conceptual change in particular. Three conditions are proposed as necessary for social interaction to facilitate knowledge construction--horizontal information, comparable domain knowledge, and availability of cognitive tools. Suggests that these conditions assure…

The 12th iteration of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2019) is organized under the auspices of the International Educational Data Mining Society in Montreal, Canada. The theme of this year's conference is EDM in Open-Ended Domains. As EDM has matured it has increasingly been applied to open-ended and ill-defined tasks…

Describes an interdisciplinary approach to science learning in settings usually associated with the humanities or social sciences. Explains the program, its rewards and results, the self and identity seminar, why the program works, and ways of adapting the program. (RT)

Describes an activity using a large balloon to help children understand that, even though the horizon appears to be flat, the Earth is, indeed, round. Uses a toy ship to reinforce evidence from the first part of the activity. Stresses the importance of confronting naive theories at an early age. (CW)

Cites the misconceptions that students beginning the study of electric circuits often have about electricity. Explains the use of capacitors with circuits of batteries and light bulbs to introduce electrostatic forces and help to alleviate the problem of misconceptions. (RT)

Describes a program for sixth grade students developed by the Methacton School District (Norristown, PA) Planetarium staff. Provides brief outlines of eight teaching units designed to provide students with hands-on activities in astronomy. Includes a reproducible worksheet for an activity which involves students in creating and decoding…

Describes the "Physics by Inquiry" course that is designed to address student misconceptions. Explains how the course was taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for teachers and how it was taught at Ohio State University for elementary-education majors. Concludes the course is exportable to many different environments…