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DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 236 034 SE 043 315
AUTHOR Happs, John C.
TITLE Rocks and Minerals. Science Education Research Unit.
INSTITUTION Working Paper No. 204.
PUB DATE Waikato Univ., Hamilton (New Zealand).
NOTE May 82
31p.; For related documents, see ED 226 976, ED 229'
442, ED 230 594, ED 235 011-030, SE 043 285-302, and
0,AILABLE FROM SE. 043 305-314.
University of Waikato, Science Education Research.
PUB TYPE Unit, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142) -- Reports
Research/Technical (143)
EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.
DESCRIPTORS Classification; *Concept Formation; Crystallography;
*Curriculum Development; *Earth Science; Elementary
School Science; Elementary Secondary Education;
Interviews; Learning;Science Education; *Science
IDENTIFIERS Instruction; *Secondary School'Science
*Learning in Science Project; Minerals; .*New Zealand;
Rocks; Science Education Research
ABSTRACT
The Learning in Science Project has adopted the view
that science teaching might be improved if teachers can be given some
appreciation of studentg' views of the,world and the beliefs,
expectations, and language that learners bring to new learning
situations. This investigation focuses .on the views that children
('1=34) may have abOut rocks and minerals. Information was obtained
from interview protocols, word responseg, and sorting tasks to
examine ways in which: (1) children and adolescents view and describe
rock/mineral samples and how they relate these ideas to rock/mineral
origins and composition; (2) learners tend to categorize
rocks /minerals; and (3) learners respond to'key stimulus-words that
are considered by earth scientists to be important in the study of
rock/fniner \al samples. Results of the investigation indicate that the
children focused on different attributes than those of earth
scientists. In addition, their approach to developing categories for
rock/minera1\samples was in stark contrast to the approach likely to
be taken by earth scientists (such as using appearance, origin,
weight, and composition -to categorize samples as either "rocks". or
"not rocks"). (A discussion of earth scientists' views of rocks,
minerals, crystals, and classification of the 15 samples used in the
study is included.) (JN)
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2
204.
SOME ASPECTS OFSTUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF-
ROCKS AND MINERALS
A Working Paper of the Science Education Research Unit
John. C. Happs
May, 1982.
INTRODUCTION
Recent developments in cognitive 'psychology ( Wittrock, 1974; 1978;
Greeno, 1980) and its application to teaching strategies (Champagne et al..,
1981; Osborne, and Wittrock, 1982) have led to the view that a learner's prior
knowledge must interact with incoming -information to generate meaning. For
learning to be effective and long lasting, this generated meaning must be
linked, in a variety of ways, to information ,;;.n long-term memory (cognitive
structure). This approach emphasises the importance of an understanding of
the ideas that learners bring with them to the learning situation, both in
terms of helping teachers to understand more about the process of learning and
in terms of helping to develop more effective teaching strategies.
In the past,' many teachers have generally not seen the necessity to
understand how teaching needs to be related to the learner's background and
'his/her current level of understanding. Lovell (1980) has placed this within
the context of the classroom teacher. He highlights the situation whereby a
student is introduced to a new topic during a science lesson and (s)he already
has some prior ideas and a conceptual framework which relates to that topic.
This framework of ideas may have been established from past personal
experience involving previous teaching situations, exposure to news media and
everyday encounters with familiar words.
Building upon existing conceptual ideas, or modifying available ideas
within__cognitive frameworks, would seem. to be a more fruitful approach to
teaching, rather than viewing the learner as a 'blank slate' needing a
completely new cognitive framework (see Gilbert et al., 1982).
The Learning in Science Project (Osborne et al., 1981) has taken a
pragmatic research approach( emphasising the philosophy that science teaching,
at all levels, might be improved if teachers can reach a ,better appreciation
of the learners' views of the world. The Learning in Science Project has
focussed on the broader ideas and alternative frameworks that' the learner is
likely to take to the science learning situation. More specifiCally, the
Learning in Science Project ,has probed those beliefs, ideas and viewpoints
that learners employ during science lessons. This emphaais has not been
evaluative, rather it has attempted to Obtain this .kind 'of information by
means of small-scale, in -depth research that can relate kits ,findings to
science teaching essentially at the Fc)rms\1-4 levels.
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