Afonso, ERICE, 2005
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SCIENCE TEACHING
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL FOR PRIMARY SCIENCE TRAINERS
ERICE, SICILY : 9 – 14 JULY 2005
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SCIENCE TEACHING
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL FOR PRIMARY SCIENCE TRAINERS
ERICE, SICILY : 9 – 14 JULY 2005
2Afonso, ERICE, 2005
Learning Science in Elementary School
The development of scientific concepts and the influence of everyday
knowledge when learning science
Margarida Afonso
Centre of Educational Research, University of Lisbon
College of Education of Castelo Branco
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Conceptual framework Conceptual framework
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The ProblemsThe Problems
In which way are the several aspects involved in the What and the
How children should learn Science (programme, textbooks and
pedagogic practice of the teachers) interlinked and combined?
To what extent is it possible and advisable/desirable to raise the
level of conceptualisation and development of scientific concepts in the
learning of Science?
What and How should teacher training be so that it is possible to
raise the level of conceptualisation and development of scientific
concepts in the learning of Science?
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Theoretical BasisTheoretical Basis
Several authors maintain that high levels of scientific literacy involve,
amongst other aspects:
The understanding of concepts of a high level of abstraction;
The understanding of the inter-relations between the different types of
scientific knowledge and between them and non-scientific (common
sense) knowledge;
Understanding the true nature of scientific knowledge and the
difference between scientific knowledge and non-scientific knowledge
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Theoretical BasisTheoretical Basis
Learning concepts involves:
● Generalising knowledge and the contexts in which that knowledge is applied;
● Establishing relations between the different scientific knowledge that is being
broached, differentiating the essential/more relevant aspects from the less important/less
relevant aspects.
CONCEPTS
SCIENTIFIC – NON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE RELATIONS
Scientific concepts are generalisations of some type of similarity found in
different objects or events that allow us to understand the order of the physical
and natural world that surrounds us. [...] Concepts of high level of abstraction are
related to a wide variety of different phenomena (Harlen & Jelly, 1993).
Relations between scientific knowledge that is being broached and common
sense knowledge (for example: knowledge from the daily life of the students).
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Methodology – InstrumentsMethodology – Instruments
It is easy to develop
concepts
It is difficult to develop concepts
The tasks/activities always relate several topics.
Situations that relate the different topics are never predicted
On the tasks or activities to be
done
The topics already dealt with are always the starting point for broaching new subjects.
The subjects already dealt with are never mentioned in the study/discussion of new topics. The inter-relations between different topics are ignored
On the analysis of the study
topics
Dependence/Relation between discourses
Independence/Isolation between discourses
Indicators
Relation between discourses - Intra-disciplinary science relations – The Concepts…
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Methodology – InstrumentsMethodology – Instruments
It is easy to develop
concepts
It is difficult to develop
concepts
The tasks/ activities always relate the two types of knowledge
Situations that relate academic to non-academic knowledge are not foreseen
On the tasks or activities to be
done
Non-academic knowledge is constantly inter-related to academic knowledge
Exclusively scientific knowledge is broached. The relationship between the two types is ignored
On the analysis of the study topics
Dependence/Relation between discourses
Independence/Isolation between discourses
Indicators
Relation between discourses – Scientific/Non-Scientific knowledge
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Global PresentationGlobal Presentation
Curriculum Textbooks Pedagogical Practice
Learning/Scientific Development
of students
IMPLICATIONS IN TEACHER TRAINING
Inter-relations between knowledge
(Scientific/Non scientific - Common sense)
Concepts
(Scientific)
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Global Presentation – The ContentGlobal Presentation – The Content
Curriculum Textbooks Pedagogical Practice
3. Make experiments with water
4. Make experiments with air
1. The living organisms of their environment
2. The physical aspects of the local environment
4th Year
2nd Year
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The curriculum The curriculum
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The curriculumThe curriculum
A Observe and identify some of the more common plants that exist in their immediate environment
• recognise different environments where plants grow
• know the parts that make up the more common plants (root, stem, leaves, flowers and fruit)
• record the variations in the appearance, during the year, of a bush or a tree
• observe and identify some of the more common animals that exist in the immediate environment
• collect information about the way of life of those animals (what they eat, how they reproduce, how they move about…)
B What the weather is like (record the daily atmospheric conditions)
1. recognise some of the
2. relate the seasons of the year to the characteristic weather conditions
3. recognise the existence of air (make experiments)
4. recognise air in movement (wind, air currents …)
2nd year
1. The living organisms of their environment
4th Year
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The curriculumThe curriculum
2. The physical aspects of the local environment
1. what the weather is like (record the daily atmospheric conditions)
2. recognise some of the weather conditions (rainy, hot, cold, windy…)
3. relate the seasons of the year to the characteristic weather conditions
4. recognise the existence of air (make experiments)
5. recognise air in movement (wind, air currents …)
2nd Year
1. Recognise and observe phenomena: - of condensation (clouds, fog, dew) - of solidification (snow, sleet, frost) - of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet)2. make experiments that represent phenomena of: - evaporation - condensation - solidification - precipitation3. understand that rain water infiltrates the soil giving origin to ground water 4. recognise springs and watercourses.
4th Year
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The curriculumThe curriculum
3. Make experiments with water2nd Year
4thYear
4. Make experiments with air 2nd Year 4thYear
● Recognise the existence of air (balloons, syringes…)● Recognise that air has weight (use balloons and balls with air and empty)● Experiment on the behaviour of objects in the presence of hot air and cold air (light objects over a heater, St. John balloons…).
● Trough experiments recognise the existence of oxygen in the air (combustion)
● Observe the effects of the temperature on water (ebullition, evaporation, solidification, fusion and condensation).
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Theoretical BasisTheoretical Basis
Learning concepts involves:
● Generalising knowledge and the contexts in which that knowledge is applied;
● Establishing relations between the different scientific knowledge that is being
broached, differentiating the essential/more relevant aspects from the less important/less
relevant aspects.
CONCEPTS
Scientific concepts are generalisations of some type of similarity found in
different objects or events that allow us to understand the order of the physical
and natural world that surrounds us. [...] Concepts of high level of abstraction are
related to a wide variety of different phenomena (Harlen & Jelly, 1993).
Relations between scientific knowledge that is being broached and common
sense knowledge (for example: knowledge from the daily life of the students).
SCIENTIFIC – NON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE RELATIONS
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Synthesis - CurriculumSynthesis - Curriculum
CONCEPTS
Where are the generalisations?
Where are the relations among concepts of high level of abstraction?
Where are the differentiation between the essential/more relevant aspects from
the less important/less relevant aspects.
Where are the relations between scientific knowledge and common sense
knowledge?
SCIENTIFIC – NON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE RELATIONS
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The TextbooksThe Textbooks
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The root and the stem
Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – Living things in the environment (plants)Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – Living things in the environment (plants)
● I talk about the figures (parts that make up the plant – root and stem)
● I carefully pull up a small plant. I look at the root and the stem.
● I read and write yes or no. I complete the sentences with root or stem.
● I write the names of roots and stems that we use for food (coloured bars).
I hold the plant to the soil.
It is through me that the plant gets food.
I am the ______ .
● Does the plant pulled up have a root? □ ● Was the root outside the soil? □
● Do all stems have the same height? □
I am the foot of the plant.
It is through me that food passes.
I am the ______ .
● Is the stem of the pulled up plant thick? □
carrots radish
potatoes
turnips
beetsasparagus
FACTS
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Leaves and flowers
● I talk about the figures (parts that make up the plant – leaves and flowers)
● I look at different leaves and flowers.
● I read and write yes or no. I complete the sentences with leaves or flower.
● I write the names of roots and stems that we use for food (coloured bars).
The plant breathes through us.
We are the ___ .
The fruit grows from me.
I am the ___ .
Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – Living things in the environment (plants)Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – Living things in the environment (plants)
lettuce Spring cabbageGarden cabbage
cauliflowerartichoke
● Are the leaves of the plants all of the same size?
● Do they all have the same shape?
● Is each leaf the same on both sides?
● Do all flowers have the same colour?
● Do they all have the same shape?
● Do all flowers smell good?
● Are they all the same size?
FACTS
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● I read. I write the name of an animal with the characteristics described. ● I draw that animal.
● It is born from the mother
● It is hatched
How does it reproduce itself?
How does it reproduce itself? ● Meat
● Vegetables
● Grain
● Other food
What does it eat?
What does it eat?● by walking
● by flying
● by swimming
● by jumping
● by running
How does it travel?
How does it travel?
I am the _________ .
I live on land.
My body is covered with fur.
I have claws.
I love fish.
I walk.
I was born from the mother.
I am the _________ .
I live on ______________.
My body is covered with___.
I have _______________.
I walk________________.
I was born from ________.
??
Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – Living things in the environment (animals)Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – Living things in the environment (animals)
SOME CONCEPTS
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Textbooks (Bambi, 2) - The weather that makes Textbooks (Bambi, 2) - The weather that makes
● The figure shows some weather features that can be observed throughout the year. Which
are the seasons of the year? What are the names of the months in which each season starts
and ends? What temperature is shown in the thermometer for each of the seasons? Which is
the hottest season? What does the child do at that time? There are two seasons in the year
with milder temperatures. Which are they? Which season is more rainy and more windy?
What does the tree look like in each season of the year? In winter the tree is more bent. What
makes it move? In autumn the swallows leave for other countries. Why?
What I am going to learnWhat I am going to learn
FACTS
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Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – About WeatherTextbooks (Bambi, 2) – About Weather
● I talk about the figures (different atmospheric conditions).
● I read. According to what the sentences say, I draw what the weather is like.
It’s spring! There are flowers in the fields and on the trees. The birds are constantly chirping. The temperature is mild. The sky is blue and the sun shines and warms the earth.
Summer has arrived. It’s hot! Warmed by the sun, the sand on the beach burns. All along the beach, coloured sunshades look like an oasis in the middle of the desert!...
The weather starts to get colder. It’s autumn! The yellowed leaves fall and whirl about blown by the wind. There are clouds hiding the sun. The swallows leave for hotter countries.
It’s cold. Winter is here. There is snow on the mountain. The wind blows and it doesn’t stop raining. The trees are bare. The animals take shelter in the burrows.
SUN WINDRAIN HAZESNOW CLOUDYTHUNDER
FACTS
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Textbooks (Bambi, 2) – About the weather and seasons of the yearTextbooks (Bambi, 2) – About the weather and seasons of the year
● I talk about the figures (the characteristic weather for each season of the year).
● I caption the figures with the respective sentences (coloured bars)
● In Spring, the days start to get warmer. There are more sunny days.
● The days are hotter in summer. There is little rain.
● It’s cold in Winter. It rains, there is wind and sometimes it snows.
● In Autumn, the weather starts to get colder. There are still many sunny days.
The weather changes throughout the year
SPRINGSPRING
WINTERWINTERAUTUMNAUTUMN
SUMMERSUMMER
●___________________________________
●___________________________________
●___________________________________
●___________________________________
Concepts ofSeasons/Weather?
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Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – About WaterTextbooks (Bambi, 4) – About Water
I observe and investigate
Water is an abundant liquid in Nature. It does not always have the same appearance.
The heat from the sun warms the waters of the sea, the river, the lake…
Because of the heat, the water evaporates, that is, it is transformed into vapour.
The water vapour rises, cools and is transformed into little drops of water that make up the clouds. When the clouds become heavier the little drops fall as rain.
The water fell from the clouds and returned to the earth. Part of that water infiltrated the soil. When it finds impermeable rock, it forms ground water.
When the air gets very cold, the water in the clouds solidifies, becoming solid water and falls as snow or sleet.
The heat of the sun melted the snow and the water became liquid again.
The water flows under the earth. When it finds a way out, it forms a spring which may sustain different courses of water - rivers, streams …
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Textbooks (Bambi, 4) - Experiments (fusion, solidification, dilation)Textbooks (Bambi, 4) - Experiments (fusion, solidification, dilation)
I read and learn
When the temperature varies, some substances change state.
When heated, the wax changed from solid to liquid. This change of state is called fusion.
When the wax cooled, it changed from liquid to solid. This change of state is called solidification.
When the jar lid was heated, it increased in volume, it dilated. The increase in volume of a body is called, dilation.
● Why did the wax become liquid?
● The drops of wax that fell from the candle became solid again. Why?
● What is the girl doing? What advice did her friend give her? After being heated, the lid came out easily. Why?
I observe and experiment
- The wax is melting! It’s because of the heat!...
1 - That was easy! The heat expanded the lid which became larger!
4
- If you want the lid to come out, heat it a little. But don’t burn yourself!
3
- How pretty! The wax cooled and
became solid again!
2
Concept ofChanges of matter?
ScientificNon-Scientific relations?
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Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – Temperature effects in waterTextbooks (Bambi, 4) – Temperature effects in water
● What is the girl in figure A doing? In which state is the water in the container she is going to put in
the freezer?
● What is the same girl doing in figure B? What happened to the liquid water of figure A? Why?
● In figure C, the ice has almost melted. Has the temperature increased or decreased?
● In figure D, the water is boiling. What makes the water boil?
● What do you see in figure E? What is the vapour coming from the pyrex dish made up of?
● What happened to the water vapour when it found the lid? Why?
I observe and experimentA
E
D
C
BF
Some Conceptualization ofChanges of matter
ScientificNon-Scientific relations?
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●The clothes were wet. Now they are dry.
● What happened?
● What is the boy doing?
● What happened?
♦ I make experiments similar to those presented
● What is the boy doing?
● What happened to the water?
● The extractor is off.
● Why are drops of water falling from the extractor fan?
♦ I complete with the words from the coloured bar.
Figure A – The water disappeared. The water evaporated.
A ______________ phenomenon occurred.
Figure B – The water vapour became liquid water. It found a cold surface and condensed.
A ______________ phenomenon occurred.
Figure C – The water changed into ice cubes. The water solidified. A ______________ phenomenon occurred.
Figure D –Drops of water fall from the extractor. It seems to be raining. A lot of water vapour gathered in the extractor. The heavy drops start to fall.A _______________phenomenon occurred.
evaporation
precipitation
solidification
condensation
Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – Experiments – about physical water changesTextbooks (Bambi, 4) – Experiments – about physical water changes
ScientificNon-Scientific relations?
Concept ofChanges of matter?
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Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – Experiments – (solid, liquid and gaseous matter)Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – Experiments – (solid, liquid and gaseous matter)
Experiments – Gaseous matters
Rock Pencil Gas Water Air Oil Glass Milk
Solid X
Liquid
Gas
I get a balloon and a syringe.1
I fill the syringe with air.2 I press the plunger for the air to pass from the syringe to the balloon.
4
I insert the syringe in the balloon. 3
● Gas bodies do not have the same ____ . Their form is variable. In the syringe it had the form of the ____ , in the balloon it took the form of the ____ .
● The air in the syringe occupied less space than in the ___ .
● Gas matters also do not maintain the same volume.
♦ I indicate in the table as in the example.
♦ I conclude and complete.
♦ I indicate the correct answers.
● Does the air inside the balloon maintain the same form as inside the syringe? Yes □ No □
● Does the air inside the balloon occupy the same space as inside the syringe? Yes □ No □
Concepts ofState of matter
Solid, Liquid, Gas?
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Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – Experiments with the air (the oxygen)Textbooks (Bambi, 4) – Experiments with the air (the oxygen)
I observe and experimentI observe and experiment
● I observe what happened to the candle.
♦ I conclude and complete.
● In figures A, B and C the candle burns, forming a flame that releases heat. A combustion is happening.
● In figure C the candle continues to burn, even inside the glass. In figure D the candle went out.
● What was inside the glass in figure C that ceased to exist inside the glass in figure D?
For the candle to burn, the presence of oxygen, which is a gas that is in the air, is necessary. The candle went out because, while it burned, it used up all the ___________that was inside the glass.
● I place the candle on the drops of wax and leave it lit up.
● I light up a candle.
● I let some drops of wax fall onto a plate.
● I put a glass over the candle.
● Does the candle continue to burn?
Concept ofCombustion?
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Textbooks (Retintim, 2) – About PlantsTextbooks (Retintim, 2) – About Plants
A whole plant consists of: root, stem, leaves, flowers and fruit.
The FRUIT keeps and protects the seeds that will give origin to a new plant.
The FLOWERS will transform into fruit
The LEAVES allow the plant to breathe
The STEM supports the plant and takes the food (sap) to all its parts
The ROOT fixes the plant to the soil and feeds it by absorbing water and mineral salts from the soil.
Autumn
Winter
Spring
Summer
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Fish move in water by swimming. Therefore, they have fins.
Textbooks (Retintim, 2) – Styles of life of some animalsTextbooks (Retintim, 2) – Styles of life of some animals
The CAT eats meat. Animals that eat meat are called carnivorous.
The HORSE moves about by placing its four hooves on the ground. That is how many of the animals move about.
The great majority of BIRDS move in the air by flying. Therefore, they have wings.
The CAT develops inside the womb of the mother. Many of the animals that live on the Earth are formed in the womb of the mothers. They develop there for a period of 3 months until they are born.
The COW eats grass. Animals that eat grass are called herbivorous.
The HEN reproduces by means of eggs. All birds reproduce by means of eggs that they hatch in their nests.
WHAT THEY EAT HOW THEY REPRODUCE HOW THEY MOVE ABOUT
The HEN eats grain. Animals that eat grain are called granivorous.
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Textbooks (Retintim, 2) – About the weather and seasons of the yearTextbooks (Retintim, 2) – About the weather and seasons of the yearThe weather changes throughout the seasons of the year
Spring is the season of flowers. The birds make their nests. The swallows return. The temperature is pleasant.
The seeds that were sown start to sprout.
Winter is the rainy and cold season. Nothing grows in the fields. Everything seems dead. The Sun rises late and sets early. The days are shorter and the nights longer. Sometimes it snows.
Summer is the season of fruits. It is very hot and people go to the beaches.
The days are longer and the nights shorter.
Autumn is the season when it starts to get cold and the first rains fall. The leaves of many plants change colour and fall. The swallows go to other warmer lands.
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Textbooks (Retintim, 2) - The existence of air (experiments) Textbooks (Retintim, 2) - The existence of air (experiments)
The ball is full of air. Like that, it is hard and bounces.
1. Dip a glass funnel in water while at the same time covering the opening at the end of the tube with a finger.
The water will not go in the funnel because it is full of a substance that prevents the entry of water.
2. Remove the finger leaving the opening free.
You will see bubbles of a gas bursting on the surface of the water as it enters the funnel
3. Finally, the funnel will be full of water as soon as all the gas has left it. That gas is the air that you breathe.
There is air everywhere. But it cannot be seen. The birds fly in the air; the clouds float in the air. We breathe air. The plants breathe air. The balloons are full of air.
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Does the water enter the glass?
________________________
-Dip, bottom up, a glass that seems empty. Keep the glass straight. (Fig. A).
Tilt the glass a little (Fig. B).
What do you see coming out of the glass?
________________________
What are those bubbles made up of?
________________________
Textbooks (Retintim, 2) – Evaluation contextTextbooks (Retintim, 2) – Evaluation context
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Later…
Therefore, it is full of air.
The balloon rises because the hot air is lighter than the cold air.
In figure A the syringe is full of air.
Fill the ball with air and check if the needle tips to the left.
That is because the air has weight.
Textbooks (Retintim, 2) – Experiments with air Textbooks (Retintim, 2) – Experiments with air
The girl is blowing up the balloon.
Cover the opening of the syringe with a (figure B) and put pressure on the plunger.
It will only go down a little.
The air that is compressed inside the syringe (figure B) does not let the plunger go in.A B
Balance the scales with the empty ball.
I am going to
throw a
balloon.
Inter-relations?
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When exposed to the heat of the Sun, the ice cube melted or became liquid.
We call it fusion when water changes from the solid state to the liquid state.
Textbooks (Retintim, 4) – Experiments (Discovering materials and objects )Textbooks (Retintim, 4) – Experiments (Discovering materials and objects )
The heat from the flame causes the water to heat up and the formation of air bubbles. That is, the water starts to boil and vaporises quickly and noisily.
The quick and noisy vaporisation of water is called ebullition.
The heat of the sun causes the slow vaporisation of the water in the clothes hanging in the open air from the clotheslines.
The slow and spontaneous vaporisation of water is called evaporation.
Effects of temperature on water (evaporation, ebullition, condensation, solidification, fusion)
Observe and carry out the experiments suggested.
Upon contact with the ice cubes, the water in the jar froze and solidified.
The cooling caused the solidification of the water.
When the water vapour found the cold surface of the glass, it changed from the gas state to the liquid state.
The cooling caused the condensation of the water vapour.
COLD
Concept ofChanges of matter?
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Textbook (Retintim, 4) – Evaluation contextTextbook (Retintim, 4) – Evaluation context
a) What happens to the water vapour when it comes in contact with the cold glass?
___________________________
b) What do you call this phenomenon?___________________________
c) What do you understand by condensation?
__________________________
a) What state has the water changed to?
___________________________
b) What phenomenon occurred here?
___________________________
c) What do you understand by freezing?
___________________________
Condensation is when water
vapour changes to the liquid state.
In the fridge, the water freezes,
that is, it changes from the liquid
state to the solid state.
Place a piece of glass over a tub with
boiling water and observe what happens.
1 -
Place a cuvette with water in the freezer of
a fridge. Remove it a few hours later.2 -
Facts
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Textbook (Retintim, 4) – Experiments with air (existence of oxygen in the air – combustion)Textbook (Retintim, 4) – Experiments with air (existence of oxygen in the air – combustion)
Light the wick of the alcohol lamp and leave it. The flame keeps burning.
Dip a glass funnel in water, as shown in the picture. The water does not enter the funnel.
Fill the ball up with air and place it again on the scales. The scales became unbalanced.
Conclusion: Air exists and it occupies space.
Conclusion: There is a gas in the air, called oxygen, that feeds the combustion.
Conclusion: Air has weight. Place an empty football on a scale and balance it.
Cover the lamp with a bell jar.
After some time, the flame from the lamp will go out.
As soon as the air bubbles leave the funnel, it fills up with water.
Remove the finger from the funnel. What happened?
The air bubbles burst on the surface of the water.
A
BA
A
C
B
B C
The air
The Earth is surrounded by a gas layer called atmosphere which consists of air. Air cannot be seen, but it exists. When you breathe, you introduce air into your organism. When you run, you feel the air on your face…Observe and carry out the experiments suggested.
SomeConcepts
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Results - Concepts – syntheses at the end…Results - Concepts – syntheses at the end…
TEXTBOOK – 2nd year“DISCOVERING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT”
In a few words:
● The weather conditions may be rainy, windy, hot, cold…
● The seasons of the year are four: spring, summer, autumn,
winter.
● Each season has its own characteristics. In spring, the weather
is pleasant; in summer, it is very hot; in autumn, the first rains fall;
in winter it is very cold.
● We are surrounded by air, but cannot see it. Wind and air
currents are air in movement.Temperature?
Light?
Without Wind?
Without rain?
Temperature Temperature
Water
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Synthesis - TexbooksSynthesis - Texbooks
CONCEPTS
Where are the generalisations?
Where are the relations among concepts of high level of abstraction?
Where are the differentiation between the essential/more relevant aspects from
the less important/less relevant aspects.
Where are the relations between scientific knowledge and common sense
knowledge?
SCIENTIFIC – NON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE RELATIONS
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The TeacherThe Teacher
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The teacher - ConceptsThe teacher - Concepts
There is talk about the consumption of
oxygen during combustion. Gina mentions
that in cars that are running there is also
combustion...
The students start to say “that it is
essential for us to breathe”, “without
oxygen there is no life”.
The consumption of oxygen during
combustion continues to be analysed
without reference to the gaseous
exchange in many living organisms
involving oxygen and carbon dioxide [A
subject already studied previously].
The students and teacher are analysing the
result of the latest experiments involving the
changes in the state of substances and
following that they start to make their
conclusion. During the dialogue, they recall the
experiments they made, the results obtained,
the concepts of the different changes of state
are introduced, they recall the initial and final
states of the substances and if changes
occurred by heating or cooling. The teacher
uses some of the comments made by the
students to recall again the aspects already
analysed “how did you explain that?”, “does the
group want to explain better?”. In the end they
draw up a summary-diagram and write the
information in their exercise-book.
Teacher /Miss InáciaTeacher/Miss Céu
With inter-relations between different scientific knowledge
It is easy to develop concepts
Without inter-relations between different scientific knowledge
It is difficult to develop concepts
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The teacher – Scientific-Non-Scientific KnowledgeThe teacher – Scientific-Non-Scientific Knowledge
The students frequently use
expressions like “melted”,
“froze”, “disappeared”. The
teacher does not clarify
which changes of state these
expressions contain.
When he/she introduces the
names of the changes of
state, he/she starts using
them without explaining the
relationship with those
expressions.
The students are studying the changes of state of water.
When they discuss the results in the group, they employ
expressions like “cold”, “melted”, froze”, and the teacher
explains what they mean in scientific terms.
In one group:
- What do you want to say with “cold”, “it was cold”. What do
you mean?…and “froze”? - the teacher asks.
In another group:
- The sealing-was bar melted - the student informs
- Melted?! What is that “melted”?-the teacher asks.
- It is dissolving – says the student.
- It is dissolving, what is that, André?...We spoke of the
phases [of matter], so which one is that? - the teacher starts
to explain. The discussion continues until it is clear that
when the sealing-wax bar is heated it changes to the liquid
state and when it cools it changes to the solid state again.
Teacher/Miss Céu Teacher /Miss Inácia
Without inter-relations between scientific-non-scientific knowledge
It is difficult to develop concepts With inter-relations between scientific-non-scientific knowledge
It is easy to develop concepts
44Afonso, ERICE, 2005
Synthesis - TeachersSynthesis - Teachers
CONCEPTS
Some teachers:
Some teachers:
● develop relations between scientific knowledge and common sense knowledge
● make generalisations
● make differentiation between the essential/more relevant aspects from the
less important/less relevant aspects.
● develop relations among concepts of high level of abstraction
SCIENTIFIC – NON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE RELATIONS
45Afonso, ERICE, 2005
Global conclusions, Reflection and implications in Teacher Training
Global conclusions, Reflection and implications in Teacher Training
46Afonso, ERICE, 2005
Global Conclusions and ReflectionGlobal Conclusions and Reflection
There is a discrepancy between what the programme defends,
the textbooks suggest and the teachers implement.
The discrepancies pointed out have implications, not always
desirable, in the children’s level of scientific knowledge.
There is a discrepancy between what the programme, the textbooks
and the teachers develop and what the educational researchers
defend for scientific learning of high level.
47Afonso, ERICE, 2005
The difficulties in establishing relationships between the different types of
knowledge may be related to three aspects :
Global Conclusions and ReflectionGlobal Conclusions and Reflection
● the general principle of our society, that “things” should be kept separate.
● the lack of scientific skills and/or pedagogical skills necessary to
establish relationships between different types of knowledge.
● the very concept of inter-relation. At times, teachers thought that it was
enough “to talk about certain subjects” for concepts to be developed and
relationships established between academic and non-academic knowledge.
48Afonso, ERICE, 2005
General Implications – The Students’ LearningGeneral Implications – The Students’ Learning
● Scientific learning made by the students:
Can we say that there is development of scientific literacy in the students?
The learning. of not so important aspects at the expense of the understanding
of relevant aspects
Learning is fragmented, factual, restricted instead of coherent, conceptual
and broad learning.
There are low levels of scientific development.
It is more difficult to change the children’s concepts; when common sense
knowledge is not interpreted or explored based on scientific knowledge, it tends
to remain in a more resistant form.
49Afonso, ERICE, 2005
General Implications in Teacher TrainingGeneral Implications in Teacher Training
Teacher training should correct the difficulties in the
teachers’ performance so as to permit broad scientific
concepts to develop if we are to implement
pedagogical practices with certain characteristics.
50Afonso, ERICE, 2005