Concept-Based Problem Solving: Combining Educational Research Results and Practical Experience To Create a Framework for Learning Physics and To Derive Effective Classroom Practices.

Taken from TeacherÕs Guide to accompany Minds¥On Physics: Motion 1 Images can convey the truth about a situation powerfully and succinctly, so we offer you the following set of images. An old image of instructional practice is shown on the far left, although it is still prevalent today. It presumes that the teacher can simply pour knowledge into a student’s head. This image is at least 300 years old and has not changed significantly during that time. The drawing in the middle shows a more likely representation of the current state of instructional practice [adapted from A. Van Heuvelen, 1992]. When someone tries to pour knowledge into a student’s head, little is retained. Our view of common instructional practices is represented on the right. In particular, there are two features of the drawing worth noting. First, the finger in the ear means that the student is trying to retain the knowledge but, lacking the skills needed to do so, fails. Second, the inverted funnel means that common modes of instruction create a serious mismatch between the student and the teacher, which causes very little meaningful communication to occur.

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