Introduction
The research problem consists of investigating factors, age & gender, that have direct influence on the changes children construct the world towards a culturally acceptable reasoning.
Most children will, inevitably, have to pass through a series of conceptual changes to achieve the correct scientific answer. Firstly, children obtain intuitive knowledge, these are theories that are formed based solely their everyday experiences. However, our intuitive knowledge is often incorrect since things are not always what they seem to be, these theories are commonly known as misconceptions. A common misconception by children, but normally overcame at a certain age, is the understanding of the structure of the earth. Thus making a great study to base knowledge acquisition from (Vosniadou, 1994; Panagiotaki, Nobes, & Potton, 2009). Vosniadou & Brewer (1992); Nobes et al. (2003) both predicted that as children grow, they obtain and implement new knowledge from others into their existing knowledge towards scientifically accepted concept, but will not reach it until a restructuring of core theory.
This study, a partial replication, from Vosdianou and Brewer deals with the importance of how children actually develop their scientific knowledge or form a belief. By understanding how children ‘learn’, It would benefit society greatly by a more effective and efficient education system in future, by implementing new teaching techniques and educational activities.
Age associated with
2.1 Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors
Q: Explain the reasons why children and young people’s development may not follow the expected pattern.
It is important that children get a lot of opportities for education and learning so they can development social and emotional skills to use through life. Children how receive poor opportunities to for an education and learning will not develop as well as child who did because they are not getting the experience and knowledge they need. If a child has good opportunities to learn them to learn then they will have better language skills to communicate with other people in lots of different social setting. They may realise that they have a talent for something such a music or sport and have aspiration to develop this into a career later in life but if they are not given this opportunity they will not have the chance to develop this skill.
There are some considerations in terms of children’s intellectual development that teachers should keep in mind. First, education is exploration. This is where teachers allow children to interact with the environment by providing rich experiences and environment. Second, children do not think like adults. This is where children have
The process skills approach to teaching is defined as the educator helping children develop science skills and processes to confidently undertake their own investigations (Campbell, 2012). These skills are developed through: communicating, science language, asking questions, making sense of phenomena, predicting, modelling, conducting investigations, planning, testing, observing, reasoning, and drawing conclusions of science concepts (Campbell, 2012). When the educator assist children’s learning, it is important to put the emphasis on the nature of science and scientific concepts. Guided discovery approach to teaching requires the educator to ask effective questions that encourage children to explore and extend their investigations throughout science learning (Campbell, 2012). This can be developed through play experiences as children explore their world around them. An interactive approach to teaching children is based on questions that lead explorations and the educators to provide essential resources to guide these explorations (Campbell, 2012). It is the educators’ responsibility to support children’s development, ideas, questions, ways of thinking, and develop scientific thinking. Furthermore, an inquiry approach to teaching relates to children investigating the answers to their own
2.1. Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors
Hence children have misconceptions on the weather elements and changes in the environment (Reference book Year 1) Probing questions and discussing with the students about the moon’s phases
Proof of Student Ideas: I will quote the student, explain their misconceptions and link findings to relevant academic literature.
Zangori, L. & Forbes, C. T., (2014). Scientific practices in elementary classrooms: Third-grade students’ scientific explanations for seed structure and function. Science Education, 98, 614-639.
This assignment is a case study of a child’s engagement, inquiry skills and understanding of physical or chemical understandings. There are two parts to the assignment that build to the final case study report. Part A is to design a science inquiry activity suitable for engaging a child at junior primary with physical or chemical science understandings that uses materials like water, sand, ball or tubes. At the next, it is needed to figure out how the planned inquiry activity links to the Australian Curriculum and the early Years Learning Framework. This report also needs to explain and justify the learning theory that underpins the activity and the proposed teaching and learning approach. At the last
The study should also consider having enough people from different backgrounds to be included and to look at differences within the group on parenting practices and beliefs. Another limitation is that the study could be implemented in a more systematic way to compare the interventions. Also, practitioners should be trained and know how to identify and address the ethnocultural factors if the recognize them early on during assessment and provide help that will meet the needs of the family you are serving and ensure the language you speak is common to
The National Curriculum for Science (2013), anticipates to advance all pupils’ scientific knowledge and conceptualise understanding through the segmented scientific approaches; biology, chemistry and physics. In addition, pupils should have an awareness of the nature, processes and approaches used within science, through the various scientific enquires that enable pupils to answer questions related to the world and life. Finally, the aims of the science curriculum also consider that children must have the resources to fund the knowledge that is necessary to use science in the, present and future tense states the Department of Education (2013).
Students are considered to be scientists in the inquiry process. Children will view themselves as scientists as they learn. They look forward to science, demonstrate a desire to learn more, seek collaboration with their classmates, they are confident in doing science, and willing to take risks. Students are readily engaged in exploring science. They have curiosity, ponder observations, move around to get the materials they need, and have the opportunity to try out their ideas. Students are able to communicate using various amounts of methods. They express their ideas in journals, reporting, or drawing. They listen, speak, and write about science. They communicate their level of understanding of concepts and ideas. The students propose explanations and solutions based off their data. They use investigations to satisfy their own questions. They sort out information that is needed and important. They become willing to revise explanations and gain new knowledge. They raise questions, use questions to lead them to investigations, and students begin to enjoy using questions to ponder ideas. Students begin to observe rather than look. They see details, detect sequences, and notice change, similarities, and differences. The students begin to make
In Te Whariki (Ministry of Education [MOE], 1996), it is reported that science creates opportunities for children to learn strategies for active investigation, thinking and reasoning (p 98). Children are naturally scientists” is one we hear often. There curiosity and need to make the world a more predictable place certainly drives them to explore and draw conclusions and theories from their experiences. Kilmer & Hofman (1995, p 44), cited in Eliason & Jenkins (1999, p 263), stated the benefits of science for young children include the promotion of intellectual growth, greater potential for success in school, and opportunities for development. Science in early childhood education for young children should be encouraged to develop them as they participate in science. Therefore, children need guidance and structure to turn their natural curiosity and activity into something more scienctific. They need to practice science – to engage in rich scientific inquiry. Scientific inquiry provides the opportunity for children to develop a range of skills, for example; explore objects, materials, and events, describe (including shape, size, number), identify patterns, share and discuss ideas and listen to new perspectives.
Science is, by its nature, inquiry based and science knowledge is built through processes in which discoveries of the natural world are made (Abruscato, 2000). It utilizes discovery and scientific thinking process to explore and learn knowledge and skills. Learning by doing is the new efficient method in teaching science. For kindergarten, this method leads to better understanding of science concepts and builds skills that children will use in future life .What a child can do with assistance now, they can later do on their own (Vygotsky, 1978). John Dewey (1916) stated that children must be engaged in an active quest for learning and new ideas. Inquiry is important in educating kindergarteners because it not only keeps them interested in lessons but also helps them retain more information when performing exploration and investigation. Children are naturally motivated to learn and actively seek out information to help their understanding (Piaget, 1950).The success of students who participate in hands- on inquiry activities suggests that if students have first hands experience with science, concepts are easier to understand and apply and students are generally more favorable to science and have better understanding of the nature of science .Within a conceptual framework, inquiry learning and active learner involvement can lead to important outcomes in the classroom. In kindergarten, students who are actively making observations, collecting results and drawing