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Teaching science in fifth grade: Instructional goals that support conceptual change
Author(s) -
Beeth Michael E.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2736(199812)35:10<1091::aid-tea3>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - conceptual change , psychology , mathematics education , metacognition , science learning , concept learning , pedagogy , science education , teaching method , cognition , neuroscience
How one teacher in a fifth‐grade classroom (student ages 10–11) facilitated learning as conceptual change is the subject of this research. The teacher presented her students with seven learning goals that she believed would allow students to engage in conceptual change learning. Student outcomes as a result of this teacher's instruction included significant changes in the ability of students to engage in conversations that are characterized as metaconceptual and metacognitive. These changes are attributed to instructional activities of the teacher that established her learning goals. Characteristics of the learning environment created by this teacher are presented and an analysis of the instructional activities she presented to students are used to answer the following question: How did the learning goals presented by this teacher support students as they engaged in learning as conceptual change? The implications of this study for teachers in different contexts are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 1091–1101, 1998