Beijing Primary School Students In The Science Classroom Conceptual Change Case Study

One of the facts affecting students' learning in science is their existing knowledge prior to instruction. Some of the knowledge is not scientific, and even wrong. So learning is seen in terms of conceptual development or change rather than the piecemeal accretion of new information. In view of this fact, there are a lot of researches on conceptual change on scientific ideas. However, most of them are theoretical research, and less of empirical researches.This paper presents three cases of conceptual change involving three different contents in primary science. They are floating and sinking, air and light and shadow. In the theoretical framework of constructivism, conceptual change and situated learning, verbal data and students' records made in class by themselves are analyzed qualitatively. Then their conceptual change processes are clear. Some students can change their conceptions easily, but others are not. And likewise some conceptions can be easily changed, but others are not. In a word, students' conceptual change is hard to happen, but effective teaching can promote their conceptual change.Some implications to primary science teaching can be drawn from this paper. They are:(1) Science teachers should know the conceptions their students held, students should also know what conceptions they hold about the units to be taught. Assessment for learning can help them know the conceptions and the conceptual change.(2) An effective strategy to promote students' conceptual change is to propel their meta-cognition. And classroom dialogues among students, or between teacher and students, is a good way to help them.(3) A lot of time should be given to students to make exploration, and also enough time to think and to construct conceptions in their mind. Neither can be left out.