The capacity to change
one’s mind is something that is necessary in science. As new information
becomes available, the ability to incorporate new information into existing
understandings of concepts as well as review or change our current conceptual understandings
moves us forward in our desire to learn more. The central posit in the article,
Accommodation of a scientific
conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change, is that learning is a “process
of conceptual change” that relies on a student’s background knowledge and
knowledge of existing concepts (Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog, 1982, p.
212). The authors describe an investigation into accommodation versus assimilation (using existing concepts to deal with new phenomena, p.212) made
by students in an introductory physics class who are learning about Einstein’s
theory of relativity. Their work focuses on investigating what causes accommodations,
conceptual changes that allow a student to replace or reorganize his/her
current concepts (or conceptual ecology) as a result of having basic assumptions
challenged during the acquisition of new knowledge and concepts. They describe
the conditions under which accommodations are most likely to occur: a dissatisfaction with existing conditions, an intelligible new conception, the appearance of plausibility
in the new conception, and the possibility of a fruitful research program under
the new concept (p.214). In other words,
in order for changes in conceptual knowledge to occur, there must be the belief
that the current concept is lacking (or coming to a dead end) while new
conceptions not only appear to fulfill what is lacking but have the potential to
open up new avenues of learning and inquiry. In their investigation, the researchers were
looking for evidence of student accommodation of special relativity concepts as
a result of Newtonian physics lacking in explaining relativity in space and
time. They caution that this change is not abrupt, but occurs as more information
is integrated during learning and inquiry, eventually giving over to the accommodation
of new concepts and a resulting conceptual change. Furthermore, they also
explain that what looks like accommodation may just be a small step towards
conceptual change that may or may not occur without many mistakes (and possible
frustration) along the way (p.223). The
article ends with discussions on the implication of achieving conceptual
changes when teaching science particularly when it comes to the role of the
teacher in presenting content and the strategies used to teach the new
concepts.
The idea of creating a learning environment that causes students to analyze
and question their existing conceptual understandings and change them in the face
of new information is intriguing. For example, we could create studies to
understand how student backgrounds lead them to learn about and internalize misconceptions
about evolution and climate change and what types strategies and interventions
can be used to overcome and replace these misconceptions for further
understanding. Yet, this is not only the case for students. Similar
investigations can be conducted in professional development activities for
teachers designed to teach educators about effective ed-tech incorporation or
inquiry based learning in science curriculum and instruction. By identifying
and addressing the conceptual ecology of teacher and students in these
scenarios, it may be possible to lead them to conceptual changes that may
enrich their scientific knowledge and understanding.
I am interested in knowing how the authors hope to reconcile whether or
not students have assimilated or accommodated their conceptual understanding of
science concepts. For example, did they conduct follow-up interviews? And if
so, over what period of time? In the case of the possible proposals given
above, what would an adequate assessment of the progress of accommodation look
like?
Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W.,
& Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accommodation of a scientific conception: Toward a
theory of conceptual change. Science education, 66(2), 211-227.
I agree with your first statement, "The capacity to change one's mind is necessary in science". This idea expands beyond the learning of distinct facts of knowledge in science but includes one's ability to think scientifically and explore other explanations for phenomenon. This is inline with what the authors were trying to convey regarding how and when new learning occurs. In addition, I am also intrigued with developing situations in the classroom that afford students the opportunity for new learning in a way that develops critical thinking skills such that; the students are able to make connections to other constructs for the development of conceptual understanding. Many times students will question, why they must learn a concept because it is seen as a list of facts that has no meaning for them or connection to the real world. However, fundamentally changing how a teacher engages with their class, by challenging beliefs and posing questions, allows students to develop their own phenomenological frame of understanding making the learning more meaningful. Even though conceptual change has the potential to transform education, it is still a challenge because change is difficult for many in education. In your experience, what is the best way to bring about change for teachers in regards to their instruction?
ReplyDeleteI like your interpretation of the project. It was succinct while clearly describing the findings of the study. Explaining the requirements for accommodation made the concept much more intelligible due to the authors’ writing style being somewhat difficult to understand. I think additional explanation of the differences between assimilation and accommodation would help in understanding the overall concept. Your question about finding out if students have assimilated or accommodated the concepts was a critical aspect of the study I felt the authors did not cover enough. Do you believe that the experiment itself provided enough empirical data to make that determination between assimilation and accommodation?
ReplyDeleteMartha:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reflection response. I found a merit of your reflection response was your reflection was written very well and provided a clear and succinct summary of the reading from this week. Learning is a process of conceptual change and many factors contribute to the misconceptions students may have as they move through various levels of understanding in their learning. I don’t have any suggestions on how to improve your response, I found that it meets all of the requirements of the syllabus and your response was comprehensible. What do you believe could be the possible consequences of not recognizing conceptual change and the process of accommodation in the classroom?