Connections between Student Explanations and Arguments from Evidence about Plant Growth

Abstract

In an analysis of 22 middle and high school student interviews, we found that many students reinterpret the hypotheses and results of standard investigations of plant growth to match their own understandings. Students may benefit from instructional strategies that scaffold their explanations and inquiry about how plants grow.

The Greatest Learning Return on Your Pedagogical Investment: Alignment, Assessment or In-Class Instruction?

“…Multiple-choice assessments tend to capture memory learning; whereas, performance assessments may provide a better measure of critical thinking [ 77 ]. For example, arguments-from-evidence has been associated with higher levels of sophistication in understanding [ 78 ], and concept maps have been shown to assess both declarative and procedural knowledge [ 79 ]. The success of these varied formats, and their focus on performance, prompts further investigation into the role of assessment.…”

Teaching Metabolism in Upper-Division Undergraduate Biochemistry Courses using Online Computational Systems and Dynamical Models Improves Student Performance

“…To master metabolism, students must understand these fundamental concepts, the interrelationship between concepts, and additional "linking ideas" that underlie the interrelationships (Waheed and Lucas, 1992). Despite repeated exposure to the same biological system, students face difficulties when learning about biochemical pathways that can ultimately lead to the persistence of misconceptions about metabolism (Anderson et al, 1990;Michael et al, 1999;Wilson et al, 2006;Brown and Schwartz, 2009;Dauer et al, 2014). Schultz (2005) highlighted the "learning demand" on students who study metabolic pathways as follows: 1) knowing the particular chemical transformation involved, 2) evaluating the thermodynamics of each step, and 3) comprehending the biological context.…”

¿Varía la masa de la Tierra? Modelizando a partir de un experimento mental

“…Así, al aplicar sus ideas a situaciones cotidianas, movilizan ideas inadecuadas que contradicen el principio de conservación de la masa, sobre todo si las tareas involucradas implican transformaciones químicas (Gómez, Pozo y Sanz, 1995), particularmente si intervienen gases (Stavy, 1990, Furió, Hernández y Harris, 1987. Más aún, el problema se complica ante fenómenos de biología, como el crecimiento de las plantas, donde los estudiantes prestan poca atención a la procedencia y al destino de la materia, al carecer de una visión sistémica del mundo natural que incorpore un modelo de materia y energía a escala atómico-molecular (Dauer, Doherty, Freed y Anderson, 2014;Mohan, Chen y Anderson, 2009). Por otro lado, una condición de contorno concomitante con la de transformación de la materia es el carácter cerrado o abierto del sistema en el que se produce.…”