Conceptual Labs for operative Exploration
Marisa Michelini, Alberto Stefanel, Lorenzo Santi
PERG, Marisa Michelini, Lorenzo Santi, Alberto Stefanel
Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA, University of Udine
via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
marisa.michelini@uniud.it, Lorenzo.santi@uniud.it, alberto.stefanel@uniud.it
Università degli
Studi di Udine
Università degli
Studi di Udine
Introduction
In the perspective of the MER [1], designing new educational path require to gain new information on how students face the specific subject
explored. At the PERG of Udine the main steps of the new educational paths were explored with pupils engaged in Conceptual Laboratory of
Operative Exploration (CLOE) in informal learning contexts, where using different monitoring tools student spontaneous ideas as well their learning
paths were explored and stimulated [2-4]. In CLOE pupils discuss everyday life scenarios, recover their everyday and sensorial knowledge, as well
as involve them in the challenges of explorations according to an IBL strategies. The CLOE lab are research based proposals of learning where
explore how pupils build formal thinking, reflect on phenomena and construct models, reinterpret common everyday knowledge. The research
focus is on the reasoning sequence, the ways in which knowledge is structured, the development of interpretative representations. [5-7].
Theoretical background
The concept of energy at any level has a central role in the whole science curricula, being founded in physics,
as a synthetic way to look at the phenomena with the role of conceptual organizer in their analysis. It is an
important part of the cultural baggage for all citizens. It is still a research subject, to consider what kind of :
educational approaches follow, the knots to be considered, at what age to introduce it, how to bridge the
gap between the scientific meaning of energy with that of everyday life usage, of the word, energy [8].
A great effort was made in the last two decades of the past century to propose hands on/minds on approaches to the concept of energy in middle
school, and to study on how students construct their energy based view on the phenomena [1,8]. For the primary school level, some proposals show
that it is possible to treat an operative approach in a qualitative way also with students of 4-5th grade, adopting different approaches: starting with the
analysis of human or living action as energy transformation, following a spiral path; focusing on mechanical energy; focusing on internal energy [8].
In a research project about teaching and learning energy in a vertical perspective, we have had designed and experimented an inquiry based
educational approach for primary students in a school. This approach was the base for an informal learning activity implemented as Conceptual
Laboratories of Operative Exploration (CLOE) [2-7]. The CLOE labs constitute, in our project, a research environment to test, from one side, the crucial
knots of our proposal, to explore, on the other side, the students’ learning path, using audio-records, questionnaires, open worksheets. The structure
of the CLOE labs on energy will here be presented, discussing the conceptual knots proposed to the students, the related research questions and the
principal results emerged on the students learning processes.
The CLOE labs: informal learning context for research
The CLOE labs [29] were designed and proposed at the schools as a cooperation context, between school and universities since 2008 [30]. The CLOE
Labs on energy which are being considered here, were proposed to the schools of Udine and Crema (Italy), involving pupils in an inquiry based labs and
a visit to the hands-on/minds-on exhibit, GEI [29,32]. The sample considered here, is composed by 310 students (7-10 years old), as presented in table 1
In Udine in the scientific culture projects PARSCI, MILMAS, LABGEI held in spring 2008, 2009 and 2011. In Crema in the context of the scientific festival
Mediaexpo held in Crema in November 2010-2011, on multimedia and teaching/learning in primary school organized by Istituto Comprensivo Trescore.
Year
Place
2008
2009
2009
2011
Udine
Udine
Crema
Udine
Total
N students (N classes)
2 grade
3 grade
4 grade
14 (1)
62 (4)
30 (2)
7 (1)
28 (1)
63 (3)
33 (2)
22 (1)
63 (3)
84 (6)
112 (6)
Data
5 grade
98 (6)
30 (2)
78 (6)
104(6)
310 (20)
Q1. What do you know about energy?
Each CLOE lab lasted 90 minutes and was divided in
three phases: 1) filling individually a written
questionnaire (see Table II); 2) discussing in a large
group the answers written for the questionnaire, to
individuate the problematic points, to share the
suggested situations, to compare the different
positions, to collect the suggestions on which kind of
paths to proceed; 3) following a path of conceptual
exploration, carried out in little group of four or five, in
challenging the questions and practical tasks related to
problem-situations suggested by the students during
the second phase and according to their personal paths
of reasoning. In the last explorative phase, the
researcher adapt the path to students, having at
disposal, the rich set of simple experiments, apparatus
and toys organized in an educational patha)
d)
Distribution of the Q1 responses, in which are
formulated general criteria to identify the energy. A)
existence of energy in various types/forms; B)
energy as a source; C) energy identified with other
thing or entity; D) properties/attributes of energy; E)
existence of sources of energy. In the ACD) category
is included the standard definition: energy as
capacity to do work.
Q2-Q3 Things making energy-Things having energy. In overall
the systems mentioned in the answers to Q3 and Q2 items are
the same: make or have energy appear to be identifying in the
background idea that energy is a concrete entity.
e)
c)
a)
f)
b)
Comparison of the distributions of the category of
object/systems that “make” energy, as request in Q2
question, and “have” energy, as request in Q3 question.
Legend: A) water/air/wind; B) power central; C) sun; D)
fuel; E) batteries; F) electricity, magnetism; G) Light; H)
human body; I) electrical devices/motors/car.
[1] R. Duit, Science Education Research – An Indispensable Prerequisite for Improving Instructional Practice. Paper presented at Summer School, Braga, (2006), pg. 1-15.
[2] Stefanel A, Moschetta C, Michelini M, Cognitive Labs in an informal context to develop formal thinking in children, in Developing Formal Thinking in Physics, Michelini M,
Cobal M eds,Girep Book of selected papers, Forum, Udine (ISBN: 88-8420-148-9), (2002), pg. 276-283.
[3] Fedele B, Michelini M, Stefanel A (2005) 5-10 years old pupils explore magnetic phenomena in Cognitive Laboratory (CLOE), in CRESILS, Pitntò R, Couso D eds., selected
papers in ESERA publication, Barcellona [ISBN: 689-1129-1].
[4] Bradamante F, Fedele B, Michelini M (2005) Children‘s spontaneous ideas of magnetic and gravitational fields, in CRESILS, Pitntò R, Couso D eds., selected papers in
ESERA publication, Barcellona [ISBN: 689-1129-1].
[5]M. Michelini (2006) The Learning Challenge: A Bridge Between Everyday Experience And Scientfìc Knowledge, in Informai Learning And Public Understanding Of Physics,
Planinsic G, Mohoric A eds., selected papers in Girep book, Ljubijana (SLO) [ISBN 961-6619-00-4], pg. 18-39
Q4. Conservation of Energy and meaning of conserve.
Categories of the meanings of energy conservation: A)
Not used; B) last long/being during the process; C)
storage; D) taking as an object; E) transform; F) never
ending; G) do not change in time; NE) No explanation.
Conclusions
Here we have discussed the results with primary students
involved in Conceptual Laboratory of Operative Exploration
(CLOE) on Energy. In the CLOE labs students are involved in a
context of informal education in a pre-questionnaire focused
on our main educational goals on energy, the discussion of it
to individuate the knots to be explored in the last part of
CLOE labs where students analyze in terms of energy simple
systems. Our sample is composed by 310 students (3-5
grades) of different primary schools in the North of Italy.
Using an initial questionnaire we collected information on
such issues, situations, systems and contexts that students
associate more prevalently to energy. They identified
prevalently energy through his forms (not categorized), as an
autonomous entity that can transform, or something useful
for live and society. (RQ1). Primary students attributed to
expression like energy conservation, energy transformation
meaning completely different from the scientific one, (R2).
The hands-on/minds-on situations proposed in the CLOE labs
create for the students a stimulating environment in which
construct step by step the concept of kinetic energy, potential
energy, internal energy and energy related to light..
[6] S R C P. Challapalli, M. Michelini, A. Stefanel (2012) Children Construct Coherent Argumentation And Formal Thinking On Energy In A Conceptual Lab Of
Operative Exploration (Cloe), in The interfaces of subjects taught in the primary schools and on possible models of integrating them. 25th to 27th of May, 2012
Faculty of Education in Sombor, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
[7] S R C P. Challapalli, M. Michelini, A. Stefanel (2012) Conceptual Laboratories Of Operative Exploration (Cloe) To Build Formal Thinking In Basic School: The Case Of
Sound, in The interfaces of subjects taught in the primary schools and on possible models of integrating them. 25th to 27th of May, 2012 Faculty of Education in
Sombor, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
[8] Eylon B S, Heron P R L, Lehavi Y, Michelini M, Stefanel A (2011) Teaching about energy, International Conference GIREP-ICPE-MPTL 2010 Proceedings, Université
de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Reims 22-27 August 2010, http://www.univ-reims.fr/site/evenement/girep-icpe-mptl-2010-reims-international-conference