Martine Meheut

Teaching–learning sequences: aims and tools for science education research

One notable line of inquiry, aspects of which date back to the early 1980s, involves the design and implementation not of long‐term curricula, but of topic‐oriented sequences for teaching science. One distinguishing characteristic of a teaching–learning sequence (TLS) is its inclusion in a gradual research‐based volutionary process aiming at interlacing the scientific and the student perspective. In the present paper, which is introductory to the special issue, we attempt to serve a double purpose: on the one hand, we provide an overview of developments and trends with regard to TLSs and their classroom validation, discussing empirical studies, theoretical proposals, methodological tools and approaches to describing the design of these sequences in ordinary language, while on the other the paper serves as an introduction to this volume, making it easier for the reader to apprehend the processes of development and validation of research on TLSs.

Pupils’ (II ‐ 12 year olds) conceptions of combustion

This study relates to the teaching of combustion in the first year of French secondary education (11‐12 years of age). The area of particular interest was to investigate to what extent a study of combustion makes it possible to introduce concepts relative to chemical reactions. Data were collected before teaching and during teaching sessions by means of written replies to questionnaires, interviews, and tape‐recording of the sessions. Over 400 pupils were questioned. The results show that the observations made by the students lead them to interpretations which are far removed from concepts of a chemical reaction between a combustible and oxygen. The modification of properties of an object during a combustion results from separate transformations of each of the substances composing the object. Permanent nature of some substances is asserted, made good by the conservation of some properties (colour, smell, for example). These results have immediate pedagogical implications and indicate the necessity of rede...

Designing a learning sequence about a pre‐quantitative kinetic model of gases: the parts played by questions and by a computer‐simulation

Empirical studies in physics and chemistry education have shown some of the limits of a general constructivist view of the teaching‐‐learning process. In our opinion, we need more specific constructivist models of learning, which would take into account the distinctive epistemological features of the scientific field concerned. The dynamic process that we planned is founded upon some distinctive features of theories about the structure of matter: their philosophical and non‐empirical foundations, their character as a hypothetical model, their character of mechanical analogy. This learning process can be seen as a search for an analogy between the properties of a sample of gas and the properties of a set of particles moving under rules derived from the kinetic theory of gases. The didactic experiment is based upon the use of a computer simulation. It includes a first phase of interviews. The second phase of experimentation in the classroom gives some quantitative information in usual classroom teaching‐lea...

Designing and validating two teaching–learning sequences about particle models

This paper presents a retrospective analysis of two teaching–learning sequences about particle models. We will describe the design process for each sequence and will discuss it with respect to general frameworks such as Ingenierie Didactique and Educational Reconstruction. We will also describe and compare the ways we collected data and caracterize kinds of results we could obtain in each case. This will be an opportunity to make clearer similarities and differences between the two methodological frameworks.

Les limites de l’atomisme enfantin; expérimentation d’une démarche d’elaboration d’un modèle particulaire par des elèves de collège

RésuméNous présentons une séquence d’enseignement visant à faire pratiquer à des élèves de collège (13–14 ans) des activités d’élaboration et d’utilisation de modèles.Des entités auxquelles sont atribuées, axiomatiquement, des propriétés invariantes, sont proposées comme éléments de base de modèles à construire pour rendre compte de quelques phénomènes. Nous avons fait l’hypothèse que l’invariance des propriétés des particules pouvait conduire les élèves à introduire une variabilité des relations entre particules afin de rendre compte des transformations observées.La séquence d’apprentissage mise en oeuvre comporte des activités de production de représentations iconiques, de discussion de la pertinence de ces représentations par rapport aux phénomènes observés et d’utilisation de telles représentations comme outil de prévision.Les résultats font apparaître quelques étapes de la prise de significantion des axiomes d’invariance initiaux. Ils permettent par ailleurs de discuter l’hypothèse qui sous-tend l’élaboration de cette séquence.AbstractWe present a teaching sequence aimed at helping pupils (13–14 years) to put into practice the activities of building and using models. Objects (particles) characterised by invariant properties (shape, dimensions, mass) are proposed as the basic elements for building models. We hypothesised that the invariance of the properties of particles would lead pupils to introduce a variability in relations between particles in order to take into account the tranformations observed. The designed learning sequence includes activities for the production of iconic representations, discussion of the relevance of these representations in relation to the phenomena observed and the use of such representations as a predictive tool. The results show the various stages in establishing the meaning of the initial axiom; they enable us to discuss the hypotheses underlying this teaching-learning sequence.

Grade 12 French Students’ use of a Thermodynamic Model for Predicting the Direction of Incomplete Chemical Changes

The authors of the current chemistry curriculum—implemented in Grade 12 in France—provided a criterion of change allowing prediction of direction of chemical changes and pointed out the difference to be made between experimental facts and models. A study analysing part of the curriculum content and the effects of teaching this content on students’ reasoning was conducted. The content analysis presents the functioning of the thermodynamic model, which highlights the links to be made between the experimental situation and the model when predicting the direction of a chemical change. This functioning specifies the role of the chemical equation and that of the criterion of change (comparing the reaction quotient to the equilibrium constant) and stresses the crucial points that may lead to misunderstandings. Written tests were administered to students after teaching them to determine how they predicted the direction of a chemical change, and whether they made a relevant choice between using the chemical equation and using the criterion of change and a clear distinction between the experimental situation and the thermodynamic model. Few students had a good understanding of the respective roles of the criterion and the chemical equation. A majority used the criterion to predict the direction of chemical changes relevantly, but correct answers were not widespread. Two particular mistakes, the modification of the expression of the reaction quotient and the prediction of a change despite a missing reactant, revealed that students do not properly understand the difference and the relationship between the experimental situation and the thermodynamic model.