Tim Sprod

“I can change your opinion on that”: Social constructivist whole class discussions and their effect on scientific reasoning

Recent theoretical and empirical work in science education has led to greater consideration of the role of social constructivist discussions in science classrooms. This paper advances an intervention model for effective whole class discussions based on the Philosophy for Children program, and reports on a year long study of its application, focussing on the development of scientific reasoning. The evaluation employs two methods: a quantitative pretest/posttest measure of scientific reasoning using science reasoning tasks; and qualitative analysis of four transcripts at the utterance, epistemic episode and thematic levels. The former method indicates that the experimental class experienced significantly greater gains in scientific reasoning than a control group, and the latter offers empirical support to theoretical accounts of how this occurs. Implications for classroom teaching and further research are discussed.

Mapping development in students’ understanding of vision using a cognitive structural model

This exploratory study took two items, which were designed to ascertain childrens understanding of the phenomenon of ‘seeing’, and used them to gather data over the K‐10 age range. One item was adapted from an earlier large‐scale survey by Adams et al. (1990); the other was based on a set of metaphors for ‘seeing’ designed by Guesne (1985). The data gathered were analysed in the context of a cognitive structural model. This analysis showed that, in relation to the concept of vision, the cognitive model selected was able to account for the ‘normal’ developmental sequence, as well as indicate some possible sequences which might help to explain the ‘alternative framework’ phenomenon in this case. There seems to be sufficient evidence from this study to warrant more detailed research in two directions. The first, replicating with a larger sample, the variables discussed in this paper, and the second, carrying out exploratory studies on concepts in other areas of science which have also documented the ‘altern...

'Nobody really knows': the structure and analysis of social constructivist whole class discussions

Abstract Increasing recognition of the social aspects of constructivist learning has led to calls for the greater use of discussion in science classroom. Yet research on classroom discussion has shown that it is often not suitable for social constructivist aims. This paper presents a brief outline of a method of conducting appropriate social constructivist discussions, plus a model for the structure of open‐ended thinking through such discussion, first advanced by David Perkins (1994), in which discussions are characterized as building a conception through the use of epistemic games under the control of a structured heap. It then outlines a method for the analysis and evaluation of these discussions, illustrated by excerpts from a classroom transcript. The methodology arose from a project to evaluate the processes of such discussion, and the impact on students’ scientific reasoning, over a school year. Implications for researchers and curriculum planners are presented.

Cognitive development, philosophy and children's literature

The child is bom with rudimentary thinking ability and develops this throughout life. However, not all thinking is good thinking, and educators should be aiming to encourage the best thinking possible. I consider the key educational factors in assisting the development of good thinking, based on theories of the social construction of thinking through dialogue. After considering the prevalent approach of teachers to using dialogue to encourage thinking, a model of education for quality thought is developed which springs from this theory. Finally, I introduce the reader to practical books and materials based on this model.

Singaporean and Australian Students' Understanding of Vision

Abstract A model for the development of an understanding of how people see has been proposed on the basis of a questionnaire and interview study of a cross-section of Australian school students. The model, based on the SOLO model of cognitive development (Collis & Biggs, 1991), involves the building of connections between the eye, light and the object seen in the Ikonic and Concrete Symbolic modes of cognitive functioning. In order to assess the viability of the model across cultures, the questionnaire was administered to 116 primary and secondary school students in Singapore. This paper reports some details of how the model was supported in its most important respects. The few discrepancies might be explained in terms of environmental, linguistic and/or teaching factors.

Philosophical Inquiry and Critical Thinking in Primary and Secondary Science Education

If Lipman’s claim that philosophy is the discipline whose central concern is thinking is true, then any attempt to improve students’ scientific critical thinking ought to have a philosophical edge. This chapter explores that position.

A Miller's Tale

Following the completion of the transcription and collation processes described earlier in this CD-ROM, a NEXUS file containing a complete record of all agreements and disagreements among the 58 witnesses was generated from the parallel-segmentation collation apparatus. The NEXUS file format is widely used by evolutionary biologists to hold data concerning agreements and disagreements among populations of objects (‘taxa’ in evolutionary biology; ‘witnesses’ to us) at precise points (‘characters’ in their teams, variants in ours). The fundamental element in a NEXUS file is a data matrix, in which the agreements and disagreements at each place of variation (‘character’) among the objects surveyed are registered as entries in a series of columns and rows. This example shows the variants on the word ‘thus’ in line of Link 1, in NEXUS file data matrix format: