Addressing Childrens Alternative Frameworks of the Moons Phases and Eclipses

1
Addressing Childrens Alternative Frameworks of
the Moons Phases and Eclipses

• Michael BarnettIndiana University
• Judy MorranEllettsville ElementaryRichland-Bean
  Blossom School District

2
Background Instructional Need

• National Science Education Content Standards
  state that students in grades 5 8 should have a
  firm understanding of
• Relative size and distance between the Earth and
  the Sun
• Phases of the Moon
• Gravity and Shape of the Earth (NRC, 1996)
• Students have alternative frameworks
• Need instructional approaches that assist
  teachers in ameliorating alternative frameworks

3
Background

• Various instructional and theoretical approaches
  have been proposed
• Directly addressing (Gilbert Watts 1992)
• Identify and replace
• Evolutionary model (Smith, diSessa, Roschelle,
  1993)
• Alternative Frameworks are foundations to be
  built upon rather than discarded (Demastes, Good,
  Peebles, 1995)
• Science instruction provide opportunities for
  evaluation, and reflection

4
Instructional Context

• Seventeen 5th grade students
• Rural School
• Ten Weeks (3 times a week)
• Curriculum developed from two sources
• Exiting research on teaching and learning of
  astronomical concepts (Sadler, 1996 Vosniadou,
  1991)
• Hierarchical conceptual structure research (e.g.
  Sadler, 1996
• Challenger Centers existing space science
  curriculum
• 250,000 students per year
• Hands-on, inquiry activities

5
Curriculum Construction

• Project-Based and sequenced
• Earth as sphere and gravity
• Construct a Scale Model
• Light reflection and Moons phases
• Motion of the Earth
• Position of the Moon during its phases
• Eclipses
• Culminating activity to complete a simulation at
  Challenger Center (land on the Moon)

6
Student Projects

• Position of the Moon during its phases
• Given driving questions
• Scaffolded learning journal
• Students conducted observations
• Use computer models
• Eclipses Project
• Computer model to examine positions of the Moon
  for lunar and solar eclipses
• Scaffolded learning journal

7
Student Activities

• Students conduct research in teams of three to
  four
• Gather information and give a presentation to the
  entire class
• Develop and ask their own questions
• Articulate and reflect on their evolving
  understanding to the class
• Learning/Reflection journals
• Presentations
• Discussions

8
Research Questions

• Do elementary school students conceptual
  understanding of astronomy concepts follow a
  natural conceptual progression
• Are students alternative conceptions ameliorated
  when exposed to a curriculum grounded in
  meaningful activities that afford opportunities
  for students to reflect on their understandings.

9
Methodology

• Formative Research (Reigeluth Frick, 1996)
• introduce innovations and examine how these
  innovations impact learning
• iterate findings into next course (Brown, 1992)
• Data triangulated (Lincoln Guba, 1995)
• Classroom Observations
• Student in-situ interviews
• Open-ended concept questionnaires
• Pre-Post Interviews

10
Methodology

• Determine Student Conceptual Understanding
• Pre-Post Interviews
• What is the difference between a New Moon and a
  Lunar Eclipse?
• What causes the phases of the Moon?
• Open Ended Questionnaires
• In the middle ages many people were scared of
  solar eclipses.People would hide in caves, jump
  off cliffs because they thought the end of the
  world was near. How would you explain what a
  solar eclipse is to someone today?

11
Results

• Students developed a good understanding of
• The causes for the phases of the Moon
• The position of the Moon during solar and lunar
  eclipses
• Did not develop a robust understanding of
  differences between a lunar eclipse and full
  Moon.

12
Results Students understanding of eclipses
Pre 1.14 SD0.86 Post 2.29 SD 0.83
13
Results Student Learning

• Pre-Interview Phases of the Moon
• Greg I think it is the turning of the Earth and
  the Moon. They cast shadows.
• Interviewer Who casts a shadow?
• Greg Both of them. They cast shadows on each
  other. That is why the Moon changes, depends on
  where in the shadow it is.
• Interviewer Where would the Moon be for a new
  Moon.
• Greg It would be behind the Earth, and you
  can't see. There is not enough light to back
  there. Can't shine light through the Earth.

14
Results Student Learning

• Post-Interview Phases of the Moon
• Greg Yes, because if you are here (the Moon)
  will be here and the sun will be hitting this
  part of the Earth and you will be able to see
  that part.
• Interviewer What phase would that be?
• Greg I guess it would be a half or quarter
  phase because you can only see that part of it. 
• Interviewer What causes the phases of the Moon?
• Greg Because of the angle between the Earth and
  the Moon. It all depends on how we are looking
  at the Moon.

15
Results Student Learning

• Generally students understanding improved
• Their understanding of phases and eclipses
• Difficulty in articulating the differences
  between eclipses and phases of the Moon
• Due to students lack of understanding of the
  Earth and Moons shadow shape

16
Student Reflections

• Student Learning Journals
• Looking back, I was way off! It turns out that
  eclipses are caused b the Earth Shadow. When the
  Moon is the Earth shadow we see and eclipse.
  Cool!
• Allowed students to track their understanding
  over time

17
Conclusions

• By developing activities that support student
  articulation and reflection of their own
  understandings
• Support students in improving their understanding
  of astronomy concepts
• 5th graders can develop understandings of
  astronomy

18
Instructional Implications

• Move toward developing curricula that support
  students in identifying, articulating, their
  understandings
• Difficult for teachers examine all students
  understandings
• When instruction is designed to facilitate
  students critical reflection over time students
  can develop robust understandings
• Instruction does not necessarily have to directly
  address students alternative frameworks

19
Thank You!