Constructivist, conceptual change and science teaching: where are we going?

Abstract

In this paper I discuss some aspects of constructivism and of teaching strategies for conceptual change, trying to draw an overview of a new model of understanding students' conceptions as part of a more general framework: the conceptual profile notion. This notion allows to trace the conceptual evolution in the classroom as a change of a profile of conceptions. This perspective differs from conceptual change models by suggesting that it is possible to use different ways of thinking in different domains and that a new concept does not necessarily replace previous and alternative ideas. According to this model, learning science is to change a conceptual profile and become conscious of the different zones of the profile, which includes common-sense and scientific ideas. Through this notion it is possible to situate the students' ideas in a broader context that includes scientific knowledge and school's culture.