How does learning emerge in science classrooms? (original) (raw)
When planning a science lesson, teachers often consider what they want pupils to learn and then select and design activities that convey the concepts or skills being promoted. However, in recent years there has been a theoretical shift away from seeing concepts as ‘mental entities’ which can be conveyed through activities, and instead recognising that learning involves the specifics of embodied cognition and interaction between people, texts, images, equipment and the broader learning environment. The question then becomes whether we can give a more specific account of how pupils actually learn, and what they learn from. This workshop will highlight some of the issues with how learning is currently characterised and then report the early findings of video studies into what pupils actually learn from in science classroom, and what experienced teachers do to promote this learning.
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