Tutorial Week 8.

1. Children are naturally curious and eager to learn. Learning results from
the unique ways in which a child perceives and makes sense of his or her
environment. As a teacher, you can help learners to inquire and construct
scientific meanings by understanding and responding to learners’ interests,
strengths, experiences and needs.

Describe all factors that affect how well a child learns science?

● Individual interests in Science

Interests is a main yet significant factor which greatly influences how well
students learn. When students have interests in the science subject which they
are learning, they will show interest in gaining knowledge, discovering new fields
in science through self learning. Interest in science is a major factor which leads
to students’ motivation to learn. When they have interest in Science, they will
have an inquisitive mind where they love to ask questions, reasoning, and
discover science facts that they do not know. When they show interest, they
actively inquire. They will be keen to access more extra information and this
enables them to learn well in Science. Therefore, it is important that teachers
should raise students' interest in Science subjects.

● Situational influence in Science lesson

A fun learning environment can help students to learn Science better. Happy, fun
and enjoyable learning experiences encourage students to participate actively in
the Science learning process. Students feel free to ask questions, give opinions
and perform in the classroom. Besides, it is also able to attract students' attention
during the class. Therefore, it is important for teachers to conduct Science
lessons in an enjoyable way through fun learning activities such as watching
videos, experiments, quiz, competitions which are able to gain students interest
in Science subjects.

● Science self concept

An interesting Science topic or concept is able to attract students. For example,
students will be more interested to learn about humans’ body than learning the
history of science. This is because science knowledge regarding humans is way
more related to students' real life experiences. Therefore, students learn the new
topic by relating it to their existing knowledge and experience. Hence a class
related to an interesting science concept is easier to gain students' interest to
learn well by students compared to historical lessons.
List four types of science experiences should occur in the classroom ?
● Experimenting
● Discovery
● Discussion
● Inquiry

2. One hundred Year One pupils are gave a pictorial quiz on the concept of
sink and float. Table 3 shows the response which indicate the occurrence of
misconceptions among these children.

Picture Response %
Sink Float

77.3 22.7

Person wearing a life jacket

27.3 72.7

Bottle almost full of water

68.2 31.8

Apple

45.5 54.5

Submarine

50.0 50.0

Iceberg
(Source : Projek KAMUS, UPSI (2004))

Table 3
(a) (i) Identify the type of misconception that occurred based on
the children’s responses in Table 3.
Conceptual misunderstanding

(ii) Briefly explain the type of misconception identified above

Students believed that things that is heavy will sink and things that
is light will float. Therefore, students have wrong assumptions that
Humans, submarine and iceberg are heavy and therefore they are
going to sink.

(b) (i) Based on students response it indicate that occurrence of

misconceptions among them in topic of “sink and float”. One
of the technique used by the teacher to identify
misconception among this students is predict-observe-
explain (POE).

Based on this technique, state all teaching steps in

sequence to confront this alternative conception.
1. Teacher prepare a basin filled with water, stones, empty plastic bottle,
wood, paper, ping pong ball and balloon.
2. Teacher ask students about the concept of sink and float.
Expected answer is:
(a) Things that are heavy will sink and light objects will float.
(b) Big things will sink and small items will float.

3. Students is asked to predict the items that float and sink and list down
their prediction in a piece of paper.
4. By performing the experiment, teacher shows students the result.

Items stones Plastic bottle

size small Big

Prediction Sink Sink

Observation

Items Wood paper

 weight heavy light

Prediction sink float

Observation

Items Ping pong ball balloon

weight small big

Prediction float sink

Observation

5. Students are required to make prediction before the experiment.

6. Students observed the result during the experiment.
7. Students try to explain the result.
(ii) Why is it important to correct misconceptions in children ?
Correct misconceptions immediately in children is important in science
teaching. Correcting students' misconceptions enable students to
enhance their understanding and learning. Misconceptions may be
roadblocks in students' learning process, however it also provides
opportunities for students to discover and enhance their
achievements throughout the learning process. It is important that
educators work with their students to identify, acknowledge and correct
commonly held misconceptions, to achieve the best learning outcomes.

Based on Needham five phase model, list all the five phases and give a suitable
activities for each phase.

Phase 1 (Orientation) ● Gain students Set induction:

attention and 1. Teacher prepare
interest items such rock,
plastic bottle, wood,
paper. Ping pong
balloon and a basin
 of water.
2. Q&A session
● What is sink
and float?
● What items
sink and
float?

Phase 2 (Generating Encourage thinking Students think about the

ideas) question and give ideas.

● Light things float

and heavy things
sink.
● Things with big size
sink and small size
items will float.

Phase 3 (Restructuring To expand and modify Students carry out the

ideas) previous ideas through experiment.
investigating and
exploration

Phase 4(Applying ideas) Application of new ideas Students predict that not
only objects in big size or
heavy will sink and small
thing which have light
weight float.

For example, a big ship

floats on the sea but small
rocks will sink.

Phase 5 (Reflection) To reflect on Students explain the result

misconceptions and of the experiment.
changes made to new
ideas