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Picturing evaporation : learning science literacy through a particle representation
journal contribution
posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00 authored by Russell TytlerRussell Tytler, S Peterson, Vaughan PrainVaughan PrainEvaporation is mostly taught in primary schools through a water cycle representation. This has its limitations in explaining mechanisms and local effects such as drops drying in a closed room, condensation on cold surfaces, or how we smell liquids. In this paper the authors describe a classroom sequence of activities for Grade 5 students that explored the use of a particle model in conjunction with a range of representational modes, to explain evaporation phenomena. In interviews the authors explored with students their visual and verbal accounts of particles, modelling a process of teacher-mediated negotiation of multiple representations. From the evidence, the authors argue that difficulties in understanding evaporation are inherently representational, and that by engaging with the multiple literacies of science teachers can support significant advances in conceptual learning.
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Journal
Teaching Science : the journal of the Australian Science Teachers AssociationVolume
52Issue
1Season
AutumnPagination
12 - 17Publisher
Australian Science Teachers AssociationLocation
Deakin, A.C.T.ISSN
1449-6313eISSN
1839-2946Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalUsage metrics
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