Volume 4 || Issue 3 - May 2014 - English Understanding Classroom Settings in Indian Context While Topic ‘Cells’ is Taken-Up in Class Understanding Classroom Settings in Indian Context While Topic ‘Cells’ is Taken-Up in Class Rakesh Kumar Assistant Professor MV COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, University of Delhi. Abstract Learners form conceptions in an environment that cannot be differentiated in terms of formal and informal settings. Learners do not wait for assistance, to come up with some solutions to the problems that they face while putting hard efforts to understand the physical and natural world. This understanding is often at odds with the conceptions that scientific community accepts as adequate representation of reality. These OTHER CONCEPTIONS of learners are challenging our contemporary understanding on designing context specific teaching-learning processes in science. This generates the need to understand science learning contexts in an integrated form from multiple dimensions. The present study in this context reveals that 54 % of learners studied did not want to know something more on the topic discussed in the classroom; 52 % learners looked for other resources of learning; 38 % learners wanted to ask a question on the topic; only 22 % learners said that they planned/performed an activity to find answer of their questions; 70 % learners said that they shared what they learnt with others; 70 % learners felt that they are learner of science; most of them wanted to share information about different food habits of animals. Learners wanted to know new things about the delivered topic; used different resources for enhancing the knowledge; mostly learners used the experiences of their parents as resource; Very few learners used internet because it was not available to all; most learners learned through sharing their experiences with each other and then they solve their problems in group activities; learners shared only those subtopics of cell which were included in activity performed in the classroom; they drew only that diagram which was presented on the chart or flash card by the pupil teacher. The diagrams shown in the study reveals that they do not confine themselves to just the area ‘Cell’ but make linkages to every form of association that can be extended. These type of diagrams can be deliberated by the teacher as the preparatory theme of the learners’ experiential framework. Key Words: Teaching-Learning contexts, Cell, Alternative Frameworks, learners’ questions, learners’ diagrams Introduction The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly” (Ausubel, 1968) (Worth, 1999) in ‘The Power of Children’s Thinking’ thinks of children as natural scientists and posits that, “They do what scientists do, but perhaps for some slightly different and less conscious reasons. They are anxious to understand the world just as adults are or one can say even better than them. There is a terribly interesting, but rather confusing, world full of stimuli all around them. Many adults, however, have learned to ignore some of that world rather than investigate it. Young children ignore very little” (Worth, 1999). The curiosity of children is many times evident in the questions that they ask. Since children are more curious and receptive than usual adults. Instead of idealised world of scientific theories, they weave. The web of their understanding from the exploration of messy world around them and this is with what a child enters the school. “Some call these early ideas that children form as Alternative Frameworks; others label them naive conceptions, or alternative conceptions. Alternative Frameworks might also be referred to as preconceived notions, non-scientific beliefs, naive theories, mixed conceptions, or conceptual misunderstandings. Basically, in science these are cases in which something a person knows and believes does not match what is known to be scientifically correct. These terms identifying similar mismatches are used interchangeably in this study and are referred to as Alternative Frameworks” (Worth, 1999). (Hancock, 1940) defined a "misconception" as "...any unfounded belief that does not embody the element of fear, good luck, faith, or supernatural intervention" (p. 208). (Barrass, 1984) wrote of “‘mistakes’ or errors, ‘misconceptions’ or misleading ideas, and misunderstandings" or misinterpretations of facts, saying that teachers and brighter learners can correct errors. But what attention is paid to misconceptions and misunderstandings that are perpetuated by teachers and textbook researchers?” The expression preconception has an inference of pre-instructional impression progressed by the science student. "Teachers and researchers mostly suggest to pre instructional understanding as preconceptions. Before commencing teaching on any new topic, teachers need to see their learners' preconceptions because learning, and so teaching itself, varies depending on whether learners' preconceptions be suitable with the concepts being taught or oppose those concepts" (Lucariello, 2012). When the preconceptions discussed above materialize to be coordinated with the concepts in the designated curriculum, the preconceptions are labelled as 'anchoring conceptions'. In other words, the preconceptions that are in link with curricular goals are termed as anchoring conceptions. It is obvious that the presence of anchoring concepts will assist learning of the scientific concepts. Though, with the presence of anchoring conceptions, learning is just a process of enrichment and conceptual growth, but they nevertheless need to be separated from the incongruent preconceptions. On the contrary, pre-concepts may be counter-productive. Understanding Classroom Settings in Indian Context While Topic ‘Cells’ ... http://www.ijerei.com/index.php?view=article&catid=124:english&id=2... 1 of 5 12/25/2016 11:08 PM