Volume 4 || Issue 6 - Nov. 2014 - English Learners’ Ideas on ‘Soil’ and Classroom Implications Learners’ Ideas on ‘Soil’ and Classroom Implications Rakesh Kumar Assistant Professor MV COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, University of Delhi. Abstract In the present study the science learning context had been explored while the topic/area of explorations was ‘SOIL’. About the first classroom the study reveals that 58 % of learners wanted to know something more on the topic and showed dissatisfaction with what was given in the book; 82% learners looked for other resources of learning; 28 % learners wanted to ask questions on the topic; 38 % learners said they planned/performed activities to find answers of their questions; 57 % learners said that they shared what they learnt with others; Most of the learners wanted to know more about soil; they were not satisfied with the lesson given in book; they tried to perform experiment on their own rather than taking help from other people. About the second classroom study reveals that Most of the learners wanted to know something more on the topic discussed in the class; they discussed & shared their observations & explanations with others; most of the learners wanted to know about the process of formation of soil; they thought they would learn better about the topic by performing an activity; learners shared their observations and explanations with others. And, about the third classroom the study reveals that 66% of learners did not want to know something more on the topic discussed in the classroom ; they shared their school experience with friends and parents; most of them talked to their parents to find out answers to the problems that they had in their minds. More exploration of the learners’ questions like, - “How is soil formed? What is soil profile? What are the layers of soil? How can soil pollution be ended? What is the bedrock? How soil can be used? What are the changes in soil? What is the process to make soil? What is loamy, Sandy soil? Rocks are made up of? What type of rock particles are there in the soil? How many types of soil are there in the world? I want to know more about Gravel. How is soil profile formed? How is clayey soil useful for crops? What type of soil should be used for making 'Sarah’?” may be needed. From the diagrams (made by learners) presented in the study, possible sites of alternative framework may be explored in the ideas like - Water is between humus and clay, sand gravels as if no water exists between the space in between. These type of diagrams can be considered by the teacher to be starting point of their explorations of the learners’ Alternative Frameworks. Key Words: Teaching-Learning contexts, Soil, Alternative Frameworks, network of conceptions, learners’ questions, learners’ diagrams Introduction When asked ‘What causes the phases of the moon? Why does season change?’ Learners do come up with some answers, even though they have not had any such discussions with elders, says (Weiler, 1998). “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). “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. “Moreover when children start school and throughout their school years, they already have preformed ideas about how the natural world works. These ideas may come from within the instructional setting or from their experiences outside of school. Research has shown that teaching is unlikely to be effective unless teachers and curriculum materials take into account learners’ preconceptions” (Driver, Squires, Rushworth, & Wood-Robinson, 1994). “The term alternative conception is used to mean learners’ ideas, manifested after exposure to formal models or theories, which are still at odds with those currently accepted by the scientific community” (Boo, 1998). “When an alternative conception is used with consistency over more than one context or event, it is referred to as an alternative framework” (Boo, 1998). Need of Study: Learners’ Ideas on ‘Soil’ and Classroom Implications http://www.ijerei.com/index.php?view=article&catid=130:english&id=26... 1 of 5 12/25/2016 11:14 PM