Page 330 - Čotar Konrad Sonja, Borota Bogdana, Rutar Sonja, Drljić Karmen, Jelovčan Giuliana. Ur. 2022. Vzgoja in izobraževanje predšolskih otrok prvega starostnega obdobja. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem
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unchanged during the course of observation (Trundle 2010). In other words,
the children would first notice that novel animals have populated the habitat,
and only later that the earlier present animals have transformed. Children’s
concepts of natural processes are mostly undifferentiated. For example, chil-
dren intuitively perceive the concept of living and non-living in a different
way than adults or scientists do: plants are not living things to some young
children because they do not move. However, the same children consider
some non-living things, such as running water, fire and clouds, to be living
things because they are not static (Allen 2014; Trundle 2010).
Children’s ideas of scientific concepts are frequently extremely stable and
can lead to misconceptions in science. Even after being formally taught in
classrooms, children often do not change their ideas despite a teacher’s at-
tempts to challenge them by offering counter-evidence (Trundle 2010, 2014).
As these misconceptions make a perfect sense to the child and can cause
confusion with the alternate, scientifically correct ideas, presented later in
class (Britten and Allen 2018), it is necessary that scientific concepts are al-
ways presented in a simple, but scientifically correct manner. These should be
taught by a competent preschool teacher with suitable approaches, which
will reduce the occurrence of misconceptions in preschool children.
Effective Approaches towards Teaching Science to Preschool Children
Science education in the last decades changed from a traditional, frontal
way of teaching to contemporary instructional approaches as described in
present-day science education literature (Trundle 2010). These latter draw
heavily on the constructivist philosophy in which children act as active par-
ticipants in the learning process and on the basis of their own experience, to
construct knowledge. In this way, children’s ‘alternative concepts’ are more
likely to develop into correct science concepts later in their lives.
Constructivist Philosophy
Constructivism is the general name given to the dominant perspective on
learning in education. It is grounded in the research and theories of Jean Pi-
aget and Lev Vygotsky and the philosophy of John Dewey, and it is a natural
extension of applied brain research. Many authors suggest that the nature
and meaning of constructivism are open to interpretation and that there is
not a single constructivist theory of learning (Gil-Pérez et al. 2002; Martin, Sex-
ton, and Gerlovich 2014). Also Matthews (2000) states, that ‘constructivism
means different things to different researchers.’ Some perspectives embrace
the social nature of learning (Vygotsky), while radical constructivists place
330
unchanged during the course of observation (Trundle 2010). In other words,
the children would first notice that novel animals have populated the habitat,
and only later that the earlier present animals have transformed. Children’s
concepts of natural processes are mostly undifferentiated. For example, chil-
dren intuitively perceive the concept of living and non-living in a different
way than adults or scientists do: plants are not living things to some young
children because they do not move. However, the same children consider
some non-living things, such as running water, fire and clouds, to be living
things because they are not static (Allen 2014; Trundle 2010).
Children’s ideas of scientific concepts are frequently extremely stable and
can lead to misconceptions in science. Even after being formally taught in
classrooms, children often do not change their ideas despite a teacher’s at-
tempts to challenge them by offering counter-evidence (Trundle 2010, 2014).
As these misconceptions make a perfect sense to the child and can cause
confusion with the alternate, scientifically correct ideas, presented later in
class (Britten and Allen 2018), it is necessary that scientific concepts are al-
ways presented in a simple, but scientifically correct manner. These should be
taught by a competent preschool teacher with suitable approaches, which
will reduce the occurrence of misconceptions in preschool children.
Effective Approaches towards Teaching Science to Preschool Children
Science education in the last decades changed from a traditional, frontal
way of teaching to contemporary instructional approaches as described in
present-day science education literature (Trundle 2010). These latter draw
heavily on the constructivist philosophy in which children act as active par-
ticipants in the learning process and on the basis of their own experience, to
construct knowledge. In this way, children’s ‘alternative concepts’ are more
likely to develop into correct science concepts later in their lives.
Constructivist Philosophy
Constructivism is the general name given to the dominant perspective on
learning in education. It is grounded in the research and theories of Jean Pi-
aget and Lev Vygotsky and the philosophy of John Dewey, and it is a natural
extension of applied brain research. Many authors suggest that the nature
and meaning of constructivism are open to interpretation and that there is
not a single constructivist theory of learning (Gil-Pérez et al. 2002; Martin, Sex-
ton, and Gerlovich 2014). Also Matthews (2000) states, that ‘constructivism
means different things to different researchers.’ Some perspectives embrace
the social nature of learning (Vygotsky), while radical constructivists place
330
