Abstract:

Students´ understanding of physics develops through everyday experience. Teachers must help students overcome their prior naive notions and move toward a more scientific understanding. This process is fundamental to student learning and it is one of very important objectives of physics teaching. In this article the strategy of concept mapping which can help students rationalize their perceptions in light of accepted scientific understanding is described. Concept maps are drawings or diagrams showing the mental connections that students make between a major concept and other concepts they have learned. This technique provides an observable and assessable record of the students´ conceptual schemata – the patterns of associations they make in relation to a given focal concept. Concept maps allow the teacher to discover the web of relationships that learners bring to the task at hand – the students´ starting points.

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