Knowledge Acquisition, Organization, and Use in Biology: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Biology Knowledge: Its Acquisition, Organization, and Use, held in Glaslow, Scotland, June 14–18, 1992

263 Pages·1996·6.53 MB·English

by  Maria Pilar Jimenez Aleixandre

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Series F: Computerand Systems Sciences,Vol. 148
The NATO ASI Series FSpecial Programme on
ADVANCED EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGY
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Knowledge Acquisition,
Organization, and Use
in Biology
Edited by
Kathleen M. Fisher
Centerfor Research in Mathematics and Science Education
San Diego State University, 6476 Alvarado Road,Suite 206
San Diego, CA 92120-6006, USA
Michael R. Kibby
Centrefor Academic Practice, University of Strathclyde
The Graham HillsBuilding, 60 George Street
GlasgowG1 1QE,Scotland,UK
Springer
Publishedincooperation with NATOScientificAffairsDivision
Proceedings ofthe NATOAdvanced ResearchWorkshop on Biology
Knowledge:ItsAcquisition, Organization,and Use,heldinGlasgow,
Scotland, June 14-18, 1992
LIbrary of Congress Cataloglng-In-Publlcatlon Data
Knowledge acquisitIon, organizatIon, and use In bIology I edIted by
Kathleen M. Fisher, MIchael R. Kibby.
p. em. -- (NATO ASI series. SerIes F, Computer and system
sciences : vol, 148)
"ProceedIngs of the 'NATOAdvanced Research Workshop on Biology
Knowledge: Its AcquIsitIon, OrganIzatIon, and Use. held In Glasgow.
Scotland, June 14-18. 1992"--T.p. verso.
·Publlshed In cooperatIon wIth NATO ScientIfic Affairs DIvision."
Includes biblIographIcal references and Index.
ISBN 3-540-60415-4 (alk. paper)
1. Blology--Study and teachlng--Congresses. 2. Constructivism
(Educatlonl--Congresses. I. FIsher, Kathleen M. II. KIbby,
MIchael. III. North AtlantIC Treaty Organization. ScientIfic
Affairs DivIsion. IV. NATO Advanced Research Workshop on BIology
Knowledge: Its AcquisItIon. OrganizatIon. and Use (1992 : Glasgow.
Scotland) V. SerIes: NATO ASI serIes. Series F, Computer and
systems sciences : no. 148.
OH315.K55 1995
574'.071--dc20 95-39014
CIP
CR Subject Classification (1991): K.3, J,3
ISBN-13:978-3-642-64670-6 e-ISBN-13:978-3-642-61047-9
DOl:10.1007/978-3-642-61047-9
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Preface
Biology education,likescience education ingeneral, isinthemidst ofarevolution
that is worldwide in scope.The changes occurring in the ways in which science
education researchers think about learning and understanding seem to many to be
exciting and profound.They represent nothing less than a major paradigm shift,
similar at least in some ways to that wrought by the molecular revolution in
biology. In both fields technology led the way into a whole new level of under
standing.The molecular biology revolution grew out of (and provided a channel
for) increasingly sophisticated means of detecting, visualizing, and manipulating
subcellular structures and complex organic molecules. Likewise, the learning
revolution is to a large extent a consequence of our increasingly sophisticated
mechanisms forrepresenting, simulating, assessing, and interacting withcognitive
processes and structures. As Francis Crick once said, the revolution allows us to
askquestionsatalevel thatwaspreviously unimaginable.
As with most revolutions, it is much easier to see where we have been than
where we maybe going. The prevailing new theories reside largely under the
umbrella of constructivism. Many science educationresearchers today agree with
certain basic premises ofconstructivism, such as:
• cognitiveknowledge must becreated bythelearner, asopposed tobeing
passively received,
• new ideasareunderstood through theirconnections topriorknowledge,
• knowledge constructioniseffortful,
• knowledge constructionisenhanced bypractice, introspection, explicit
analysis, and metacognitiveskills,
• newideas arebestcreated inrelevantcontexts,
• our understandingof theworldisinformed bytheaccumulatedartifacts of
ourcultures andinthissense cognition isdistributed,
• social interactions form animportant mechanism intheknowledge
constructionprocess,
• ourmodel ofthe worldcan neverbemorethananapproximationofreality
(that is,there isno 'truth' inscience), and
• useful knowledge isorganized andcanbereadily applied inparticular
situations, asopposed totheinertknowledge promoted bytextsandteaching
methods oftherecentpast.
VI Preface
One of the problems researchers face is that the term constructivism is used to
describe theories in at least three interrelated but nonetheless distinct domains.
First,constructivismisatheoryoflearningembodying manyideasfromcognitive,
motivation/affect, and social theory. This is the brand of constructivism that
constitutes the major focus of this book. Second, constructivism is a theory of
knowledge - that is, an epistemology.This strand of constructivism also receives
some attention here. Third, constructivism describes a philosophy which in its
extreme form is called radical constructivism. There is almost no discussion of
philosophy in this volume. The one direct philosophical reference, by Honey,
refers toanolder,alternative theory.Interestingly, one thingthatconstructivismis
not is a theory of teaching. Yet it has many implications for instruction, some of
whichareexplored inthefollowingchapters.
The papers in this book come from researchers working in many different
countries. Inmanycases theydidn'tknowoneanotheroroneanother's workprior
tomeeting inScotland. Yetthere isanamazing (tousatleast)degree ofcontinuity
and complementarity in the ideas and data they present. From Rome to Toronto,
from Baton Rouge to Hamburg, from early elementary grades tocollege, biology
education researchers are devising ways to get students actively engaged in such
activities as:
• explicating personal knowledge,
• struggling tomakesenseofphenomena,structures,andevents
(i.e.,developing one'sownsituation models),
• askingquestions (whatdoIneedtoknowtounderstand...?),
• engaging incollaborative problem-based research tofindandevaluate
answers,
• developing skeletal representationsandorganizational frameworks oftheir
emerging ideas,and
• applyingideasinnewcontexts.
Researchers consistently involve students in building upon what they already
know, with the aim of developing relatively deep conceptual understanding of
biological processes andevents.
The reader will find the following chapters variable in terms of style and
perspective.This isacollection ofpapers, notacontinuous story. Authors include
physics educators and psychologists as well as biology educators.Some chapters
present research data whileothersaremoretheoretical. Yeteachchapter presents a
piece of the puzzle of how to produce deep conceptual understanding of biology.
We can only hope thereader finds some ofthis information useful andenjoys the
challenge ofthepuzzle.
The major themes of thebook are summarized inFigure 1.The organization of
chapters within these themes is shown on page VIII. This organization is some
whatarbitrary since manychapters could beplaced inmorethanonecategory, but
someorganization isrequired andthisisours.
Preface VII
Culture.
Society
Living
World Conceptual
Understanding
of
Informal
Learning
Biology
Settings
Formal
Learning
Settings
Sourcesof Activities, Goal,
Information Procedures Outcome
Figure 1. Facetsofknowledgeconstructioninbiology
We think we can speak for all participants inexpressing our enjoyment of the
conference in Scotland. We are grateful to NATO for making the sharing of this
work possible, and to the University ofStrathclyde inGlasgow forthe impeccable
accommodations so conducive to open discussions. We are also grateful to the
Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education for their unwavering
supportinbringing thiscollection topress.
November 1995 Kathleen M.Fisher
Michael R.Kibby
Chapter Organization
Theme Chapter Author(s)
1.OverviewofBiologyKnowledge 1. Jimenezetal.
II.KnowledgeAcquisition
Fromimages 2. Wandersee
Fromtext 3. Otero
Fromtext,elementary/middleclasses 4. Scardemalia
Inelementary/middleclasses 5. Jimenez
6. Brinkman
7. Area
8. Caravita
Insecondary/collegeclasses 9. Buddingh
10. Gorodetsky&Fisher
III.KnowledgeOrganization
Modelofconceptgenesis II. Schaefer
Conceptsandrelations 12. Brody
Natureofrelations 13. Faletti&Fisher
Conceptualgraphstructures 14. Gordon
IV.KnowledgeUse
Mentalmodels 15. Honey
Retrospectivecausalreasoning 16. Tamir
Table ofContents
1. The NatureofKnowledgeinBiologyandItsImplicationsfor
Teaching andLearning .
Maria PilarJimenez Aleixandre, Ruth Amir, MichaelJ. Brody,
Pinchas Tamir, and Warren Tomkiewicz
2. TheGraphicRepresentationofBiologicalKnowledge:
IntegratingWords andImages 25
.JamesH. Wandersee
3. ComponentsofComprehensionMonitoringinthe
Acquisition of Knowledge from Science Texts 36
JoseOtero
4. ConstructiveLearning fromTextsinBiology............. 44
Marlene Scardamalia, Carl Bereiter, Jim Hewitt,and Jim Webb
5. DarwinianandLamarckianModelsUsedbyStudents
andTheir Representation 65
Maria PilarJimenezAleixandre
6. FoodRelationsofLivingOrganismsasaBasisfortheDevelopment
ofaTeachingStrategyDirectedtoConceptualChange 78
Fred G. Brinkman
7. Cognitive Strategies in Biological Thinking 99
Maria Arca
8. OrganizingtheConcept ofOrganismattheElementarySchoolLevel:
ACaseStudy 108
Silvia Caravita
9. WorkingwithPersonalKnowledgeinBiologyClassroomsonthe
Theme ofRegulation andHomeostasisinLivingSystems 126
Joop Buddingh
X TableofContents
10. Generating Connections and Learning in Biology 135
Malka GorodetskyandKathleen M. Fisher
II. A Folding Model ofConceptGenesis and ItsApplicationto
Teaching Biology . 155
GerhardSchaefer
12. Biological Interrelationships and Water 170
MichaelJ. Brody
13. The Information in Relations in Biology, or
The UnexaminedRelation IsNotWorth Having 182
Joseph Faletti andKathleenM. Fisher
14. Eliciting and Representing Biology Knowledge with
Conceptual Graph Structures 206
Sallie E. Gordon
15. Biological Models: Some Significant Features 226
John N. Honey
16. RetrospectiveCasual Reasoning (RCR) inBiology ........ 235
Pinchas Tamir
SubjectIndex 240