Using neuroscience evidence to train pre-service physics teachers on the concepts of heat and cold

Abstract

Journal of Physics: Conference Series PAPER • THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE ISOPEN ACCESS Using neuroscience evidence to train pre-service physics teachers on the concepts of heat and cold A Ezquerra1 and I Ezquerra-Romano2 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 1287, GIREP-MPTL 2018 9–13 July 2018, San Sebastian, Spain Citation A Ezquerra and I Ezquerra-Romano 2019 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1287 012038 DownloadArticle PDF References Download PDF 150 Total downloads 11 citation on Dimensions. Turn on MathJax Share this article Share this content via email Share on Facebook (opens new window) Share on Twitter (opens new window) Share on Mendeley (opens new window) Hide article information Author affiliations 1 Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences, Social Sciences and Mathematics. Faculty of Education. Universidad Complutense Madrid, Spain 2 Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK DOI https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1287/1/012038 Buy this article in print Sign up for new issue notifications Create citation alert Abstract Teachers must identify, manage and modify alternative conceptions in their students. However, research consistently highlights that future teachers prioritise disciplines' requirements rather than the educational needs of children. Moreover, some researchers have proposed that the way our senses work shapes the development of children's ideas. Neuroscientists have only recently started to understand how the senses transduce and transmit stimuli. In this study, we show an innovative initial training course of Didactics of Physics, which includes the latest understanding of the thermosensory system. We analysed the progression of the educational proposals written by future teachers. This analysis revealed the effect of integrating neuroscience contents in the initial training. We found that the neuroscience insights helped future teachers incorporating children's misconceptions in their proposals. Additionally, they lowered their expectations and became less frustrated. They understood that it is not expected to quickly modify pupils' alternative conceptions because they have a physiological component