End of Week 2: Conceptual Challenges

This week we have two discussion threads, from the thread on conceptual challenges, I am re-thinking language, visuals, and assessments.

Academic vs. Colloquial Language

There were great discussions connected to shortcuts. Something that was pointed out was the use of “lazy language”. I don’t know if I agreed with this word choice, but essentially it could include cases where students and teachers use colloquial (everyday) language to explain academic concepts that require technical and discipline specific terms. Colloquial language can be problematic because its context is not always technical or can fit in contexts that are inconsistent with a discipline’s context.

Math and Science Examples of Academic and Colloquial Language

The above examples of academic vs. colloquial language are some that I have used before. After speaking to other colleagues, they pointed out that some of our word choices impact topics that they teach later (e.g., reciprocate vs. invert: using “invert” later causes confusion with “inverse functions”).

Strategy to approach the use of colloquial language

Shortcuts and colloquial language are not inherently bad. Starting with colloquial language to engage students can be a useful entry point. However, teachers need to remember that the end goal is to get students to recognize and use academic language. Colloquial terms and incomplete academic language may be linked to other parts of a students’ schema, which can impact the development of alternate conceptions.

Like with English Language Learners, I don’t think it’s appropriate to stop the learner at every point they make an error. Instead, it would be more effective to:

• Ask for clarification about what a student is trying to say
• Model academic language by paraphrasing the colloquial language into academic language
• Praising students when they use academic language
• Use praise and scaffolding to shape behaviour
• Make connections between colloquial and academic language and how they are different

Using colloquial language as an entry point and as an analogy can also be helpful:

• Domain: for this function, where does it live? What x values can the function take?

Visuals and Examples

Another area that was discussed was the examples that are seen by students and how technology can facilitate multiple representations of content and exploration. There are no perfect visuals when trying to represent abstract concepts. In the Private Universe, it was pointed out that the alternate conception about seasons being formed due to the distance between the sun and the earth partially comes from the perspective drawing of earth’s orbit. In addition to this perspective drawing, it’s important to show the orbit from the top view, highlighting that the orbit is approximately circular, and by using animations. These multiple representations are important to highlight the flaws in some representations and to develop a better understanding of a concept.

Similarly, it’s important to carefully select examples. A variety of examples is important in contextualizing that the concept is not an exception. As well, the examples should highlight the skills necessary in understanding the concept.

Assessments

Assessments are where students make their learning visual. Even if students have access to great scaffolding and modelling for academic language and a wealth of strong examples and visuals, they may still form their own alternate conceptions. Students need to practice strengthening their schema, discarding incorrect conceptions, and creating connections between schema. This can be done through assessments.

There were some really excellent examples of assessment questions that would reveal if students have a deep understanding of the topic. These included determining the climate of an unfamiliar place based on ocean currents, longitude, and latitude, and explaining in what circumstance squirrels with yellow feathered feet would increase in population.