New Perspectives in Science Education

Laboratory experiments are commonly used in the teaching of experimental science. They have proven beneficial when they are designed to demonstrate concepts previously explained by the teacher [1]. However, they often fail short when used to introduce the explanation of a new concepts. There is a necessity of designing new lab experiments that activate the student´s prior knowledge in pursuit of more efficient learning when introducing new scientific concepts for the first time. The constructivist principles of learning are grounded in the notion that learning constitutes an internal reorganization process of the student´s mental frameworks, which undergo more significant modifications when learners encounter discrepancies with their prior ideas. Hence, many constructivist learning strategies place emphasis on leveraging students' prior knowledge as a fundamental starting point. A method to translate this approach into the teaching of science involves the utilization of P.O.E. strategies (Predict, Observe, Explain) [2]. In this work, we present several P.O.E. experiences employing counterintuitive experiments based on third Newton´s Law. These experiments were specifically designed to challenge students' predictions and uncover common misconceptions in comprehension of the Newtonian mechanics. Specifically, scenarios such as the behavior of an analog scale in a moving elevator and the movement of a ship propelled by its own fan often contradict many student predictions, including those of prospective secondary school educators. These experiences also highlight the importance of the capacity of students for scientific abstraction and the correct use of rational argumentation to correctly explain the counterintuitive experiments and to argue against their own previous predictions. The P.O.E. experiences were tested with prospective secondary school educators to assess the level of significative learning facilitated by this constructivist approach.