Reconsidering Conceptual Change Issues in Theory and Practice [Paperback]

This book is an important account of the state of the art of both theoretical and practical issues in the present-day research on conceptual change. Unique in its complete treatment of the questions that should be considered to further current understanding of knowledge construction and change, this book is useful for psychologists, cognitive scientists, educational researchers, curriculum developers, teachers and educators at all levels and in all disciplines.

The chapters in this volume derive from a symposium held in Madrid, Spain, from 6-8 November, 1998. Organized and supported by the Aut?noma University of Madrid, the meeting was part of the activities of the Special Interest Group (SIG) on Conceptual Change of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), coordinated by the editors of this book. The volume brings together contributions from leading researchers investigating the role of conceptual change to enhance meaningful learning in the classroom. The aim of the volume is to present the state of the art on a topic that has become very relevant to explaining how students, and people in general, build their knowledge and incorporate new concepts and ideas. The volume keeps the four main sessions in which the symposium was articulated. They were structured around both theoretical and practical issues of conceptual change. Particular attention was paid to discussing the characteristics of individuals prior knowledge and to the more recent topic of how to integrate social, motivational and contextual aspects of learning within conceptual change research (Parts 1 and 2).Contributors. Preface. Introduction; M. Lim?n, L. Mason.Part I: Theoretical Perspectives. The Processes and Challenges of Conceptual Change; M.T.H. Chi, R.D. Roscoe. Why `Conceptual Ecology' is a Good Idea; A.A. diSessa. On the Nature of Na?ve Physics; S. Vosniadou. Map Reading Versus Mind Reading: Revisiting Children's Understanding of the Shape olãp