The typology of learning impediments is intended as a diagnostic tool for thinking about where science learning 'goes wrong'. It is a model of the different types of 'learning bugs' that may occur when our teaching does link to students' thinking in the ways we intend.
One category of null learning impediment is a fragmentation learning impediments. Null learning impediments occur when the intended learning may not take place because student is unable to make sense of the teaching in terms existing ideas. This may be because the student may simply not recognise how their existing ideas are relevant, i.e. a fragmentation learning impediment.
Some examples from ECLIPSE data where learners struggle to make the links their teachers might expect and intend.
Chemical bonding and how atoms are joined together are completely different
Energy can be created, but only in biology
The balloon party-trick and momentary areas of dipole
The cell nucleus is probably bigger than an atomic nucleus
Bill on plants storing sunlight Bill thought sunlight could be stored in plants to make food, but did not link this to energy
Bill was not sure if chlorophyll is made of particles Particles in everything?: Bill thought there were particles in everything, but maybe not in chlorophyll
When you vaporise something, it totally disappears
Single bonds are different to covalent bonds or ionic bonds Annie did not realise that single and double bonds were types of covalent bond
Sophia thought sandstone looked like a load of sand stuck together Sandstone just looks like it’s made out of a load of sand stuck together
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Dr Keith S Taber kst24@cam.ac.uk
University of Cambridge Faculty of Education
© Keith S Taber