Tooltip Categories: Site glossary

a property something has that is not essential (an inherent property) but depends upon circumstances – so the density of a gas depends upon (and varies with) its temperature and pressure for example

an essential property something has by nature of the kind of entity it is – e.g., a proton will have a positive charge (cf. contingent property)

an idea deriving form Vygotsky and Bruner for how a teacher scaffolds the construction of new complex knowledge by a student

"the skilful teacher will in effect work as an 'add-on-memory unit'…whilst the student is mastering a new skill or concept" (Taber, 2008, p.87)

"A perspective on models that sees them as tools – which are partial representations with limited ranges of application – allows the modeller (or model user) to accept that several different, and apparently incoherent, models may collectively give greater insight than an approach that relies on a single model." (Taber, 2008, p.79)

The battery-of-tests principle is familiar form fields such as medicine or chemical analysis,

"…for example, where an unknown sample may be subject to a wide range of distinct tests, including determinations of melting and boiling temperatures, tests for reaction with a range of reagents, and a wide variety of chromatographic and spectroscopic investigations" (Taber, 2008, p.71)

but can also be sen to have vlaue in education  – for example in exploring a learner's concpetual ecology. Such an approach may be used when adopring analytical pluralism

Read about analytical pluralism

 Read about the Role of Analytical Pluralism in Understanding Student Learning in Science

Analytical 'lenses' are "analytical tools deriving from distinct theoretical perspectives" (Taber, 2008, p.70):

"…a range of complementary analytical lenses that draw upon congruous theoretical perspectives can be applied to interrogate a data set…" (Taber, 2008, p.98)

Read about the the Role of Analytical Pluralism in Understanding Student Learning in Science

Analytical pluralism is the deliberate adoption of several distinct, but complementary, analytical frameworks to the same set of data, which me be appropriate "where the distinct perspectives may be considered to be congruous [such that] analytical pluralism provides a more inclusive interpretation of the data than is possible from any single perspective." (Taber, 2008, p.70)

Read about analytical pluralism

Read about The Role of Analytical Pluralism in Understanding Student Learning in Science

Animism is treating (in thought or language) inanimate objects as if they were living things with a soul or spirit.

 

a type of learning impediment – where learning may occur which does not match the intended learning because the student interprets teaching in terms of existing ideas in a different way to intended

a type of learning impediment where the intended learning may not take place because the student is unable to make sense of the teaching in terms of existing ideas

"Null learning impediments may occur because the assumed prior learning has not taken place, or because the learner does not bring it to mind when the new material is met" (Taber, 2008, p.83)

a tool for diagnosing learning difficulties due to the different ways that student thinking may not match what was anticipated when planning teaching

 

"A considerable literature now exists examining various aspects of learning in science, and a great deal has been uncovered about the reasons why pupils have difficulties in various topics. It is possible to organise many of the findings by defining a small number of types of possible 'learning impediments'…" (Taber, 2001, p.160)

Read more about the typology of learning impediments