A slippery slope: resolving cognitive conflict in mechanics
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Colin Foster [1]
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[1] King Henry VIII School, Coventry, UK
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- Localización: Teaching mathematics and its applications, ISSN 0268-3679, Vol. 30, Nº. 4, 2011, págs. 216-221
- Idioma: inglés
- DOI: 10.1093/teamat/hrr015
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
This article considers the role of socio-cognitive conflict in addressing students’ mechanics preconceptions. A discussion problem was posed to sixth-form students taking an introductory mechanics unit. The problem involved a child choosing either to slide down a smooth slide or to jump off the top. Students were invited to predict which route would be quicker. Their experience suggested that jumping would be faster, but they struggled to use their knowledge of mechanics to explain why sliding (in the absence of friction) would be slower. The resolution of the cognitive conflict between their reasoning about the physical situation and their everyday experience led to a better understanding of resolved forces and how they affect acceleration.
