Children naturally and instinctively develop their own ideas about how things work. These self-developed concepts make sense to the individual but may be scientifically inaccurate. It...

Students do not arrive in the classroom as blank slates. They’ve been exposed to the world around them and may have created their own explanations for...

Students do not arrive in the classroom as "blank slates". They have diverse experiences of the world around them and often have created their own explanations...

Educational research has shown that students develop intuitive ideas and beliefs about natural phenomena. As students learn more about their physical environment, they tend to interpret...

This article introduces common student alternative conceptions about light based on education research. It is important that teachers are aware of these during a sequence of...

These are some common misunderstandings about the nature of science – held by students and adults alike. Take any opportunity you can to address these misconceptions...

These are some common student misunderstandings about genetics based on education research. Keep them in mind while teaching – and address them as they come up....

Our use of language in everyday life is often quite different to the language of scientists. This can sometimes be confusing because what scientists mean and...

These are some common misunderstandings about fire. They acknowledge that children have made reasonable sense of the ideas based on their experience and should be validated...

In this activity, students answer a short multichoice survey to identify and address common alternative conceptions about fossil fuels. By the end of this activity, students...

Floating and sinking provides opportunities for students to observe how everyday objects behave in water and to investigate the factors that determine whether an object will...

Use this interactive to explore students’ experiences with items that float or sink, to engage with student thinking and discussion and to highlight potential alternative conceptions....

Waipunarangi is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is the star connected to the rains and other atmospheric conditions. Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry for the...

Explore the science concepts that underpin knowledge and understanding about rubbish, how we identify and classify it. The New Zealand Ministry of Education’s Building Science Concepts...

This activity supports students to use their senses to closely observe and identify a range of properties in order to classify items for different purposes. The...

In 2021, Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga Education Review Office released a series of reports with suggestions on how to strengthen science learning in ECE and years...