‘The hole in the sky causes global warming’: A case study of secondary school students’ climate change alternative conceptions
This study identified secondary school students’ alternative conceptions (ACs) of climate change and their resistance to instruction. Using a case-based approach, a diagnostic test was administered to Secondary 3 male students in a pre-test and post-test. The ACs identified in the pre-test were on the causes of climate change, the natural greenhouse effect and its properties, the enhancement of the greenhouse effect, the elements involved in heat-trapping and their characteristics. There were also notable ACs on the effects of climate change, mostly on how the phenomenon is related to non-atmospheric events such as tsunami, earthquakes, acid rain and skin cancer. The students confuse the Montreal with the Kyoto Protocol as the primary treaty aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Whereas there was significant improvement in students’ understanding in the post-test, the distribution of responses for each of the ACs showed that the reduction in erroneous responses was not sufficient to reject the ACs fully. The authors recommend that instruction should move beyond patchwork pedagogy to a more explicit acknowledgement, incorporation and direct refutation of misconceived knowledge structures.
Singapore students' misconceptions of climate change
Climate change is an important theme in the investigation of human–environment interactions in geographic education. This study explored the nature of students’ understanding of concepts and processes related to climate change. Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from 27 Secondary 3 (Grade 9) students from Singapore. The data was subjected to thematic analysis using Chi and Roscoe's conceptual change framework. The results showed that the students’ base knowledge of climate change is composed of incomplete and incorrect elements built within coherent and structurally sound mental models. Due to the consistency of the models in expanding the logic, albeit erroneous, of explaining the climate change conundrum, it is posited that students are unaware of mistakes inherent in their judgements. Transformation of these mental models through multiple and deliberate refutations should be foremost in a geography teacher's pedagogical approach.
Using iTunes U for learning geography
A reflection on using iTunes U as a platform for teaching and learning Geography will be presented. Arising from an altruistic interest in exploring the affordances of new technology, as well as balancing the pragmatic needs of developing innovative approaches to conducting eLearning lessons, the author developed one of the first iTunes U courses for the National Institute of Education, Singapore - a topic on atmospheric circulation. Available free on the iTunes U store, the free–access course has been subscribed by the public in the order of threefold the number of students in the author’s class. This exposition will consider the issues of the rationale for developing the iTunes U course, the design considerations in relation to the affordances of the technology, and most importantly the limitations and recommended improvements. The presentation will also include a very short demonstration on the functionalities of using iTunes U for learning Geography.