Computer Support for the Collaborative Learning of Physics Concepts

It is now widely recognised that pupils not only come to science with ‘alternative concepts’ of physical events but also that these concepts vary greatly from pupil to pupil. This has become a major argument in favour of collaborative learning for it has been proposed that, given tasks where pupils have to predict, test and interpret, interaction where alternative concepts differ will have properties that are particularly beneficial. This chapter reports four studies designed to test the proposal, three with primary school children and one with secondary school children. The results suggest that interaction where alternative concepts differ is indeed beneficial, but only when the pupils also differ over the predictions they make. The chapter will argue that this suggestion, which only emerges from the studies in their totality, is of great relevance to computer supported collaborative learning. Thus, even though only the secondary school study used a computer to present its task, the studies contribute interestingly to the theme of the book.