Title:	DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF CONSTRUCTIVIST EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE TO DEAL WITH STUDENTS’ EMPIRICAL IDEAS ABOUT BASIC OPTICS CONCEPTS
Author(s):	Tekos George and Solomonidou Christina
ISBN:	978-972-8939-30-4
Editors:	Hans Weghorn, Pedro Isaías and Radu Vasiu
Year:	2010
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Multimedia educational software, constructivism, primary students’ conceptions, conceptual change, optics phenomena, interdisciplinary teaching
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	77
Last Page:	84
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	The paper introduces the design and development of quality interactive multimedia educational software based on students’ empirical ideas and conceptual difficulties, identified in Greek students 7–12 years old. The software promotes interdisciplinary study of geometrical optics concepts. We present a survey, which investigated 40 students’ initial ideas about light phenomena using interviews. Then we describe the design of the educational software ‘Light-Life’, which was designed based on constructivist views of learning. The concepts analysed in this study were linear propagation of light, shadows formation, light reflection, diffusion and refraction, synthesis of colour light beams, and vision. Appropriate printed worksheets were also developed for the students. The proposed approach intends to improve the quality of educational approach and tools to better respond to students’ learning with understanding and help them reformulate their empirical ideas to better explain everyday life situations related to basic optics phenomena. In this direction, the preliminary evaluation research had positive results regarding students’ learning with understanding.
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