Barns tolkning av en modell för vattnets kretslopp : -förståelse och tillämpning

Sammanfattning: Abstract The purpose of this study is to find out how pupils give expression of a water cycle model and if the model causes any misunderstanding. Two problems constitute the starting point for this investigation. The first question is: how do the pupils explain the water cycle with the help of the jar model (can of glass). The other question is: can the children see any similarities between the can of glass and our earth. Qualitative semi structured interviews with seven pupils in the ages of 8-9 have been used to show the pupils’ own thoughts and how they express them. As an application a model of a can of glass was used during the interviews. The result of the investigation shows that every pupil could explain the water cycle in some way, most of the pupils rather minutely and in great detail. This even shows that most of the pupils could see similarities between the model and our earth but that the model displays some misunderstandings. The conclusion of this investigation is that the model is a good instrument for the learning processes, but it is important to be sensitive and listen to the pupils’ thoughts in order to be aware of possible misunderstandings. Keywords: Children’s thinking, learning theories, concrete models, water cycle