MENTAL MODELS OF MOVEMENT CONCEPTS BY STUDENTS OF FIRST YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

In this work we investigate and discussed how the concepts of movement are present in the mental models of students of the first year in high school of a federal public institution in the city of Sena Madureira, Acre, Brazil. The results of the models were obtained from a series of questionnaires and an interview. It was possible to identify the solidity of common sense in the students' models and how they could acquire concepts of Physical Science, evolving cognitively and in the perception of scientific techniques and methods to reach a conclusion about a problem. The technique of building mental models with students benefits both teacher and student, since even the teacher may lack a mental model and well-defined concepts of particular content.