Evolution of mental models on fossilization after the teaching and learning process

Abstract

It shows a study of the evolution of mental models on fossilization after the teaching and learning process in students of 4th year of Secondary Education. Different teaching strategies are used, such as the teacher's speech, argumentation in a large group, viewing videos, reading texts and using ICT resources. To analyze the mental models of the students, before and after the teaching sequence, three variables are taken into account: the geological processes involved, the space or geological environment where they are developed, and the geological time. As a result, we observed that there is difficulty on the part of the students to integrate the mineralization process of the organic matter or to associate the process with a concrete sedimentary environment. At the same time wrong ideas parallel to previous studies are observed, in relation to considering time as a factor of fossilization, as well as the asynchronism of the genesis of rocks and fossils they contain.