Using neuroscience evidence to train pre-service physics teachers on the concepts of heat and cold

Abstract

Teachers must identify, manage and modify alternative conceptions in their students. However, research consistently highlights that future teachers prioritise disciplines' requirements rather than the educational needs of children. Moreover, some researchers have proposed that the way our senses work shapes the development of children's ideas. Neuroscientists have only recently started to understand how the senses transduce and transmit stimuli. In this study, we show an innovative initial training course of Didactics of Physics, which includes the latest understanding of the thermosensory system. We analysed the progression of the educational proposals written by future teachers. This analysis revealed the effect of integrating neuroscience contents in the initial training. We found that the neuroscience insights helped future teachers incorporating children's misconceptions in their proposals. Additionally, they lowered their expectations and became less frustrated. They understood that it is not expected to quickly modify pupils' alternative conceptions because they have a physiological component.