CHILDREN'S IDEAS IN SCIENCE: HOW DO STUDENT AND TEACHER PERSPECTIVES COINCIDE?

The goals of this research project included noting the importance that primary teachers placed on student ideas in planning and delivering science lessons for the topic of snails, and comparing the importance teachers afforded student ideas-and instruction based on student ideas-with the perception their students had of the importance of their ideas in class. To determine if teachers and students have the same perspectives on the importance of children's ideas, three primary classrooms in which teachers showed evidence of teaching science toward conceptual change were selected. The findings indicate that when elementary teachers are aware of student ideas and plan to address them in instruction, students may be more aware of their own ideas and the role they play in learning science. Recommendations for future research include focusing on conditions during which teacher recognition of student idea