Students’ Conceptions as Diversity Dimension in the Discourse on Heterogeneity

Goals, Attitudes and Best Practice Examples for a Heterogeneity-Sensitive Reflective Pre-Service Teacher Education

Abstract

Students explain observed scientific and technical phenomena with the help of individual prior experiences and ideas that seem to make sense in the respective situation. From the perspective of science education, however, students run the risk of drawing conclusions that are suitable for everyday situations but may be a barrier to successful subject-related learning. The diverse conceptions that students bring to the classroom can promote individual learning processes in science education, but they can also make them more difficult. Therefore, a central goal of heterogeneity-sensitive reflective pre-service teacher education should be that future teachers are aware of the diversity of students’ subject-related conceptions and their influence on learning processes. Heterogeneity-sensitive reflective teachers should also be able to identify different conceptions of their students and incorporate them into their lesson plans in a way that is supportive for all learners. In this article, we will discuss the diversity of students’ conceptions as a diversity dimension in the discourse on heterogeneity from the perspective of science education. First, the influence of students’ conceptions on subject-related learning and the differences and similarities to other diversity dimensions will be presented. Based on these theories and following the principle of reflective disposition, we present goals, attitudes, and best practice examples for a heterogeneity-sensitive reflective science pre-service teacher education.