Discrepent event interview -
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein
Exploration of the temperature of different objects
The idea that our sense of touch is a valid way of knowing the difference in temperature, is a factor in causing misconceptions about heat, temperature, and energy transfer.
I found adding an intial activity, feeling the heat and cold, for learners, fourth grade and older, to explore the temperature of different objects by touching them and taking their temperature with a thermometer is helpful for their later participation with activities on heat transfer in the sequence: Energy transfer: heat & temperature.
The, feeling the heat and cold, includes the discrepent event in the following video.
Background:
- The discrepent event starts after the learner arranges the objects in order from the hottest (styrofoam ball) to coldest (aluminium cube).
- Then the temperature of the objects is taken with an electronic thermometer and displayed in real time on a computer screen as a decimal number in a chart and as a line on a graph.
- When the data doesn't fit the learner's expectations the interviewer has them take some more readings and asks some probing questions to assess how close the learner is to a scientific understanding.
- Having assessed what is believed to be the learner's understanding and what might be missing from the their understanding, the interview ends after the student replies ... weird...
- The activity, feeling the heat and cold, continues with the creation of a model to explain the interations of a finger touching different kinds of objects and sensing their temperature as shown in the invention part of the lesson plan for the activity.
Enjoy!
Video interview: Which object is warmer?