ALEJANDRA GARCÍA FRANCO
Alejandra is a doctoral student at the National Autonomous University of
Mexico, being suprvised by Dr. Fernando Flores. She holds a master's degree
(2003) from the same university. Her thesis was on Alternative conceptions
of high school students about chemical bonding
Alejandra's doctoral project is on multiple representations about the structure
of matter in students in middle and high schools.
Alejandra was a visiting scholar in the Faculty of Education at Cambridge,
working under Dr. Taber's supervision *, over the period
February - August 2005. During her time in Cambridge she collected data
from students in local schools, concerning their thinking about basic chemical
and physics phenomena.
Secondary learners’ use of particle ideas to explain familiar
phenomena
A short outline account of the main findings of Alejandra's study visit
project may be downloaded from here: pdf
Chemical Education Research Group* Seminar
Monday 11th July 2005
Secondary students' multiple representations relating to the structure
of matter
Considered as one of the most powerful ideas in chemistry,
the particle theory of matter is part of the secondary school curriculum
across the world. Research has shown that students construct different understandings
relating to particle theory and that their use of particle ideas is not
always consistent, nor coherent. This seminar will discuss findings from
an ongoing study that is looking at the detailed construction of these representations,
and trying to identify elements (conceptual, contextual, or epistemological)
that trigger the use of a particular representation. In particular, the
seminar will report on a series of interviews with students aged 13-18 undertaken
in the UK and in Mexico.
* CERG is a Special Interest Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry
University of Cambridge Faculty of Education: Science Education Academic
Group Seminar
Monday June 12th 2006
Learning processes and parallel conceptions - learning about the
particulate nature of matter
Alejandra returned to the Faculty to discuss her ongoing
analysis of the data she had collected in Cambridge.
Alejandra may be contacted by email at: alegfranco@gmail.com
* Dr. Keith S. Taber teaches in the Faculty of Education
at the University of Cambridge. He supervises student research projects in
aspects of teaching and learning science. His interests include topics such
as: conceptual development in science, 'misconceptions', alternative conceptions,
intermediate conceptions, conceptual frameworks, conceptual resources for
learning (p-prims etc), aspects of student conceptual structure (manifold
conceptions, stability, coherence of ideas etc.) in science, models in teaching
and learning science, aspects of language in teaching and learning science
(analogy, metaphor, tautology, anthropomorphism), conceptual progression
and integration, learning pathways / trajectories, explanations in science,
the relationship between the sciences and schools science, teaching and learning
about the nature of science, teaching the gifted/highly able in science,
scaffolding learning in science, constructivism in science education, the
development of a progressive research programme into learning science…