Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 10, Issue 2, Article 11 (Dec., 2009) Cheng-Chih CHEN & Hong-Hua CHEN  An exploration of the surface tension of water - Is there a real so-called horizontal plane?

An exploration of the surface tension of water - Is there a real so-called horizontal plane?

¹Cheng-Chih CHEN and ²Hong-Hua CHEN

¹Technology Education Division
National Science and Technology Museum
TAIWAN

¹Email: nelson@mail.nstm.gov.tw

²Email: irisnn@mail.ntsec.gov.tw

Received 4 Oct., 2009
Revised 30 Nov., 2009

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Abstract

The paper is a sharing of real practical teaching experience for some grade-6 gifted students to hunt the definition of horizontal plane. The researcher created 5 experiments concerning the knowledge of surface tension of water by ways of motivation of orientation, exploration of problem, explicitness of hands-on experiment and the conclusion of learning. In view of the conflict between the pre-concept and result of experiment, it obviously appears that students would rather believe the results what they observed with experiment than rely on what they have learned with reading or hearing. It’s deeply impressed by some contests when the experiments conducted. The paper aims at providing the elementary students with the exploration of misconception and a proper way of what the surface tension of water is.

Keywords: horizontal plane, surface tension of water, hands-on experiment, scientific misconception, teaching practice.

[Full Text in Chinese]

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