Abstract
This research examined the effects of the order of learning materials and the collaborative conceptual change, observed in two classrooms of 21 and 25 third graders. Each class was taught by a experienced teacher to help the children learn about the air in twelve lessons. The children learned the concept collaboratively, by guessing the possible results of a given experiment and discussing the alternatives, in eleven experiments set in a fixed order. Almost all the children successfully changed their folk knowledge into some rudimentary scientific concept of the air. The answers to the first six problems were justifiable with daily experiences. The latter set required the children to gradually form a highly abstract explanatory model, based on the knowledge gained through the first set of problems. Analysis revealed that the critical process towards change started with their shared sense of the inadequacy of their comprehension aroused by the carefully thought out order of the problems. This incongruity then induced enduring discussion to express and debate ideas based on each student’s evolving explanatory model. To conclude, the combination of the carefully devised structure of the learning materials and the collaborative atmosphere were the key to the success of these classes.
