Learners’ Alternative Conceptions - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 96

ties, whether it is a lesson planning, a design of a specific learning activity or
a tutoring activity, and so on, the students will focus on a variety of topics,
such as learners' understanding, factors that may mislead learners, learning
activities that can meet different learners' needs, and so on.
The activity is based on two stages: an individual or teamwork and a class
discussion.
• › Stage A: Alternative conceptions about variables, individual or teamwork
The worksheet for the individual work or teamwork is presented in Table 6.1 .
• › Stage B: Class discussion
The presentation of the research mentioned in stage A provides the instructor
of the MTCS course with the opportunity to clarify to the students the dif-
ference between a mistake and a misconception. It also fosters a discussion
about why a teacher should not be satisfied just by finding a learner's mistake
and correcting it. The instructor of the MTCS encourages first, to initiate an
in-depth discussion and investigate together with the students the reasons that
caused the mistakes, and second, to recognize, once again, together with the
students, ways that may guide learners confront their misconceptions and im-
prove their understanding of the said concepts.
It is also important to connect this activity to the research in computer
science education (Chap. 4) and emphasize how the familiarity with such
research works can increase teachers' awareness to different learners' concep-
tions, difficulties, and experiences with computer science concepts.

Table 6.1 Worksheet about alternative conceptions related to variables
Worksheet
The following assignment is based on a questionnaire presented to novice Pascal learn-
ers as part of a research study (Haberman and Ben-David Kollikant 2001 )
Learners were asked to write the output of each of the following programs.
(In Pascal: The input instruction is Read, the output instruction is Write, the assignment
symbol is: =)
Program1 Program2 Program3 Program4

Read (A, B) Read (A, B) Read (A, B) Read (A, B)

Read (B) B: = 4 B: = 4 Read (B)

Write (A, B, B) Write (A, B, B) Write (A, B); Write

(A)

Write (A, B)

Answer the following questions
For each of the 4 programs, write its output.
For each of the 4 programs, write one incorrect solution that you predict may be pre-
sented by a novice learner. Describe the learner's alternative conception that could lead
him or her to present the incorrect answer.
In your opinion, is it possible that a student, who has an alternative conception related
to the said concepts, will present a correct answer for these programs? If yes, present a
different program that, in your opinion, will expose the alternative conception