Conversation at a round-table discussion with elementary, middle, and high school teachers focuses on when abstract scientific ideas are appropriate to teach. Some teachers believe that abstract scientific ideas should be taught in high school and that they are too difficult to teach the younger students. Audrey, an urban middle school teacher, discovers that the task of teaching abstract concepts may not be impossible after all. Teachers of elementary, middle, and high school compare their students' ideas about the Particulate Nature of Matter.
Teachers often state that their students are too young to think about abstract fundamental ideas.
These subjects are often avoided. Older students, however, are required to build upon the very basic ideas avoided in the early years. Teachers learn to introduce students to modeling things they cannot see. The groups devise models to explain their data and defend these against the questions of others in the class. This video focuses on teachers and students across the K-12 spectrum, providing insights into science learning in all classrooms.