- FAMILIAR PHENOMENON PROBES
Description Design and AdministrationGeneral
Implementation
AttributesFamiliar Phenomenon
Probes are two-tiered
questions consisting of a
selected response
section and a
justification for the
selected response. They
are designed to elicit
students’ ideas about a
familiar phenomenon.
The distracters (wrong
choices) used for the
selected response
section include
commonly held ideas
noted in the research on
children’s misconceptions
in science. Students are
asked to provide an
explanation to support
the answer they
selected. Figure 4.11 is
an example of a Familiar
Phenomenon Probe used
to elicit ideas about the
bubbles in a pot of
boiling water. (Keeley,
Eberle, & Tugel, 2007).
Design or choose assessment
probes that use examples of
familiar phenomena to elicit ideas
related to a specific learning goal.
The probe can be administered as
a written task or used orally to
stimulate small- or large-group
discussion. This FACT is best used
at the start of a sequence of
instruction, although it can be used
after conceptual development to
determine whether transfer has
taken place. Encourage students to
write as much as they can in their
explanation so you can use their
ideas to help them learn. Consider
sharing the results with students so
they can see the variety of ideas
held by their classmates. In
addition, it is helpful to provide an
opportunity for students to discuss
their ideas in small groups or as a
whole class, but let them know
that you are not going to reveal
the answer right away. Assure
them that they will revisit the
probe again after they have had an
opportunity to further explore and
investigate their ideas. After
students have experienced lessons
related to the probe, revisit their
initial ideas, discuss them as a
group, and reflect on whether they
have modified or changed them.
This FACT can be combined with
other strategies such as Commit
and Toss, Four Corners, Sticky
Bars, Human Scatterplots, and
Traffic Light Cards.Ease of Use:
High
Cognitive Demand:
Medium
Time Demand:
Medium