Primary School Teachers: Becoming Aware of the Relevance of their own Scientific Knowledge

We present details of a physics course for prospective primary school teachers that is based upon the structures of figurative thought available already to young children. The structures referred to are those found in the Force Dynamic Gestalt of natural forces such as heat, water, wind, electricity, chemicals, or motion. The same structures figure prominently in the formal science of physics. We demonstrate how student teachers can profit greatly from an approach that builds on everyday language and everyday conceptualizations. Our experience shows that teachers trained in this manner become confident narrators of basic physical processes.