The following four junior high school science teachers are teaching the concept molecule to their students. In each classroom, some of the students are at Piaget's formal operations stage and others are at the concrete operations stage. In which classroom are the concrete operational students most likely to have difficulty understanding?
A) Mr. Armani lets students touch and manipulate concrete models of various molecules.
B) Mr. Bendetti lets students look at the same concrete models that Mr. Armani has used.
C) Mr. Carmen verbally describes how different elements are made up of different numbers of neutrons, protons, and electrons.
D) Mr. Davidson has students role-play being neutrons, protons, and electrons. The "neutron" and "proton" students huddle together in the middle of the room, and the "electrons" move around them.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Concrete operational students are typically in the age range of 7-11 and are limited in their ability to think abstractly. Mr. Armani's use of concrete models, Mr. Bendetti's use of visual aids, and Mr. Davidson's use of role-playing, involve some level of concreteness that could aid in the students' understanding. However, Mr. Carmen's use of verbal descriptions could be too abstract for concrete operational students to fully comprehend.

The Following Four Junior High School Science Teachers Are Teaching