What ideas do children have about the natural world? How do these ideas affect your scientific learning?
By the time children enter secondary school they already have knowledge and ideas about many aspects of the natural world from their experiences both in primary classes and outside of school. These insights feed into subsequent learning, and research has shown that teaching is unlikely to be effective unless it takes students' perspectives into account.
"Making Sense of Science in Secondary School: Research on Children's Ideas" provides a concise and accessible summary of the research that has been done in this area in different countries.