8-Year-Old Children's Rediscovery of the Camera Obscura Phenomenon

The optical phenomenon of the camera obscura boils down to the projection function of the magnifier. By positioning the magnifying glass at a certain distance from the wall, facing the window, the image visible behind the window can be projected onto the surface of the wall. During the educational activities, the children were presented with this simple experience and encouraged to test it, using several pinhole camera models. Four months after the activity, a knowledge test was organised where the children were asked to demonstrate the phenomenon discussed. The test showed that only a few were able to reproduce the activities they had performed in the practical classes. Despite having the same objects at their disposal, only 19 (out of 87) were able to rediscover the optical phenomenon by trial and error. The low effectiveness of the learning activities carried out leads to the reflection that organising practical activities is not enough for children to build up adequate memory traces. Even if they had the same objects at their disposal and associated them with the effect produced during the class (projection), they were not able to reproduce the "procedure for arriving" at the effect of the phenomenon. A single learning activity, even one filled with child activity, does not give confidence in its effectiveness. Additional recall and consolidation procedures are needed.