  Recent studies have shown that not only primary school students but also
their future teachers reach science courses with pre-constructed and consistent
models of the world surrounding them. These ideas include many misconceptions
which turn out to be robust and hence make difficult an appropriate
teaching-learning process. We have designed some tools that proved helpful in
putting in evidence some of the most frequently used alternative models on a
few basic astronomical notions. We have tested these tools with preservice
elementary teachers from various normal schools in Buenos Aires and made a
first analysis of the results. The collection of data recovered so far shows
that some non-scientific conceptions are indeed part of the prospective
teachers' (scientific) background and that, therefore, the issue deserves
special attention during their formal training.
