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Even if difficulties of the students in sciences are diversified, most seem linked to deficiencies in their understanding of basic concepts. Since about twenty years, different researches tried to bring solutions in this problem, favouring the multiplication of directives that can be applied to science education. To integrate their results, we offer a second order cybernetic model of scientific conceptual understanding which allows, not only to describe all the paths learners took to understand, but also to choose instructional strategies of education appropriate to do so. We illustrate the application of this model to the teaching of the kinematical concepts of speed and acceleration. As a conclusion, we draw limits of the model and make suggestions for future research.