Misconceptions:

What does the student bring to the classroom?

Dick Duquin

Opening Reflection

Write down any example of a misconception that you have had in

your life.

Just testing… An electric cord runs from a wall outlet to a floor lamp. You stack books one at a time on the cord until 100 kg. are placed. If the cord does not break, what happens to the brightness of the light? --From a Harvard-Smithsonian study, middle level question

•A. It decreases as books are added.•B. It dims after a while, and remains dim.•C. Goes out after the first book was placed on it.•D. It flickers after each book, returning to normal.•E. It would not change in brightness.

Can you pick the top two most-cited responses?

Answers and more questions

A B C D E38.2 9.6 5.9 17.0 28.8

• Discuss with your neighbor: Can you think of a reason for the pattern?

• What models do we tend to use when discussing electricity with students?

• How can these models be helpful? How can they be harmful?

Science and Language

• Science lessons ARE language lessons.• Hard words in science…• Two-way words…• Connecting words…• Up to 30% of middle level students confuse

science terms with their antonyms.• Science is hard, even for native speakers!

Language and Science• Language is the “medium of exchange” for all learning.• All learning is social and mediated by language.

(Vygotsky, et. al.) • All language is dialogic. (Bakhtin)• The 80s/90s were about constructivism. The 21st century

is all about post-constructivism – making individual meaning through experience shaped by language.

• Since meaning comes from language, it is easy to see—particularly for ELL students—how misconceptions come from language.

• Let your kids talk to each other and make sure they write it down!

Types of pre/misconceptions

• Preconceived notions• Nonscientific beliefs• Conceptual misunderstandings• Vernacular misconceptions• Factual misconceptions

Preconceived notions

• Preconceived notions are popular conceptions rooted in everyday experiences. Students may believe that underground water flows in streams because they are familiar with the actions of surface water and this thinking carries over to groundwater flow.

Nonscientific beliefs

• Nonscientific beliefs are those views learned outside of science – from religious teachings, for example. The “debate” between evolutionary theorists and “creation scientists” is one example of a current controversy in education.

Conceptual misunderstanding

• Conceptual misunderstandings often happen when science concepts are not taught in a way that causes students to confront the own preconceived notions or beliefs. Often, students’ own naïve understandings and what they learn in science class can exist simultaneously because students do not see any conflict between them. Students in the Private Universe videos are examples of this.

Vernacular misconceptions

• Vernacular misconceptions may arise from the use of words that mean one thing in science and quite another thing in everyday conversation. Words like “power,” “wave” and “field” can have very different meanings used in science class vs. everyday life, for example.

Factual misconceptions

• Factual misconceptions are errors of fact learned at an early age that persist through time. Many of us might falsely believe that “lightning never strikes twice in the same place” even though it is clearly not true, because it may have been buried in your belief system since early childhood.

Assessing student understanding• How is student learning assessed in your classrooms? Discuss

briefly with your partner• Formal vs. informal• Formative vs. summative (Formative assessment getting LOTS

of attention)• Tests, quizzes, exams, papers, lab reports, homework,

portfolios, performance tasks, etc.• Dialogue with students• Observations, interviews, chance remarks, journals• Others?

Research supports use of probes

• If students’ initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp new concepts…presented in class, or learn them for a test, but revert to their preconceptions…

• A meta-cognitive approach to instruction can help students define their learning goals and monitor progress in attaining them. --How People Learn, 1999, pp. 14-18

Probes allow teachers to…

• Help more fully develop student ideas • Differentiate among student ideas• Integrate or change existing ideas• Introduce new ideas• Help make students’ thinking visible to them, so

that new conceptual links can form…

My Strategies

• What is your favorite two strategies to uncover student misconceptions?

• What type of misconception does your strategy address?

• Share with your group.

SEPUP: Energy Unit

• Look at Activities 57- 64: What is in the Getting Started that would address preconceptions?

• What would you add to the activity opening to address student misconceptions?

• Is there anything in the Analysis Questions that would help to correct a misconception?

SEPUP: Energy Unit

Group ShareWhat did you find?What would you change?

Parting thoughts• Does this relate to “Who owns

the learning?”• If you do not address the

misconceptions, what happens?• Who is responsible for the

misconception?• Why is this so tough?• It’s always good to know

some science! (see cartoon)