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.
•B.
•C.
•D.
•E.
It decreases as books are added.
It dims after a while, and remains dim.
Goes out after the first book was placed on it.
It flickers after each book, returning to normal.
It would not change in brightness.
Can you pick the top two most-cited responses?
Answers and more questions
A B
C
D
E
38.2
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 Share
What 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)