Misconceptions

Throughout my posts, I have researched many aspects of misconceptions. Some of these include what a misconception is, why they are so prevalent, ways to discover/overcome them, and misconceptions found in textbooks. For my final post, I decided to wrap everything up by summarizing the main points.

• Misconceptions can be anything from preconceived notions to conceptual misunderstandings. In science, "these are cases in which something a person knows and believes does not match what is known to be scientifically correct."
• A few common misconceptions in science: stars and constellations appear in the same place in the sky every night, we experience seasons because of the earth's changing distance from the sun (closer in the summer, farther in the winter), things "use up" energy, only animate objects can exert a force (thus, if an object is at rest on a table, no forces are acting upon it), larger magnets are stronger than smaller magnets, objects float in water because they are lighter than water
• Misconceptions occur for a variety of reasons including personal experiences, vocabulary confusions, and developmental reasons.
• Teachers can discover misconceptions through assessments such as KWL charts, have students free write about a topic, understanding what misconceptions are out there, misconceptions they have, and knowing the difference between misconceptions and preconceptions.
• Strategies that teachers can use to help students (and themselves) overcome misconceptions include:
  o Anticipate the most common misconceptions about the material and be alert for others
  o Revisit common misconceptions as often as you can
  o Assess the validity of concepts
  o Use familiar analogies if appropriate
  o Apply ideas in situations that can be experienced or tested
  o Give ample amounts of evidence
  o Conduct thorough research on a topic/concept
• Many misconceptions can also be seen in textbooks. It is very important that teachers read texts carefully before having students read and examine them.

Being aware of and the ability to overcome misconceptions are some of the most important things you can do as a teacher to enhance student learning in science.