Science Misconceptions Management

Regional Staff Development DayNovember 5, 2012

Which of these represents a phase shape in the monthly change in

appearance of the moon?

Introduction

“Where does all the mass in a tree come from?”

• Harvard Graduation “Minds of Our Own”

Misconceptions About Photosynthesis

Carbon Dioxide plus Water yields Glucose plus Oxygen

6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2

“Carbon Dioxide (Air) has no Weight”

Jan Baptist Van Helmont, 1649

Planted a Willow Shoot

5 Years

Later

Tree: Gained 164 lbsSoil: Lost 2 Ounces!!

Photosynthesis at the Atomic Level – Van Niel, 1930’s

Reactants: 6 CO2 + 12 H2O

Products: C6H12O6 + 6 H2O + 6 O2

(Glucose gets 93% of its mass from CO2; 7% from H2O)

-Campbell & Reece, Biology, Sixth Edition 2002

Other Examples

• “Earth’s gravity does not extend beyond its atmosphere.”

• “Sustained motion requires sustained force.”

• “A sweater or mittens actually produce heat.”

• “Energy is a substance (e.g. ‘caloric’).”

• “Seasons are caused by Earth’s distance from the sun.”

• The terms “energy and force” (or “heat and temperature,” or “mass and weight” or “speed, velocity and acceleration”) mean the same thing.

• Others?

Types of Misconceptions1. Factual: based on misinformation, e.g. “lightning

never strikes the same place twice.”

2. Preconceptions: based on incomplete observations or previous experience, e.g. groundwater exists as “underground rivers.”

3. Conceptual: based on misapplying a general principle or example, e.g. blood flows like ocean tides, or tornadoes are attracted to mobile home parks.

4. Vernacular: misunderstandings about the meaning of words, e.g. sun “rises” and “sets.”

5. Non-Scientific Beliefs: (???)

– Gooding and Metz, The Science Teacher, April/May 2011

Non-Scientific BeliefsWhy Some Civil War Soldiers Glowed in the Dark

by Matt Soniak - April 5, 2012 - 9:46 PM

Question: What if science misconceptions are religiously based?“A religious belief is not a misconception in the way we use the term. Skilled science teachers can respect religious beliefs while teaching science concepts and facts.”

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu

Misconceptions Learning Cycle

“The longer a misconception remains unchallenged, the more likely it is to become entrenched.”

– Gooding and Metz, The Science Teacher, April/May 2011

1.Elicit

2.Address

3.Reconcile

1. Elicit Misconceptions

Encourage students to clarify their thinking – explain, rephrase, illustrate or demonstrate.

Using assessment data to identify misconceptions.– Item Analysis – look for “common incorrect

responses”– What is the Misconception?– What type of Misconception is it?

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: MS Life Science

L.HE.M.1 Inherited and Acquired Traits – The characteristics of organisms are influenced by heredity and environment. For some characteristics, inheritance is more important; for other characteristics, interactions with the environment are more important.

L.HE.05.12 Distinguish between inherited and acquired traits.

- All items & data taken from MOSART http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smgphp/mosart/index.html

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: MS Life Science

Item Analysis:

• 25% students (n=290) correctly chose ‘c’

• 55% students incorrectly chose ‘b’

- All items & data taken from MOSART http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smgphp/mosart/index.html

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: EL Life Science

2nd Grade Unit 2: L.OL.02.22 Describe the life cycle of familiar flowering plants including the following stages: seed, plant, flower, and fruit.

3rd Grade Unit 3: L.OL.03.31 Describe the function of the following plant parts: flower, stem, root, and leaf.

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: EL Life Science

Item Analysis:

• 35% students (n=207) correctly chose ‘d’

• 57% students incorrectly chose ‘b’

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: MS Physical Science

6th Grade Unit 1 “Matter and Energy”

P.EN.06.41 Explain how different forms of energy can be transferred from one place to another by radiation, conduction, or convection.

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: MS Physical Science

Item Analysis:

• 18% students correctly chose ‘b’

• 56% students incorrectly chose ‘a’

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: HS Earth Science

Earth Science Unit 3: Plate Tectonics

E3.3B Explain why tectonic plates move using the concept of heat flowing through mantle convection, coupled with the cooling and sinking of aging ocean plates that result from their increased density.

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: HS Earth Science

Item Analysis:

• 17% students (n=156) correctly chose ‘a’

• 40% students incorrectly chose ‘e’

1. Elicit MisconceptionsExample: MS Science Regional Common

Assessments

1. Elicit Misconceptions Example: MS Science Regional Common

Assessments

2. Address Misconceptions

Strategies: (Gooding and Metz, 2008, Science Scope 32(1): 62-64)

• Call for clarification (ask students to explain, rephrase, illustrate, or demonstrate).

• Call for evidence to substantiate students’ claims.• Wait time.• Maintain an open mind about alternative solutions,

procedures and ideas.

3. Reconcile Misconceptions

“Misconceptions are individualized and therefore must be corrected by their owners.”

Teachers should focus not only on repairing existing misconceptions, but also on preventing future misconceptions.

3. Reconcile Misconceptions

Lower elementary (K-2nd Grade):– Too soon to name all the moon’s phases

– “Evaporation and condensation” will mean nothing

– Make no effort to introduce “energy” as a scientific idea

– “Anthropomorphism” (ignore it)

– “Plants make their own food” is very difficult and should be saved for middle school

Make sure district curricula are developmentally appropriate:

- Examples from Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061, AAAS

3. Reconcile Misconceptions

Upper elementary (Grades 3-5):– Not many have much of an idea of what a “billion” is– “formal energy concepts can wait,” but start to develop

an understanding of “heat,” without necessarily differentiating it from “temperature”

– The idea that cells are the basic units in which life processes (especially biochemical) occur is difficult

– Illustrate transfer of energy in physical systems, “biological energy transfer is far too complicated”

3. Reconcile MisconceptionsMiddle School (Grades 6-8):

– Most think of “light years” as a measure of time

– Having students memorize the names of invisible things & their parts (atomic and molecular theory) before adolescence (and the development of “concrete perceptions”) wastes time

– Students initially cannot confidently distinguish between “physical” and “chemical” change

– Law of definite proportions and quantitative gas laws are likely to be more confusing than helpful

3. Reconcile MisconceptionsMiddle School (Grades 6-8, continued):

– “The things around them do seem to slow down of their own accord” (friction, Newton’s First Law of Motion)

– In some organisms, all the genes come from a single parent (asexual reproduction)

– The full-blown concept of “ecosystem” can be left until students have many of the pieces in place

– Most students see food webs as involving the creation and destruction of matter

3. Reconcile MisconceptionsOvercoming Student Misconceptions

National Research Council, 1997, Science Teaching Reconsidered

1. Anticipate most common misconceptions.

2. Encourage students to discuss their ideas with other students – thinking about evidence and possible tests.

3. Address common misconceptions with demonstrations and lab work.

4. Revisit common misconceptions often.

5. Assess and reassess the validity of students’ concepts.

Address misconceptions with demonstrations and lab work

3. Reconcile MisconceptionsCurricula Evaluation:

(Lowery (2008), cited in Gooding and Metz, 2011, The Science Teacher)

• Make sure science concepts are presented at grade-appropriate levels.

• Go into depth with fewer topics.

• Move from direct experience to the abstract.

• Emphasize hands-on experiences and discrepant events.

• Build on prior learning.

• Provide multiple opportunities to learn, re-learn and reflect.

Online Resources

• MOSART: Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources for Teachers– http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smgphp/mosart/in

dex.html

• AAAS Science Assessment: Topics with Common Misconceptions– http://assessment.aaas.org/topics

Contact Information

Tom Wessels, Science Consultanttwessels@tbaisd.org

Grand Traverse Regional Math Science Center

Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District

1101 Red Drive, PO Box 6020

Traverse City, MI 49696-6020

Ph: 231-922-7875 Fax: 231-922-6391