Addressing Your Students Misconceptions:

1. Addressing Your Students� Misconceptions: Breaking Through the Barriers to Student Learning Presented at the Inquiry Series Blast-Off September 20, 2008 by Jake Burgoon and Michelle Klinger E-mail jburgoo@bgsu.edu with any questions or comments 

2. Barriers to student learning Correct science concepts won�t stick Misconceptions often function well in everyday life Children often separate concepts into �school concepts� and �everyday concepts� Misconceptions vs. You Why do misconceptions pose such a threat? In a perfect world, students would come into class, and you would teach them what they need to know, they would get a perfect score on the achievement test, and you would be teacher of the year! In reality, for students with misconceptions, correct concepts just don�t seem to stick Why do misconceptions pose such a threat? In a perfect world, students would come into class, and you would teach them what they need to know, they would get a perfect score on the achievement test, and you would be teacher of the year! In reality, for students with misconceptions, correct concepts just don�t seem to stick

3. Where do misconceptions come from? Classroom instruction Students draw conclusions that were not intended Everyday experiences Incorrect explanations Textbooks EXAMPLES-- Everyday experiences - gases have no mass - children don�t experience the weight of air like they experience the weight of a solid or liquid Incorrect explanations could come from teachers or parents or other studentsEXAMPLES-- Everyday experiences - gases have no mass - children don�t experience the weight of air like they experience the weight of a solid or liquid Incorrect explanations could come from teachers or parents or other students

4. What�s the big deal? Teachers that don�t address student misconceptions are in a sense enabling the students to have them, or teachers might reinforce misconceptions If those misconceptions are never addressed, chances are, those students will have those misconceptions throughout their academic career and into their adulthood Some of the students will become teachers and may then pass on their misconceptions to their students, creating a viscous circle that we need to stop!Teachers that don�t address student misconceptions are in a sense enabling the students to have them, or teachers might reinforce misconceptions If those misconceptions are never addressed, chances are, those students will have those misconceptions throughout their academic career and into their adulthood Some of the students will become teachers and may then pass on their misconceptions to their students, creating a viscous circle that we need to stop!

5. Only you can prevent the continuation of misconceptions! Mastering science content Correcting misconceptions with instruction Being aware of your students� misconceptions What can you do to stop the circle?What can you do to stop the circle?

6. Mastering science content Lack of content knowledge = inadvertently providing students with scientifically incorrect information Teachers (and adults) often have the same misconceptions as students Providing students with incorrect information through explanations or designing lessons where students could draw incorrect conclusions When teachers have the same misconceptions, its easier for teachers to support or give their students misconceptions without knowing itProviding students with incorrect information through explanations or designing lessons where students could draw incorrect conclusions When teachers have the same misconceptions, its easier for teachers to support or give their students misconceptions without knowing it

7. Example from TEAMS tests If you cut a bar magnet in half, each half will: a. no longer attract objects b. attract from both ends c. attract objects only at one end d. have two north poles or two south poles e. be more powerful than the original Percentages on the left are the percentages of students picking each option The percentages on the right are the percentages of TEAMS teachers picking each option They are very similar!!Percentages on the left are the percentages of students picking each option The percentages on the right are the percentages of TEAMS teachers picking each option They are very similar!!

8. Correcting misconceptions with instruction Creating �cognitive conflict� Students must question their previous conception Present students with a viable alternative Applicable to the real world Hands-on explorations are great, but your guidance is needed! Your guidance is needed because of the subjective nature of science, students will interpret things differently They may interpret the results to fit with their misconception Your guidance is needed because of the subjective nature of science, students will interpret things differently They may interpret the results to fit with their misconception

9. Being aware of your students� misconceptions In order to correct student misconceptions, you must FIRST know what they are Dive into the research AAAS Benchmarks, Making Sense of Secondary Science Pre-assessments Your students may have unique ideas

10. Why Should I Pre-assess? Ensures that you are giving your students EXACTLY what they need Align your instruction to their misconceptions Lessons are slightly modified each year Provides pre-instruction data Compare to post-assessment Your instruction is tailored specifically to each class - you can make sure that your instruction corrects those misconceptions, and also that your instruction does not support the misconceptionsYour instruction is tailored specifically to each class - you can make sure that your instruction corrects those misconceptions, and also that your instruction does not support the misconceptions

11. Pre-assessing All Learners Since people don�t all learn best by only doing, seeing, hearing or reading information, we need to find different ways to assess different learners.

12. Kinesthetic Learners Hands-on Sorting activities Magnetic sorting activity Sorting objects into �magnetic� and �non-magnetic�Sorting objects into �magnetic� and �non-magnetic�

13. Kinesthetic Learners Moving Around Physical activities Mirror/light reflection activity

14. Visual Learners Writing things down Written probes Sample from Page Keeley�s Uncovering Student Ideas In Science

15. Visual Learners Watching cartoons or viewing comics Concept Drawing Animated cartoon

16. Auditory Learners Talking things through - Demonstrate and Discuss Mysterious Suspension Jar & �Science Talks�

17. Useful Resources Uncovering Student Ideas in Science (Volumes 1 to 3) by Page Keeley 75 total formative assessment probes Making Sense of Secondary Science: Research Into Children�s Ideas by Rosiland Driver Student misconceptions about numerous topics