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Children’s Misconceptions in Science

Children’s Misconceptions in Science. First Premise. Children come to science teaching with ideas about most phenomena with which they have any experience. Many of these ideas are wrong when compared to standard science understandings.

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Children’s Misconceptions in Science

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  1. Children’s Misconceptions in Science

  2. First Premise Children come to science teaching with ideas about most phenomena with which they have any experience. Many of these ideas are wrong when compared to standard science understandings. This presents a potential paradox—we can only hope to teach children about things with which they have experience, but much of that experience leads them to misunderstand the phenomena.

  3. Sources • Reasoning directly from experience without differentiating conditions • I know that a chick comes from an egg, so a seed must be about the same • When I get nearer to a flame, I feel more heat. Summer is hotter than winter, so Earth must be closer to the sun then. • Incorrect teaching • Attempts to simplify material • Teacher’s misunderstanding of material

  4. Oversimplification • Animals are alive. Plants are not alive. • Flowers and trees are plants. Weeds & grass are not plants • Plants take in everything they need through their roots • Sunlight is helpful, but not critical • All plants grow in soil • Shoots grow up to get to light

  5. Oversimplification • Chlorophyll is the only substance in a plant that is required for photosynthesis. 6 CO2 + 6H2O -----------------------------------------6 02 + C6H1206 • Large amounts of water are needed to keep the stomata open so carbon dioxide is available. • The single arrow implies one step • 6 CO2 + 6H2O ---------------------6 02 + (C6H1206)n sunlight & chlorophyll chloroplasts, light, minerals

  6. Overgeneralization • All plants are photosynthetic (a few aren’t) • All plants live on land • All pollination involves flowers • All pollination is done by bees

  7. Obsolete Ideas • “Geotropism” vs. “Gravitotropism” • Allelopathy • Cellular respiration in plants only occurs at night

  8. Misidentification • Celery is a stem • Carrots are just like other roots • Potatoes are just like other roots • “Pine nuts” are a type of nut • Pollination is the same as fertilization • Plant “food” is like our “food”

  9. Alternative Frameworks The most vivid/active thing in the field of observation is responsible for the result. This is often associated with a sort of volition: • Eyes pull in light from what they see. • Ears seek out sound. • Plants can sense light far away. • Flames try to draw oxygen up. • The sun moves around the Earth. • When a balloon pops it is because the air wants to get out.

  10. Alternative Explanations Supernatural causes • Ghosts • Monsters • Momentary Luck Superstitions—associating patterns of unrelated events as having a causal relationship • Lucky penny • Broken mirror • Walking under a ladder

  11. Find more at: • Children's Misconceptions about Science http://www.amasci.com/miscon/opphys.html • New York Science Teacher http://www.newyorkscienceteacher.com/sci/pages/miscon/index.php • Errors in Science Textbooks http://www.amasci.com/miscon/miscon4.html

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