Misconceptions Exploring constructivist learning in the science context

Objectives To understand what misconceptions in science are To understand where they come from To understand and value the process by which they are created To understand how to map pupils’ misconceptions To understand their stability To prepare the way for understanding how to change them.

What are they? Current is used up in a bulb Pure substances are safe to eat/drink Plants get their food from the soil Driver et al Making sense of secondary science

Characteristics of misconceptions  May be linked to specialist language  Can be personal or shared with others  Explain how the world works in simple terms  Are often similar to earlier scientific models (eg earth is flat)  May be inconsistent with science taught in schools  Can be resistant to change  May inhibit further conceptual development Based on slide from KS3 strategy

Where do they come from? Constructed from everyday life Limited experience Mis-observation Mis-remembering Restricted teaching –Particles melt, boil, conduct electricity –Gaps in structure are filled with air/dust/germs –Particles die, want to get away from the cold

We need to value the process Misconceptions arise as the pupil tries to make sense of their world We want to encourage this sense-making process, while refining the product

Variation? Children with very different experiences may have very different misconceptions: eg –Special needs –Minority groups

How can we tell what they are? Read the books Read their books & test answers Interviews about instances Brainstorm a topic with the group Concept cartoons Annotated diagrams Concept maps Class discussion of ideas/models/theories

Concept cartoons Visual representation of scientific ideas Minimal text in dialogue form Familiar situations Give alternative viewpoints Use the misconceptions research to choose what to include Include the accepted answer Give all alternatives equal status

Use concept cartoons to.. Explore misconceptions Help pupils ask questions Relate science content to ‘real’ situations Promote engagement Use Individually or in group discussion In a plenary Outside lessons (corridor display, parents’ evening)

Based on KS3 strategy slide Annotated diagram

Concept map FORCE acceleration F=ma newtons gravity..is a....causes....size given by....measured in

Why are they persistent? They are usually simpler than the formal idea We see what we want to see We fail to consider alternative explanations We can live in parallel universes – a veneer for the teacher and the ‘real one’ –Veneer: we accept just enough of the new idea to keep the teacher happy without really changing Matches the process of scientific advance – we don’t make a paradigm shift on the basis of one experiment (Kuhn)

An overview from a classroom Video Teacher reviewing a lesson which reveals misconceptions Accepting ideas, extending ideas Discussing models What teachers do in a practical Next steps – moving to the formal ideas

Discussion task Pupils’ misconceptions Paper to read: Clerk D and Rutherford M (2000) Language as a confounding variable in the diagnosis of misconceptions Int. J. Sci. Educ.,, Vol. 22, No. 7, pp Discussion task Compare the paper with the information presented in the lecture on misconceptions. In view of what you have been learning, does the paper threaten the whole notion of misconceptions? Does it introduce any warnings in terms of how you will explore and work with pupil misconceptions in your own classrooms? (We will pick this up again next week)