Discussion 5

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SCIENCE SCOPE12

Misunderstanding misconceptions by Page Keeley

P reexisting ideas held by students that are contrary to modern scientific thinking about the natural world are generally referred to as misconceptions. Today there is tremendous

interest among practitioners in learning how to use various tools and techniques to elicit students’ misconceptions in science. Since the release of the first book in the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series (Keeley, Eberle, and Farrin, 2005), I have worked with thousands of educators to help them effectively use formative assessment probes to reveal their students’ thinking and make instructional decisions based on their students’ ideas. During my professional development work with teachers and other practitioners interested in using the probes, I have encountered several “practitioner misunderstandings” about misconceptions that I’d like to share:

t� "MM�NJTDPODFQUJPOT�BSF�UIF�TBNF�� The word mis- conception is frequently used to describe all ideas students bring to their learning that are not com- pletely accurate. In contrast, researchers often use labels such as BMUFSOBUJWF�GSBNFXPSLT, OBÕWF� JEFBT, QIFOPNFOPMPHJDBM� QSJNJUJWFT, DIJMESFO�T� JEFBT, etc., to imply that these ideas are not com- pletely “wrong” in a students’ common-sense world. Scientifically inaccurate ideas have also been categorized in a variety of ways, including QSFDPODFJWFE�OPUJPOT, OPOTDJFOUJmD�CFMJFGT, concep- UVBM� NJTVOEFSTUBOEJOHT, WFSOBDVMBS� NJTDPODFQ- tions, and GBDUVBM� NJTDPODFQUJPOT (NRC, 1997). It is important to understand that the word mis- conception is a general way of lumping together students’ scientifically inaccurate or partially ac- curate ideas. Once a misconception is identified, teachers should delve further to understand the type of misconception the student holds. Identi- fying a specific type of misconception can help teachers make better decisions for addressing

students’ ideas. For example, vernacular miscon- ceptions arise from the way we use words in our every day language ( the use of GPPE to describe “plant food” or BDDFMFSBUJPO to mean going faster) versus the scientific use of words. Knowing that a misconception originated from a students’ ev- eryday encounter with a word or phrase can help teachers identify strategies for helping students be more aware of the impact word use has on their scientific thinking.

t� "MM� NJTDPODFQUJPOT� BSF� NBKPS� CBSSJFST� UP� MFBSO- JOH� Just as some learning standards have more weight in promoting conceptual learning than others, the same is true of misconceptions. For example, the idea that when once-living material decays, it simply disappears and no longer exists, presents a significant conceptual barrier to un- derstanding what happens to the flow of matter in ecosystems. In contrast, students who think the blood in our veins is blue also have a miscon- ception. While scientifically incorrect, this “blue blood” idea does not significantly affect students’ conceptual understanding of blood flow and the circulatory system. A conceptual misconception warrants greater attention than a trivial factual misconception. When developing assessments that probe for students’ misconceptions, it is im- portant to focus on key conceptual ideas rather than minor facts.

t� 0OMZ�iUIPTFw�TUVEFOUT�IBWF�NJTDPODFQUJPOT� I have worked with some teachers who initially believed that their low-performing students or students in the general classes were the ones who primarily had misconceptions about fundamental ideas in science. Wrong! Everyone harbors misconcep- tions, regardless of age, socioeconomic back- ground, or academic achievement. Even science teachers hold some deeply rooted misconcep- tions that remained unchallenged throughout

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their K–16 education. The assumption that mis- conceptions are more apt to surface among cer- tain types of students is generally false. As the Private Universe series has shown us, even the brightest students who go on to top universi- ties like Harvard and MIT have misconceptions about basic, fundamental ideas (Private Universe Project 1995). Probing for basic misconceptions is important for all students.

t� .JTDPODFQUJPOT�BSF�B�CBE�UIJOH��I have observed that the word misconception seems to have a pejo- rative connotation to most practitioners. Students do not come to the classroom as blank slates. In fact, they come with many preconceived ideas about how the world works that make sense to them. According to constructivist theory, when new ideas are encountered, they are either ac- cepted, rejected, or modified to fit existing con- ceptions. It is the cognitive dissonance students experience when they realize an existing mental model no longer works for them that makes stu- dents willing to give up a preexisting idea in favor of a scientific one. Having ideas to work from, even if they are not completely accurate, leads to deeper understanding when students engage in a conceptual-change process (Watson and Konicek 1990). Starting with students’ existing conceptions is like building a bridge from where they currently are to where you want them to be conceptually. Researcher Philip Sadler (1998) de- scribes misconceptions as “steppingstones” that are absolutely essential for helping our students gradually change their mental models, so they can understand the modern scientific view of our natural world and the universe around us.

t� .JTDPODFQUJPOT�NVTU�CF�mYFE� Teachers have often told me they feel compelled to correct a miscon- ception on the spot. This tendency to “fix” miscon- ceptions is common. The longer a misconception remains unchallenged, the stronger a student will hold on to it. Yet that does not mean misconcep- tions go away by merely correcting students. As described above, misconceptions can be useful. Rather than trying to “fix” students by correcting their inaccurate ideas on the spot, it is important to provide instructional experiences that will con- front students with their thinking and guide them through a process of conceptual change that al- lows them to willingly give up the misconception.

However, there comes a point when you can’t let a misconception linger indefinitely.

t� .JTDPODFQUJPOT�DPNF�NPTUMZ�GSPN�FYQFSJFODFT�PVU- TJEF� PG� UIF� DMBTTSPPN� Many preconceptions stu- dents bring to their learning come from their everyday encounters with the natural world or things they have read in books or seen in the media. However, it is harder for teachers to ac- cept that misconceptions can also arise from students’ experiences inside their classroom, whether taught intentionally or unintentionally. For example, a surprising number of high school students, even after taking chemistry, think that a chemical bond is a structural part of an atom that links it to other atoms (Keeley, Eberle, and Tugel 2007). While a teacher most likely did not teach this, the use of ball-and-stick models or structural diagrams inadvertently led to this misconception. It is important to know that students make their own meaning out of activities they experience in the classroom, representations and models they use, and words they hear in the classroom.

t� *EFOUJGZJOH�NJTDPODFQUJPOT�JT�GPSNBUJWF�BTTFTTNFOU� Teachers from all over the country have shared with me their enthusiasm for using the probes in the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series to identify their students’ misconceptions. Some teachers erroneously think that formative assess- ment is mostly about identifying students’ miscon- ceptions. Using probes to identify students’ mis- conceptions is a form of diagnostic assessment. Diagnostic assessment does not become forma- tive assessment until you use the information you have gathered about students’ misconceptions to change or modify your instruction in order to help students achieve conceptual understanding. That is the essence of formative assessment, with the focus placed on instructional and conceptual change, not the act of identifying misconceptions.

I use the word misconception throughout my publica- tions because of its familiarity in the practitioner commu- nity. However, familiarity can lead to complacency when practitioners are not clear about what a misconception is and how to best address it. Recognizing that the word misconception is a general way of referring to views students hold about the natural world that differ from conventional scientific explanations is the first step in dispelling some of the misunderstandings practitioners

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GUEST EDITORIAL

Page Keeley ([email protected]) is a past-president of NSTA (2008–2009), and the senior science program

director for the Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance

in Augusta, Maine.

have about misconceptions. Second, it is important to take the time to understand what type of misconception a student has and how it may have developed. Third, resist the urge to immediately correct a misconcep- tion; instead, use students’ ideas as springboards to guide them through a process of conceptual change. Understanding is a continuous process that happens throughout a students’ education as well as teachers’ practice. Understanding what underlies the word mis- conception will ultimately improve student learning and strengthen teaching. ■

References Keeley, P., F. Eberle, and L. Farrin. 2005. Uncovering student

ideas in science: 25 formative assessment probes. Arling- ton, VA: NSTA Press.

Keeley, P., F. Eberle, and J. Tugel. 2007. Uncovering student ideas in science: 25 more formative assessment probes. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

National Research Council (NRC). 1997. Science teaching reconsidered. Washington DC: National Academies Press.

Private Universe Project. 1995. The Private Universe teacher workshop series. Videotape. South Burlington, VT: The An- nenberg/CPB Math and Science Collection.

Sadler, P.M. 1998. Psychometric models of student con-

ceptions in science: Reconciling qualitative studies and

distracter-driven assessment instruments. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 35 (3): 265.

Watson, B., and R. Konicek. 1990. Teaching for conceptual

change: Confronting children’s experience. Phi Delta Kap- pan 71 (9): 680–84.

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