"Misconceptions Die Hard"

The best technique to addressing misconceptions is nipping them in the bud before they bloom. An effective approach to doing this is compiling a list of common or previous misconceptions that can be addressed to the class in the beginning when asking what students know about the content. This comes with effective teaching strategies that instruct students on the content areas through various forms such as closely monitored labs, probing questions and frequent formative assessments. I agree with the article that a student's preconceptions of any subject matter can interfere with their learning of science content, however it is the teacher's job to redirect their attention towards the clarification of such confusion. If a student is completely misled, that is fine because at times, students learn best from their mistakes. However, as a future educator it is my belief that they must learn conceptual understanding through a series of connections to previous knowledge and repetition of new.


The study in the article struck me as interesting and somewhat expected. Students today struggle the most with science content retention. This may be due to the fact that everything is so easy for them and that they do not have to think about how things work as they are using them. The relation of science is not as directly applicable to their lives unless they have a passion for it or a motivating teacher to open them up to the world. I found it interesting that the common areas of no understanding were the looped wire, crumpled aluminum and jar lid with holes. What about these specific items were the most confusing? All items are found in most typical homes in some form or another. The fact that the college aged students were not far higher in comprehension of the subject areas struck me as alarming because they are the ones with the "most education" and closest to the "real world." With a study and findings such as this I must ask, what is the point of elementary and secondary education if it is not retained throughout life? Or is this just the outlying issue with science? This is to be explored..