Science Misconceptions Held

by Teachers in Northwest Ohio

Presented at CCC meeting 10.1.2008 by Jake BurgoonE-mail jburgoo@bgsu.edu with any questions or comments

The Need for Assessment

Lack of student proficiency in science Application of knowledge

Lack of conceptual understanding of science Misconceptions

Misconceptions Galore!

Students come into the classroom with ideas about the natural world Everyday experiences

Students are resistant to give up these ideas Memorize facts, utilize misconceptions

Misconceptions can be reinforced by teachers

Increasing Student Proficiency

Help students overcome misconceptions

Use misconceptions to guide instruction

Become aware of student misconceptions

Pre-assess students

Increase student proficiency

Knowledge is Power

Teacher content knowledge influences: Assessment creation Assessment analysis

Inaccurate conclusions Overlooking student misconceptions Not addressing student needs

Help teachers overcome their own misconceptions

NWO-TEAMS

Teachers Enhancing Achievement in Mathematics and Science

Increase content knowledge and use of inquiry-based teaching strategies

Misconceptions

Density and mass

Gravity

Magnetism

Animal classification

Chemical reactions

Density and MassWater is poured into Container 1 and frozen.  Water is poured into Containers 2 and 3 to match the level of the frozen water (ice) in Container 1.  Each beaker is tightly sealed. Container 2 is heated until all the water has changed to vapor (the dots in the picture represent water vapor).  Container 3 is left at room temperature.  Describe how the mass of each container relates to the others, and explain why.

FROZEN HEATEDROOM

TEMPERATURE

Greatest mass42%

Least mass37%

Gravity

Two metal balls are the same size, but one weighs twice as much as the other. They roll off a horizontal table with the same speed. In this situation:

A.Both balls will hit the floor at the same time

B.The heavier ball will hit the floor first

C.The lighter ball will hit the floor first

78%

When is gravity acting?

50%

33%

Chris pushes off the top of the skateboarding ramp, rides down, and stops at point D by stomping on the back edge of his skateboard. At which stages of his descent (A, B, C, and D) are gravity and friction acting on Chris and/or his skateboard? Place a check in the appropriate boxes.

Magnetism

Which of these will be attracted to a magnet?

A. Platinum wedding ring

B. Iron filings

C. Aluminum key ring

D. Iron key

E. Copper coin

F. All of the objects

G. None of the objects

What happens when you cut a magnet in half?

A. No longer attract objects

B. Attract objects from both ends

C. Attract object only at one end

D. Have two north poles or two south poles

E. Be less powerful than the original

44%

22%

22%

15%

78%

78%

19%

15%

AnimalClassificationVertebrate

Invertebrate

Fish

Amphibian

Reptile

Bird

Mammal

26%

28%

18%

AnimalClassificationVertebrate

Invertebrate

Fish

Amphibian

Reptile

Bird

Mammal

19%

24%

65%23%54%

Chemical Reactions

Hermione Granger is mixing up potions in Professor Snape’s class. She heats some Murtlap and adds Syrup of Hellebore and confirms with Snape that the resulting greenish dense fog in her cauldron is Gregory’s Unctuous Unction. However, when her mixture cools down again, she finds she is left with Murtlap and Syrup of Hellebore. She heats and cools her cauldron several times and gets the same result. Which of the following best describes the reaction?

A. It is a physical change because the original substances aren’t altered

B. It is a physical change because it is easily reversible

C. It is a chemical change because a new substance is formed

D. It is a chemical change because fog formation is an indication of a chemical reaction

67%

11%

11%

11%

A + B C

Summary

Student misconceptions can hinder their conceptual understanding

Teachers have some of the same misconceptions as their students All metals are magnetic, gases have little or

no mass, chemical reactions are not reversible

Helping teachers overcome their own misconceptions increases their ability to effectively assess their students

Future Work of NWO/COSMOS

Design professional development programs that: Address the misconceptions held by teachers Help teachers design effective assessments Inform teachers how to overcome their

students’ misconceptions

Improve science and math achievement in Northwest Ohio