Science may be seen as a universal language to most, but our students understanding of science can vary in many different ways. It is very common for students to hold misconceptions about science, these misconceptions are often fueled by their cultural backgrounds along with their everyday experiences.
How to Address these Misconceptions Respectfully
- Listening to students ideas without immediate correction
- Try to understand the cultural context of certain misconceptions
- Using diverse examples during class that incorporate students backgrounds
Classroom Strategies
- Beginning the year with a pre-assessment to identify students misconceptions early on
- Connecting classroom content to students lives
- Providing students with engaging guided questions that encourage them to rethink their misconceptions
- Presenting concepts through many different ways such as visuals and hands-on activities
Specific Examples
- Conducting experiments in the classroom can clear up misconceptions, like the confusion
between chemical and physical changes
- Integrating math lessons that include how real world phenomena
directly relate to equations can clear up misconceptions
- Conducting data analysis project can clear up misconceptions about climate change and sustainability
More Information
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Hey Maya. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I agree with what you had to say. I think it is a great idea to connect the classroom content back to the student’s lives to help with understanding is a great idea. I know when I am confused about something it always helps to connect it back to my personal experiences. Great post. Are there any other ways to help with misconceptions?
Hey Maya. I enjoyed the video you included in your post. I also used this video in my post, I felt it was both brief and very informative. On question I do have is how you might structure a misconceptions pre-assessment in a productive manner for students?
Hey Maya, I enjoyed reading your post. Engaging in activities and questions to make the thinking of you students visible is a great way to draw out reasoning for misconception and alternate ideas. Because of this, I was wondering what type of questions might you prepare to do such a thing?