{"id":4362,"date":"2022-04-06T11:08:28","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T15:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=4362"},"modified":"2023-01-27T16:34:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T21:34:33","slug":"tomato-tomahto-conception-conceeption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2022\/04\/tomato-tomahto-conception-conceeption\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Tomato\/Tomahto, Conception\/Conceeption&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized is-style-default\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2022\/04\/Black-And-Orange-Modern-Business-Blog-Banner-1024x576.png?resize=670%2C376&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4363\" width=\"670\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/Black-And-Orange-Modern-Business-Blog-Banner.png?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/Black-And-Orange-Modern-Business-Blog-Banner.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/Black-And-Orange-Modern-Business-Blog-Banner.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/Black-And-Orange-Modern-Business-Blog-Banner.png?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/Black-And-Orange-Modern-Business-Blog-Banner.png?resize=2048%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-background wp-block-heading\" style=\"background-color:#e6aec7\">What are &#8220;Alternate&#8221; Conceptions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">&#8220;Alternate Conception&#8221; is essentially a euphemism for &#8220;Misconception.&#8221; The necessity of which is tied to the nature of science itself. Modern-day scientific facts should not be fanatically accepted, but instead should be tested against other proposed paradigms and adjusted if need be. This decision to frame what many refer to as &#8220;misconceptions&#8221; as &#8220;alternate conceptions&#8221; highlights the ever-challenged realities of the scientific world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-background wp-block-heading\" style=\"background-color:#d6baff\">How Should I Address These?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Unfortunately, many people double down on their ideas if they are simply told they are wrong. As educators we must adopt a more nuanced approach in order to encourage students to accept a stance with greater evidence. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/edt432?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#edt432<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/scienceteaching?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#scienceteaching<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RbCXXR7jWN\">pic.twitter.com\/RbCXXR7jWN<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Michael Mischler (@MrMischler) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrMischler\/status\/1511720637366157316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">In order to best provide students with the right conditions to abandon alternate conceptions which fail to overthrow the reigning scientific consensus, we must address these alternate conceptions through a lens of <em>reason<\/em>. If we do so, students will be more likely to accept the overwhelming reasoning behind the &#8220;correct&#8221; conception. The alternative is if we continue to call misconceptions by their traditional name. This more often leads students &#8212; and adults &#8212; to double down on their alternate conception, even if sufficient evidence goes against it. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Everyone<\/span> has the desire to be &#8220;right&#8221;, but if we tell students that they are &#8220;wrong,&#8221; they may simply refuse to believe that. This often leaves students weighing the options for which adult authority figure to believe, rather than developing their own rational autonomy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-background wp-block-heading\" style=\"background-color:#bab5ff\">An Example Interaction: Religion vs. Evolution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">One of the most common and divisive &#8220;Alternate Conceptions&#8221; that you&#8217;ll come across in a science classroom is the idea of &#8220;Science vs. Religion.&#8221; Below, I&#8217;ve outlined a hypothetical interaction (based on my own personal thoughts on how science and religion intersect) between a student and a teacher regarding if the world was created in 7 days, or 4.5 billion years. Instead of simply disregarding the student&#8217;s culture and religion, there can sometimes be instances where religion and science coexist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"592\" height=\"406\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2022\/04\/evolution.gif?resize=592%2C406&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4364\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">Student: Wait, how is the Earth that old? My Sunday school said that it was created in 7 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">Teacher: There&#8217;s a chance that you&#8217;re right! However, we have more concrete evidence supporting the idea that the age of the Earth is 4.5 Billion Years Old. When I was a kid, I learned 2 Peter 3:8 which says &#8220;&#8230;a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day&#8230;&#8221; when referring to how God experiences time. This helped me to balance my family&#8217;s religion with my love for science as now I had a personal explanation: the concept of 7 days could really just be the way that early Christians were able to comprehend creation, but now we are able to see a more well-developed picture. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-background wp-block-heading\" style=\"background-color:#b7cbff\">Alternate Conceptions as a Launchpad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">&#8220;Alternate Conceptions&#8221; are not always a hurdle we must get over in order to teach our students. Instead, we are able to harness this knowledge gradient in order to facilitate curiosity and inquiry-based learning. For example&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"50 Science Misconceptions - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep.18)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LqaDf2fuUH8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">If you have students watch this video and then select a topic to investigate, you can provide them with a chance to clarify their own thinking through independent project development. Alternatively, you could provide students with a checklist for each of these misconceptions in order to gather their thoughts\/stances on each one. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"415\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2022\/04\/survey.png?resize=800%2C415&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/survey.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/survey.png?resize=300%2C156&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/survey.png?resize=768%2C398&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-background wp-block-heading\" style=\"background-color:#b2e2ff\">TLDR&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"491\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2022\/04\/alternateconception-1024x491.jpg?resize=1024%2C491&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/alternateconception.jpg?resize=1024%2C491&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/alternateconception.jpg?resize=300%2C144&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/alternateconception.jpg?resize=768%2C369&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/alternateconception.jpg?resize=1536%2C737&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2022\/04\/alternateconception.jpg?resize=2048%2C983&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">A deviation from the norm isn&#8217;t always bad unless the misguided belief is actually rooted in irrational fanaticism. If we can provide students with an environment that encourages the valuation of evidence, we are able to better prepare students for rational decision-making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-background wp-block-heading\" style=\"background-color:#abe2ce\">A Bonus&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">For those of you who enjoy philosophy&#8230; or just <em>It&#8217;s Always Sunny In Philadelphia<\/em>.<br><br>WARNING: Light Language<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Is Science a Liar? A Philosopher Reacts to It&#039;s Always Sunny\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pv-gPQ6RqPU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-css-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links has-normal-icon-size items-justified-center is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-twitter  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrMischler\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M22.23,5.924c-0.736,0.326-1.527,0.547-2.357,0.646c0.847-0.508,1.498-1.312,1.804-2.27 c-0.793,0.47-1.671,0.812-2.606,0.996C18.324,4.498,17.257,4,16.077,4c-2.266,0-4.103,1.837-4.103,4.103 c0,0.322,0.036,0.635,0.106,0.935C8.67,8.867,5.647,7.234,3.623,4.751C3.27,5.357,3.067,6.062,3.067,6.814 c0,1.424,0.724,2.679,1.825,3.415c-0.673-0.021-1.305-0.206-1.859-0.513c0,0.017,0,0.034,0,0.052c0,1.988,1.414,3.647,3.292,4.023 c-0.344,0.094-0.707,0.144-1.081,0.144c-0.264,0-0.521-0.026-0.772-0.074c0.522,1.63,2.038,2.816,3.833,2.85 c-1.404,1.1-3.174,1.756-5.096,1.756c-0.331,0-0.658-0.019-0.979-0.057c1.816,1.164,3.973,1.843,6.29,1.843 c7.547,0,11.675-6.252,11.675-11.675c0-0.178-0.004-0.355-0.012-0.531C20.985,7.47,21.68,6.747,22.23,5.924z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized wp-duotone-0e0e0e-ffffff-1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2021\/11\/Headshot.jpg?resize=142%2C147&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4085\" width=\"142\" height=\"147\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Michael Mischler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miami Universit<em>y || Class of 2023<\/em><br>College of Education Health and Society ||&nbsp;<em>Integrated Science Education Major<\/em><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>What are &#8220;Alternate&#8221; Conceptions? &#8220;Alternate Conception&#8221; is essentially a euphemism for &#8220;Misconception.&#8221; The necessity of which is tied to the nature of science itself. Modern-day <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2022\/04\/tomato-tomahto-conception-conceeption\/\" title=\"&#8220;Tomato\/Tomahto, Conception\/Conceeption&#8221;\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":4916,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,154],"tags":[106,226,68],"class_list":["post-4362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-misc","category-misconceptions-in-science","tag-edt432","tag-misconceptions","tag-science-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4916"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4362"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4722,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362\/revisions\/4722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}