{"id":5045,"date":"2023-04-26T22:54:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T02:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/?p=5045"},"modified":"2023-04-26T22:54:40","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T02:54:40","slug":"headache-or-hiccup-science-misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2023\/04\/headache-or-hiccup-science-misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Headache or Hiccup: Science Misconceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/BE306D59-B412-4D5B-9C69-D20434A8BC3B-1024x468.jpeg?resize=1024%2C468&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5046\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/BE306D59-B412-4D5B-9C69-D20434A8BC3B.jpeg?resize=1024%2C468&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/BE306D59-B412-4D5B-9C69-D20434A8BC3B.jpeg?resize=300%2C137&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/BE306D59-B412-4D5B-9C69-D20434A8BC3B.jpeg?resize=768%2C351&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/BE306D59-B412-4D5B-9C69-D20434A8BC3B.jpeg?w=1134&amp;ssl=1 1134w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What are alternate conceptions of science? How do they affect students and teachers alike in science classrooms? Let&#8217;s take a deeper look and examine an in-depth example:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The definition of alternate conceptions is \u201cthe ideas which children and adults use to explain various scientific concepts which do not match with the generally accepted scientific explanation of those concepts\u201d ( Aga Khan University, 2021).\u00a0<\/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=\"Good Thinking! \u2014 Conceptual Change: How New Ideas Take Root\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N3a_4471DEU?start=1&#038;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<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color has-background\">So what is one BIG alternative concept that some students may bring to the classroom? Today we will be using the misconception of the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Earth being flat.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be thinking that the idea of the Earth being flat has faded out over time due to scientific discoveries, but this is unfortunately not the case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201c a recent YouGov poll found that only around two-thirds of Americans aged between 18 and 24 believe that the Earth is round\u201d (University of Melbourne, 2019).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social media has played a big role in spreading the story of a flat Earth.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many people have begun to mistrust mainstream sources of scientific information.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If this misconception could affect my students, what&#8217;s the best way to inform them in a respectful and non-demeaning way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color has-background\">Help them understand the forces of gravity and its effect on Earth:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Materials:&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Playdough or mouldable clay.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\n<li>Ask students how gravity affects the Earth and everything on it. Students should note that gravity is pulling them down and everything around them.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask students if gravity affects ALL of the earth. They should note that everyone on the planet is held down by gravity.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Students should then watch this video: https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/video\/gravity-m3swlv\/ <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/41DF398C-C12E-48B9-B583-2F44E69ECAAC-1024x320.jpeg?resize=1024%2C320&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/41DF398C-C12E-48B9-B583-2F44E69ECAAC-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C320&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/41DF398C-C12E-48B9-B583-2F44E69ECAAC-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C94&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/41DF398C-C12E-48B9-B583-2F44E69ECAAC-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C240&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/41DF398C-C12E-48B9-B583-2F44E69ECAAC-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C480&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/41DF398C-C12E-48B9-B583-2F44E69ECAAC-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C640&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Have students represent gravity\u2019s effect on Earth by applying pressure around ALL sides of the Playdough evenly. This should create a round ball in their hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5. Prompt the students: If the Playdough was smashed into a flat surface, would our definition of gravity from earlier still apply? Students should identify that the flat model of the Earth defies their idea of gravity from before because only the two flat surfaces are being affected, not the sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"464\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/A58E1444-08DB-439D-B8A4-7804852C8467-1024x464.jpeg?resize=1024%2C464&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/A58E1444-08DB-439D-B8A4-7804852C8467.jpeg?resize=1024%2C464&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/A58E1444-08DB-439D-B8A4-7804852C8467.jpeg?resize=300%2C136&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/A58E1444-08DB-439D-B8A4-7804852C8467.jpeg?resize=768%2C348&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/A58E1444-08DB-439D-B8A4-7804852C8467.jpeg?w=1160&amp;ssl=1 1160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While this activity is a small example of how we can address alternate conceptions, there are many ways to respectfully correct misconceptions. It is important to keep in mind:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students may have learned these misconceptions from parents, religion, and community socialization.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DO NOT attempt to \u201cprove the student wrong.\u201d You can easily redirect their ideas to be based on scientific facts while still acknowledging their connection to the content.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can show students that both their original ideas and scientific ones can coexist and work together.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"997\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/EEC96057-3678-4DAB-A5BD-D29C9C81F719-1024x997.jpeg?resize=1024%2C997&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/EEC96057-3678-4DAB-A5BD-D29C9C81F719.jpeg?resize=1024%2C997&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/EEC96057-3678-4DAB-A5BD-D29C9C81F719.jpeg?resize=300%2C292&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/EEC96057-3678-4DAB-A5BD-D29C9C81F719.jpeg?resize=768%2C748&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/files\/2023\/04\/EEC96057-3678-4DAB-A5BD-D29C9C81F719.jpeg?w=1050&amp;ssl=1 1050w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for reading, and hopefully this blog has sparked some WONDERFUL ideas on how to respectfully address science misconceptions. Below you can find my Twitter! <\/p>\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\">As educators, we should be aware of our students&#39; identities and their preconceived notions about science. It is our duty to respectfully help students understand their scientific misconceptions! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Scienceteacher?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Scienceteacher<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/science?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#science<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/educator?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#educator<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DbWPuolQ7j\">pic.twitter.com\/DbWPuolQ7j<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ms. Lord (@B1ologyteacher) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/B1ologyteacher\/status\/1651419234033909761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 27, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>What are alternate conceptions of science? How do they affect students and teachers alike in science classrooms? Let&#8217;s take a deeper look and examine an <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2023\/04\/headache-or-hiccup-science-misconceptions\/\" title=\"Headache or Hiccup: Science Misconceptions\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6664,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[154],"tags":[106,50,11,133,67],"class_list":["post-5045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-misconceptions-in-science","tag-edt432","tag-science-education","tag-science-teacher","tag-scienceteaching","tag-stem"],"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\/5045","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\/6664"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5045"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5054,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5045\/revisions\/5054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}