What Do Kids Know – and Misunderstand – About Science
All children are little scientists because they formulate their own concepts about things through their personal experience and imagination. This article that I read called What Do Kids Know – and Misunderstand – About Science states that most children tend to form their own beliefs about certain things that happens around them, which leads them to having many common misconception. Some of these misconceptions includes: “large and heavy objects always sinks, magnets attract all metals, and the earth is the center of the solar system…” and so on (Crockett 34). Throughout this paper, I will identify the two tests done to show how we can understand children’s misconception of why they think what they think. This paper will briefly summarize the ideas stated in Crockett’s article by reinstating building understanding in children, how to help students understand their thoughts, and assessing those students understandings.
First, let’s break down “building understanding in children”. Children may be able to pinpoint the correct answer, but they have formulated their own reasoning as to why the answer is correct. This section discusses what is known as, “useable knowledge” or “useable ideas”. Useable knowledge/Useable ideas is when a student is using what is already known and trying to combine it with the new material being taught by the instructor. It is neither correct nor incorrect because the student can give a correct answer but have the wrong explanation of why/ how they obtained that answer or the student can give the wrong answer but have the correct concept of why it’s supposed to be the answer they conveyed. These useable ideas lead to the process of misconception.
With this in mind, we come to the next step of how to help students understand their thoughts. As an educator, we must create a classroom environment that involves students within their own learning such active learning. For example, active discussion in class could help clear students’ misconceptions. Active discussion gives everyone involved a chance to talk and clear up any misunderstandings. The discussion period gives teachers a chance to talk and answer questions to guide the students in the right direction. Another example of helping students understand their thoughts is through carousel brainstorming. This involves the teacher giving students a broad topic with several questions addressing that particular topic. She gives students a certain period of time to come up with their own brief answers about the topic until they’ve rotated around the entire classroom. The class will start to narrow down their own questions and answers that they put inside of their carousel bubbles to conclude what is true and what is false. The students’ will discuss their misleading answers with each other as well as the teacher. The carousel activity, gives the teacher the opportunity to address misleading concepts, which is becoming a problem during assessment.
To be sure that misconception was actually a problem during state testing, there were two different tests constructed to evaluate theories of students’ confusion. During these testing, they used fifth through eighth graders and most of the students scored 40 percent accuracy on their tests. On the assessment there were multiple choice questions that consisted of the correct answer and many misconception answers. Also there were multiple choice questions that had the correct answers and nonsense answers. Through this testing it was noted that many students chose misconception answers over the correct answers and chose the correct answers over nonsense answers. These findings showed that the test was looking for the correct answers and not an explanation. So when the students were faced with a question asking about seasonal changes they answered correctly, however when the next question asked them to chose the rotation the Earth makes in order for the season to change, students chose incorrect answers (which was a figure 8). In conclusion, educator should begin to do self reflections on lessons that are being taught within their classroom as well as asking students questions.
Work Cited
Crockett, C. (2004, February).What Do Kids Know – and Misunderstand – About Science. Educational Leadership, (4) 34-37.