Why are misconceptions so prevalent amongst both adolescents and adults alike? Is there anything that can be done to reduce the prevalence of misconceptions? Are there any techniques that can be utilized in the classroom to prevent children from developing these misconceptions at an early age? All of these are questions that entered my mind while completing this week’s readings. Although none of them have been completely answered through the readings, and it was be na�ve of me to think that concrete answers exist for each of these questions, I do believe that my understanding of why these misconceptions develop has increased drastically from these readings.
Posner’s definition of learning as “fundamentally coming to comprehend and accept ideas because they are seen as intelligible and rational” was very interesting to me. Throughout my time in school, I never really thought about learning in this manner. From a young age, I found myself readily accepting much of the information learned in school because it was what I was being taught. I would assimilate the knowledge, preventing myself from taking a perspective on the issue. In Posner’s article, a student was asked to recollect something she had read; she was able to provide an answer without hesitation, but this answer contained no real thought. She merely regurgitated the information without adding her interpretation about how such a problem could be solved. This was a very big “ahah” moment for me because this is exactly what I did throughout school. In my mind, learning was a process of memorizing and supplying that information when prompted. With this mindset, there is no doubt in my mind that I had and probably still possess many misconceptions about the world around me. It is only now that I am developing the ability to create rational arguments in my head in an attempt to determine the validity of an argument. I believe that this skill is essential, and I know that it will be a huge challenge, but I want to teach how to reason this way within my own classroom one day.
While reading TSS, I came to recognize the importance of conceptual development on the overall understanding of the students. However, I found that it was through this conceptual development that students often try to develop concrete examples – resulting in misconceptions. It seems logical that one would take something more abstract and try to define it in concrete terms because our abilities to learn in the concrete develop much earlier than those that develop in the abstract. With that being said, I have already mentioned the importance in developing an approach to teaching that reduces the number of misconceptions present. Am I being overly optimistic here? Yes, I think so. However, I also think that there are ways to help students with their conceptual development, while encouraging them to develop their overall understanding of the application of such concepts in other areas of their lives.
After completing all of this reading, I find myself questioning its significance. If this information about misconceptions has been around for so long than why are they still so prevalent? All I know is that I have come to develop a newfound appreciation for those teachers that truly excel at their jobs. The complexity of the education field is just continuing to grow in my mind, and I am anxiously awaiting the challenges ahead.
Tags: Team MACK
Kristyn, I find myself thinking the same thing about the amount of memorizing we all do for school. Too often we are simply going through the motions, trying to score well on exams instead of thinking about our learning in a metacognitive fashion. I did so much of this memorizing in my undergrad. Now I look back and wish I had done a better job of stepping back from the material and trying to focus on the main concepts and how these concepts mapped onto what I already knew or thought. I will say that the science classes at PSU didn’t do me any favors either, since memorizing seems to be the only way to survive.
Making knowledge concrete occurs at an early age for many people. I always think that by the time they reach us in High School, how can we begin to change some of these concepts that are so deeply solidified that it will take a complete overhaul of their thinking, which don’t have time for. We need to find what works best for our classroom, and that will probably change from class to class as the students change. Sure doesn’t sound easy to be an effective teacher. And to speak to Matt’s comment, maybe a really captivating personality can overcome a boring teaching style so that we pay attention more to the material? Something for us to kick around in class.
Kristyn, I found your blog very honest and it was nice to hear your personal experiences in learning. I can relate to how you used to approach learning. In the earlier years of my education, I thought that learning was being able to restate the notes that were placed on the board. A major flaw of many teachers is not helping students to put concepts into the larger picture of understanding. Rather, many teachers are guilty of drilling in the idea that this information must be known by the next exam. As future teachers, I want to make sure that I help to provide a bigger picture to my students. This could help to eliminate the flawed notion that once the exam is over one concept can be pushed aside for a new concept. To help students to create the conceptual ecology that the researchers spoke of is something that all teachers should aim to help students achieve.
After reading your post, Kristyn, I really started to think about my favorite teachers and the characteristics that made them my favorites. One of my favorites taught physics in a very didactic way. He dictated notes to us, and did labs like they were out of a cookbook. Despite these points, he was completely captivating! There was something about his personality that was very memorable. On the other hand, I was a very motivated student.
Meanwhile, I’ve had teachers/professors that did it the “right way” (interactive, collaborative learning, hands-on, etc) and I hated their classes. Again, being competitive and motivated were the only reasons I “jumped the hoops” and succeeded in the class. It seems that different styles/personalities are appealing for some but not for others.
So what’s more important? Personality or technique?