Sweater article

In “Teaching for Conceptual Change: Confronting Children’s Experience” the authors discuss students’ perceptions and how they shape their thinking. Children are constantly told to “put on your warm sweater, coat, hat, etc., it’s cold outside.” The students in Ms. O’Brien’s class reasoned that because sweater and hats are “warm” they produce heat.

After allowing her students to test their theories over a number of days, their thinking began to change – but it took a lot of experiments.  According to the authors, “if alterative views of scientific principles are not addressed, they can coexist with 'what the teacher told us', and create a mishmash of fact and fiction.” But how do we as teachers always know what the students are thinking? I think sometimes we are not aware of what we think until we are allowed to discuss and debate or hear someone else’s opinion. Sometimes I’m not sure what I believe, but I am sure what I don’t believe. I found it very interesting that the authors equated children’s behaviors with those of scientists – if results continue to disprove what they once thought they argue, cling to old theories and try to reinforce the traditional way of thinking.

I agree with the authors’ teaching ideas about overcoming misconceptions, however, I am still not sure how long you let students debate before stepping in and pointing them in the right directions. When my children ask me a question, I often turn the tables on them and ask them what they think. Depending on how much time I have, we discuss their ideas right or wrong, I give them hints, but I move on fairly quickly. Can I spend days debating their incorrect theories at the beginning of every unit and still get the entire curriculum covered?

One thing the authors made clear is that if misconceptions are not addressed students will never fully understand a concept or scientific phenomenon.

 

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