Tapping Into Student Preconceptions

Tapping into Student Tapping into Student PreconceptionsPreconceptions

• Students start any unit of study with pre-existing ideas or models.

• By knowing students’ prior ideas, the teacher can design learning experiences to target incorrect models and replace them with correct ones.

Why are preconceptions Why are preconceptions important to understanding?important to understanding?• Some student

preconceptions can prevent the acceptance of the correct scientific model.

• Teaching without reflection on student prior knowledge can enhance student misconceptions.

An ESBD Sample UnitAn ESBD Sample Unit

Scientific Revolution: The Scientific Revolution: The Theory of Plate TectonicsTheory of Plate Tectonics

Unit OverviewUnit Overview

• Looking at plate tectonics through a historical and scientific lens.

• Students construct their own understanding by collecting evidence, modeling true scientific process.

Enduring UnderstandingsEnduring Understandings• The theory of plate tectonics was once a

new idea; it is now widely accepted by most scientists because of the evidence that has been collected which supports it.

• Continents are part of the earth’s plates; when the plates are moved the continents also move.

• The intense heat of the earth’s core is responsible for the movement of the tectonic plates.

• Over millions of years the continuous movement of the Earth causes the continents (landmasses) to merge and divide repeatedly.

Essential QuestionsEssential Questions

• How did the theory of plate tectonics evolve?• What is the mechanism that drives the

movement of the continents? What is its fuel?• What allows the continents to move?• What evidence supports the theory of plate

tectonics?• Why did competent scientists reject the idea of

continental drift?• Why is this theory a revolution?

Preconception SurveyPreconception Survey

• If you were looking down on the earth from space 200 million years ago what would it look like?

• What does the ocean floor between North America and Europe look like?

• Describe what is under the continents.• Describe what happens to the ocean floor when

the continents move during continental drift.• What allows the continents to move?• Where does the energy needed to move the

continents come from? Explain how this energy moves the continents.

Sample student responses:Sample student responses:

What does the ocean floor between What does the ocean floor between North America and Europe look like ?North America and Europe look like ?

• Student ideas about the ocean floor fall into several different categories.

• The replacement of these ideas with the actual ocean floor topography is an important step in their understanding of seafloor spreading.

KatieKatie

BenBen

CarissaCarissa

Describe what is under the Describe what is under the continents.continents.

• Students often believe that the continents are floating on the surface of the ocean and move like floating rafts.

BrynnBrynn

DavidDavid

CarissaCarissa

NinaNina

What allows the continents to What allows the continents to move?move?

• Student easily integrate that the plates allow the continents to move but their model is often very different from the actual model.

HannaHanna

Describe what happens to the ocean Describe what happens to the ocean floor when the continents move.floor when the continents move.

• Student models showed the stretching and pushing together of the ocean floor when continents move.

CooperCooper

Where does the energy needed to Where does the energy needed to move the continents come from?move the continents come from?• Student understanding of this concept

varies from gravity to the heat of the sun.• More often though, students have used

the heat of the interior of the earth but have incorrect ideas about how the heat of the earth moves the earth’s crust.

NinaNina

Confronting Student models and Confronting Student models and replacing Misunderstandingsreplacing Misunderstandings

• Analysis of the origin of student ideas is key for students to replace their misunderstandings.

Nina-PreconceptionNina-Preconception

Nina PostconceptionNina Postconception

Nina PreconceptionNina Preconception

Nina-PostconceptionNina-Postconception

Ben-PreconceptionBen-Preconception

Ben PostconceptionBen Postconception

Cooper-PreconceptionCooper-Preconception

Cooper PostconceptionCooper Postconception

Hanna-PreconceptionHanna-Preconception

Hanna PostconceptionHanna Postconception

David-PreconceptionDavid-Preconception

David PostconceptionDavid Postconception

Brynn-PreconceptionBrynn-Preconception

Brynn PostconceptionBrynn Postconception