Heather had some very common science misconceptions such as the seasons being caused by the distance to the sun. I think this misconception comes from 2 things one a basic logical assumptions that would assume if the sun is a source of heat than the further away we are the colder it is. This logic falls apart when you take in to account the northern and southern hemispheres have summer at opposite times of the year. I also think this misconception comes from being taught incorrect science. I have personally observed on more than one account, teachers teach this very incorrect assumption and in honesty thought that the clip of the teacher’s moon phase lesson was awful and confusing at best for the kids. Most primary teachers have little to no training in math, science, or technology. I’d rather a student learn no science that backward science. It is much easier to learn and commit a new idea to memory than it is to correct or ‘un-learn’ and incorrectly learned idea.
I remember having a frustrating discussion with my 78yr old grandmother about how rotting meat actually doesn’t turn into maggots. Even though Francesco Redi dispelled the idea in the mid 1600’s, parts of society and even teachers still held the notion of meat turning into maggots in the early 1930s when my grandmother was born. She actually told me that is what she was taught in school. I tried to ‘un-teach’ my poor grandmother the spontaneous maggot generation theory but I think after 78 years she will likely not remember my new teachings over her original conception.
Something in science that is a pet peeve of mine is the commonly taught idea of the tongue map. The tongue map or taste map is a common misconception that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different basic tastes. It is illustrated with a schematic map of the tongue, with certain parts of the tongue labeled for each taste. Although widely taught in schools, this was scientifically disproven by later research; all taste sensations come from all regions of the tongue, although parts may be more sensitive to certain flavors. I found an interesting article addressing the misconception of the tongue map idea titled “The Tongue Map, Real or Not?” (Marshall, 2013) In this article a teacher uses an inquiry based lesson to have students taste different flavors interpret the results and decide for themselves what to believe about the concept of the tongue map. I found this to be an excellent approach to battling misconceptions that would likely never be an issue for these students again afterward.
Reference
Marshall, P. (2013). The Tongue Map, Real or Not?. The American Biology Teacher, 75(8), 583-586.