{"id":978,"date":"2017-01-13T01:06:44","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T08:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/?p=978"},"modified":"2017-01-13T01:07:17","modified_gmt":"2017-01-13T08:07:17","slug":"978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/2017\/01\/13\/978\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond This Place There Be Dragons"},"content":{"rendered":"

In <\/span>A Private Universe<\/span><\/i>, Heather\u2019s challenges come from a number of places:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Her brain\u2019s attempt to integrate correct information from differing topics (see: Heather\u2019s reference to analemmas in her description of orbits)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Integrating learned conceptual knowledge with observed phenomena (seasonal differences caused by proximity to the sun makes sense when we think about our experience with proximity to a heat source)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Her own best guesses at information she has not yet learned.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Heather\u2019s misconceptions tend to be around phenomena she can\u2019t observe. \u00a0As Driver et al (1985) states, \u201cs<\/span>ome elements in the structure of a scientific theory do not correspond to direct perceptions\u201d (p. 5). \u00a0Because of this, Heather must assimilate knowledge of her perceived environment with the theoretical or unobservable. \u00a0<\/span>The demonstrations her teacher led with the model of the solar system were helping to correct her understanding. \u00a0Posner et al (1982) theorized that to change a misconception, a person must: be dissatisfied with current conceptions, have the ability to understand a new conception, have an initially plausible new conception, and the new conception must be seen as means to open up new learning. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Heather\u2019s old thoughts had a stickiness to them – whenever Heather was questioned beyond a point of her comfort zone, she would return to her old explanations. \u00a0When it came to her description of the seasons, it sounded like she was on the right track, but misconceptions revealed themselves when she was questioned. \u00a0Chi (2005) would point out that Heather was mis-categorizing an \u2018emergent\u2019 process as a \u2018direct\u2019 process. \u00a0Her ideas of direct and indirect light seemed to be based on her observed notions of reflection. \u00a0The observed direct process was so powerful in her thinking that she was able to ignore the fact there is almost nothing in space for the sun\u2019s light to reflect off to \u2018bounce\u2019 back at Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

    As a teacher, I remain an optimist about my student\u2019s ability to adapt to new ways of thinking. \u00a0For Heather, I hope that, as she integrates correct information into her understanding, it will replace misconceptions. \u00a0It seems to me that the deeper her inquiry and the more frequent her exposure to the correct information, the more likely Heather is to rewire her brain away from the misconceptions she holds (though maybe that is my own deeply held misconception!). \u00a0While I was watching the video and listening to all the Harvard grads explain their flawed view of the changing seasons, I found myself shaking my head and feeling quite smug. \u00a0Later, I reflected on Heather\u2019s interview and remembered how her improved explanations fell to pieces when she was questioned and probed deeper. \u00a0As an experiment, I began asking myself deeper questions about my own understanding of the seasons, and found it didn\u2019t take long until I was out of my depth. \u00a0The fact is, there is a point at which every person\u2019s understanding on a given topic comes to its limit. \u00a0Like the signs on ancient maps, \u2018beyond this place there be dragons\u2019, it is imagination, educated guesses, and misconceptions that live in that place beyond our understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

    References<\/span><\/p>\n

    Chi, M. T. H. (2005). Commonsense conceptions of emergent processes: Why some <\/span>misconceptions are robust.<\/span> Journal of the Learning Sciences, 14<\/span><\/i>(2), 161-199. doi:10.1207\/s15327809jls1402_1<\/span><\/p>\n

    Driver, R., Guesne, E., & Tiberghien, A. (1985). Children\u2019s ideas and the learning of science. <\/span>Children\u2019s ideas in science, 1-9. Retrieved from: https:\/\/www.questia.com\/read\/118893479\/children-s-ideas-in-science<\/span><\/p>\n

    Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W. and Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accommodation of ascientific conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change. Sci. Ed., 66: 211\u2013227. doi: 10.1002\/sce.373066020. \u00a0Retrieved from: <\/span>http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/sce.3730660207\/full<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Schneps, M. H., Sadler, P. M., Woll, S., & Crouse, L. (1989). <\/span>A Private universe<\/span><\/i>. S. Burlington, <\/span>VT: <\/span>Annenberg Media.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In A Private Universe, Heather\u2019s challenges come from a number of places: Her brain\u2019s attempt to integrate correct information from differing topics (see: Heather\u2019s reference to analemmas in her description of orbits) Integrating learned conceptual knowledge with observed phenomena (seasonal differences caused by proximity to the sun makes sense when we think about our experience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44373,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1669382],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-conceptual-challenges"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44373"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=978"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":980,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/978\/revisions\/980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/stem2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}