Childrens Misconceptions

in Science

First Premise
Children come to science teaching with
ideas about most phenomena with which
they have any experience. Many of
these ideas are wrong when compared
to standard science understandings.
This presents a potential paradoxwe
can only hope to teach children about
things with which they have experience,
but much of that experience leads them
to misunderstand the phenomena.

Sources
Reasoning directly from experience
without differentiating conditions
I know that a chick comes from an egg, so
a seed must be about the same
When I get nearer to a flame, I feel more
heat. Summer is hotter than winter, so
Earth must be closer to the sun then.

Incorrect teaching
Attempts to simplify material
Teachers misunderstanding of material

Oversimplification
Animals are alive. Plants are not alive.
Flowers and trees are plants. Weeds
& grass are not plants
Plants take in everything they need
through their roots
Sunlight is helpful, but not critical
All plants grow in soil
Shoots grow up to get to light

Oversimplification
Chlorophyll is the only substance in a plant
that is required for photosynthesis.
6 CO2 + 6H2O -----------------------------------------
6 02 + C6H1206
sunlight &
chlorophyll

Large amounts of water are needed to keep

the stomata open so carbon dioxide is
available.
The single arrow implies one step
6 CO2 + 6H2O chloroplasts,
---------------------6
light, minerals 02 +
(C6H1206)n

Overgeneralization
All plants are photosynthetic (a few
arent)
All plants live on land
All pollination involves flowers
All pollination is done by bees

Obsolete Ideas
Geotropism vs. Gravitotropism
Allelopathy
Cellular respiration in plants only
occurs at night

Misidentification

Celery is a stem
Carrots are just like other roots
Potatoes are just like other roots
Pine nuts are a type of nut
Pollination is the same as fertilization
Plant food is like our food

Alternative Frameworks
The most vivid/active thing in the field of
observation is responsible for the result. This
is often associated with a sort of volition:
Eyes pull in light from what they see.
Ears seek out sound.
Plants can sense light far away.
Flames try to draw oxygen up.
The sun moves around the Earth.
When a balloon pops it is because the air wants
to get out.

Alternative Explanations
Supernatural causes
Ghosts
Monsters
Momentary Luck

Superstitionsassociating patterns of
unrelated events as having a causal
relationship
Lucky penny
Broken mirror
Walking under a ladder

Find more at:

Children's Misconceptions about
Science
http://www.amasci.com/miscon/opphys.html
New York Science Teacher
http://www.newyorkscienceteacher.com/sci/p
ages/miscon/index.php
Errors in Science Textbooks
http://www.amasci.com/miscon/miscon4.html