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Re: wrong physics explanations-misconceptions



danmacisaac wrote:

The word "misconceptions"
implies to me that a person's thoughts are "sick" and require "cure",
and denigrates the profound importance of students' initial conceptual
states.

Wow. The word doesn't mean that to me. Not at all.

I think Dan points to an important _idea_ there, but let's
separate the word from the idea. IMHO the word is not to
blame for the problem in question.

There are plenty of people (teachers as well as students)
who think that being wrong is Wrong, just the way stealing
is Wrong. We have to combat that idea. Students come in
with all sorts of wrong ideas. The ideas are wrong, but
that doesn't make the ideas Wrong and it certainly doesn't
make the students Wrong or Bad. Getting rid of wrong ideas
is hard, much harder than starting from tabula_rasa and
adding 100% pure good ideas.

Emergent research in science and mathematics teaching suggests
that if we want to radically improve instructional outcomes, we must
elicit student's ideas and accommodate them in our instruction, and we
can't do this for something we don't respect.

That's a fine sentiment. I am just not seeing any
connection between "misconceptions" and "disrespect".

I prefer to avoid the word "misconceptions", and attach a certain
suspicion to the insights of those who use the word freely. The
phrases "learner thought" or "student thought" and "student ideas"
usually suffice.

I see the argument, but find it unconvincing.
I still don't think terminology is the issue here.

If a teacher disrespects the students, the students will
figure it out, no matter what terminology is used. And
vice versa.

======================

If we're
continually learning better models of physics, then we may never know
(or teach) anything but "misconceptions".

I don't think that's the central issue here.
We all know that nothing's perfect.
But somehow we manage to get by, day by day.