Misconceptions,+Apr+7

=Building and Not Building Upon Student Misconceptions=

Working from the education research of Harvard professor, Dr. Phil Sadler and using some resources (Beyond the Solar System dvd and MOSART) developed in conjunction with his work, we explored the different strategies for "teasing apart" student misconceptions and working to address those misconceptions. Examples of probes and activities were largely space science based as that is the subject in which the research originated, however, connections were made as much as possible to other concept areas. Some of the key "take home messages" were:
 * using open-ended diagrams to find out what students know
 * the value of student narratives/interviews to discover more about what they are thinking or trying to represent
 * asking students to predict and commit (actually writing down what they think as an individual)
 * helping students bridge from prior knowledge to new knowledge
 * using the 5 E's (we'll do more with this)
 * the effectiveness of kinesthetic and 3D models over 2D diagrams