Response to Kerin -- I really enjoyed your introduction to science --
"the reason we even have science today is because someone looked around
and went 'Hmmm, I wonder . . .' Since that first 'Hmmm' people have been trying
to make sense of the things we see around us." It is a very simple approach,
but yet it is also very true. Science is all about creating, proving, and
disputing theories. In reading your essay, I am reminded of a statement frequently
made by a member of my church. He says that theories are born when one person
comes up with an idea and a couple of others admit that it might be a possibility.
His father-in-law, who was a well-known member of the International Bible
Society (Wilbur Dayton for those of you who might be familiar with the IBS),
admitted that this was an accurate statement. Now, he is referring to theologians,
but I think this could apply to scientists as well. We don't know a lot about
how things came about or why they exist and react the way they do. Science
is all about searching and discovering possible solutions to our questions
about things we do not understand. To find these answers we keep studying,
coming up with theories, experimenting to prove/disprove our theories, and
repeating of other people's experiments to prove/disprove their theories.
Many misconceptions are developed through this constant proving/disproving
of theories. As for students thinking that we teachers know everything, I
have found this to be very true. They often expect you to know the answers
to everything. They are surprised when they discover that teachers have questions
about things and can make mistakes too!
Response to Tammy -- You said, "Students also have misconceptions
about the amount of time it should take to solve a problem. Many will stop
almost immediately or ask for help if they cannot figure out a solution very
quickly. Some students may even give up if they cannot solve a problem within
a very short amount of time." I see this all of the time in my special
education classes. My students become so frustrated, because the problem is
taking a long time to solve, that they just give up and "skip it".
They are so used to solving problems to the best
of their ability and still coming up with the wrong answer, that they have
little, or no, patience with the problems. This frustration is multiplied
when they see the other students getting the tasks completed, correctly, in
a much shorter amount of time.
Response to Kristy -- It is amazing how easily students, and even adults,
believe what they read. The emergence of the internet as exponentially increased
this misconception. For some reason, people commonly believe that everything
they read MUST be true. I have come across yet another computer misception.
Tradition holds that what is good enough for the parents, is good enough for
the children. For generations, children have followed in their parents' footsteps.
In my computer class, I am frequently asked why students have to learn to
type and use the computer. Students say, "My dad (or mom) doesn't know
how to do this and he does just fine, makes lots of money." My response
usually has something to do with the fact that the world is changing and that
in today's world almost every job has some kind of connection to the computer.
I wonder, if they will be satisfied living on their father/mother's income
for the rest of their lives. I am sure the answer is no. So...why should they
be satisfied learning only what their parents learned?
