1.  Science Misconceptions Held by Teachers in Northwest Ohio Presented at CCC meeting 10.1.2008 by Jake Burgoon E-mail jburgoo@bgsu.edu with any questions or commentsjburgoo@bgsu.edu

2. The Need for Assessment  Lack of student proficiency in science  Application of knowledge  Lack of conceptual understanding of science  Misconceptions

3. Misconceptions Galore!  Students come into the classroom with ideas about the natural world  Everyday experiences  Students are resistant to give up these ideas  Memorize facts, utilize misconceptions  Misconceptions can be reinforced by teachers

4. Increasing Student Proficiency Help students overcome misconceptions Use misconceptions to guide instruction Become aware of student misconceptions Pre-assess students Increase student proficiency

5. Knowledge is Power  Teacher content knowledge influences:  Assessment creation  Assessment analysis  Inaccurate conclusions  Overlooking student misconceptions  Not addressing student needs  Help teachers overcome their own misconceptions

6. NWO-TEAMS  Teachers Enhancing Achievement in Mathematics and Science  Increase content knowledge and use of inquiry-based teaching strategies

7. Misconceptions  Density and mass  Gravity  Magnetism  Animal classification  Chemical reactions

8. Density and Mass Water is poured into Container 1 and frozen. Water is poured into Containers 2 and 3 to match the level of the frozen water (ice) in Container 1. Each beaker is tightly sealed. Container 2 is heated until all the water has changed to vapor (the dots in the picture represent water vapor). Container 3 is left at room temperature. Describe how the mass of each container relates to the others, and explain why. FROZENHEATED ROOM TEMPERATURE Greatest mass 42% Least mass 37%

9. Gravity Two metal balls are the same size, but one weighs twice as much as the other. They roll off a horizontal table with the same speed. In this situation: A. Both balls will hit the floor at the same time B. The heavier ball will hit the floor first C. The lighter ball will hit the floor first 78%

10. When is gravity acting? 50% 33% Chris pushes off the top of the skateboarding ramp, rides down, and stops at point D by stomping on the back edge of his skateboard. At which stages of his descent (A, B, C, and D) are gravity and friction acting on Chris and/or his skateboard? Place a check in the appropriate boxes.

11. Magnetism Which of these will be attracted to a magnet? A. Platinum wedding ring B. Iron filings C. Aluminum key ring D. Iron key E. Copper coin F. All of the objects G. None of the objects What happens when you cut a magnet in half? A. No longer attract objects B. Attract objects from both ends C. Attract object only at one end D. Have two north poles or two south poles E. Be less powerful than the original 44% 22% 15% 78% 19% 15%

12. Animal Classification Vertebrate Invertebrate Fish Amphibian Reptile Bird Mammal 26% 28% 18%

13. Animal Classification Vertebrate Invertebrate Fish Amphibian Reptile Bird Mammal 19% 24% 65%23%54%

14. Chemical Reactions Hermione Granger is mixing up potions in Professor Snape’s class. She heats some Murtlap and adds Syrup of Hellebore and confirms with Snape that the resulting greenish dense fog in her cauldron is Gregory’s Unctuous Unction. However, when her mixture cools down again, she finds she is left with Murtlap and Syrup of Hellebore. She heats and cools her cauldron several times and gets the same result. Which of the following best describes the reaction? A. It is a physical change because the original substances aren’t altered B. It is a physical change because it is easily reversible C. It is a chemical change because a new substance is formed D. It is a chemical change because fog formation is an indication of a chemical reaction 67% 11% A + BC

15. Summary  Student misconceptions can hinder their conceptual understanding  Teachers have some of the same misconceptions as their students  All metals are magnetic, gases have little or no mass, chemical reactions are not reversible  Helping teachers overcome their own misconceptions increases their ability to effectively assess their students

16. Future Work of NWO/COSMOS  Design professional development programs that:  Address the misconceptions held by teachers  Help teachers design effective assessments  Inform teachers how to overcome their students’ misconceptions  Improve science and math achievement in Northwest Ohio