Misconception Dmns

Knowing Your Audience:
Astronomy Misconceptions by the Public
Ka Chun Yu
Curator of Space Science
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80205
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Introduction
What are “misconceptions?”
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Introduction
“Alternate conceptions,” “preconceptions”:

deep-seated beliefs incompatible with accepted
scientific knowledge.
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Introduction
“Alternate conceptions,” “preconceptions”:

deep-seated beliefs incompatible with accepted
scientific knowledge.
What is the purpose of this talk?
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Introduction
Difficulty of Learning Astronomy
Physical systems cannot be experienced directly
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Introduction

Mental model construction required
(DMNS) 3 / 36
Introduction

Erroneous mental models are hard to change
(constructivist theory, A Private Universe [1987])
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Introduction

Erroneous mental models are hard to change
(constructivist theory, A Private Universe [1987])
Underlying principles also difficult to learn
(DMNS) 3 / 36
Introduction
Shape of the Earth (K–5)

From Nussbaum 1985, Baxter 1989, Vosniadou 1991, Sneider et al. 1998
(DMNS) 4 / 36
Constructivism
Theories of Education
Positivism: science is absolute knowledge

independent of humans
Science knowledge absolute, logical
Science education should be logical and structured
Transmissive lectures
Students are tabula rasa
(DMNS) 5 / 36
Constructivism
Theories of Education
Positivism: science is absolute knowledge

independent of humans
Science knowledge absolute, logical
Science education should be logical and structured
Transmissive lectures
Students are tabula rasa
Constructivism:
Prior knowledge of learners
Prior experience of learners
Science knowledge is constructed
Learning is an ongoing adaptive process
Learner is actively engaged, not passive
(DMNS) 5 / 36
Constructivism
Astronomical Misconceptions
Some classes of misconceptions:

Lunar phases (Kuethe 1963, Ault 1984, Jones et al. 1987,
Treagust 1988, Baster 1989, Vosniadou 1991, Sadler 1998)
Seasons (Duit 2002, Bailey & Slater 2003)

Orbits (Dunlop 2000, Sadler 1992)
Scale of the Solar System (Sadler 1992)
The Big Bang (Prather et al. 2002)
(DMNS) 6 / 36
Constructivism
Fundamental Science Misconceptions
Driver et al. 1994: Making Sense of Secondary Science: Research into Children’s
Ideas
Life:
Living Things
Nutrition
Growth
Responding to Environment
Reproduction and Inheritance
Microbes
Ecosystem
(DMNS) 7 / 36
Constructivism
Ideas
Life:
Living Things
Nutrition
Growth
Reproduction and Inheritance
Microbes
Ecosystem
Materials and their properties:

Materials
Solids, Liquids, and Gases
Chemical Change
Particles
Water
Air
Rocks
(DMNS) 7 / 36
Constructivism
Ideas
Life: Physical processes:
Living Things
Nutrition Electricity
Growth
Magnetism
Reproduction and Inheritance Light
Microbes
Ecosystem Sound
Heating
Materials and their properties: Energy
Materials
Solids, Liquids, and Gases Forces
Chemical Change
Particles
Horizontal Motion
Water Gravity
Air
Rocks Earth in Space
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Constructivism
Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Science
(DMNS) 8 / 36
Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
Children know:
When water disappears from a wet thing, it disappears
into/becomes air
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Constructivism

Science
Children know:
into/becomes air
Children are taught:
Air consists of oxygen and other gases
Water consists of oxygen and hydrogen
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Constructivism

Science
Children know:
into/becomes air
Children are taught:
Air consists of oxygen and other gases
Water consists of oxygen and hydrogen
Synthesis:
Evaporating water turns into oxygen and hydrogen gas
(DMNS) 10 / 36
Constructivism
Ideas about Light (ages 11-14)
What is light?
Light as a source (light bulb, sun)
Light as a state (when it is bright)
Light as a distinct entity
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Constructivism
What is light?
Movement of light
Not explicitly accepted even though spoken as such
No propagation time unless for great distances
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Constructivism
What is light?
Movement of light
Existence of light
Light does not exist, unless extremely intense
E.g., a piece of paper does not reflect light, unlike a mirror
(DMNS) 11 / 36
Constructivism
What is light?
Movement of light
Existence of light
Light does not exist, unless extremely intense
E.g., a piece of paper does not reflect light, unlike a mirror
Conservation
Light can disappear without interacting with matter: when too weak to
be perceived
Light can be intensified, e.g., with magnifying glass
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism

Science
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Constructivism
Forces and Motion
Forces have to do with living things
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Constructivism
Forces and Motion

Constant motion requires constant force
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Constructivism
Forces and Motion

Amount of motion is proportional to amount of
force
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Constructivism
Forces and Motion

force
There is no force on a body if it is not moving
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Constructivism
Forces and Motion

force
There is no force on a body if it is not moving
A force acts in the direction of motion of a body
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Constructivism
Gravity
Gravity is related to air pressing down
Earth’s spin and magnetism related to gravity
(DMNS) 14 / 36
Constructivism
Gravity
Weight
Weight not related to gravity
Gravity affects only heavy things
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Constructivism
Gravity
Weight
Water
Less or no gravity in water
Gravity acts upwards
Gravity acts only on things above water, e.g., one’s head
(DMNS) 14 / 36
Constructivism
Gravity
Weight
Water
Falling
Objects fall if not held up
Heavier objects fall faster
Gravity present only when object is falling
Thrown balls have force counteracting gravity until it runs out
(DMNS) 14 / 36
Constructivism
Gravity
Weight
Water
Falling
Objects fall if not held up
Heavier objects fall faster
Gravity present only when object is falling
Thrown balls have force counteracting gravity until it runs out
Gravity in Space
Gravity associated only with the Earth, and/or with air
Gravity needs medium
No gravity on Moon and/or some of the planets
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Constructivism
Day and Night
Baxter 1989
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Constructivism
Day and Night
Baxter 1989
Sun hides, goes to sleep, goes underground, turns off, goes
behind a tree, goes behind a hill
(DMNS) 15 / 36
Constructivism
Day and Night
Baxter 1989
Covering of the Sun
Clouds
the Moon
the night, dark, or the atmosphere
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Constructivism
Day and Night
Baxter 1989
Covering of the Sun
Clouds
the Moon
Astronomical movements
Sun goes around Earth once a day
Earth goes around Sun once a day
Sun goes up and down
(DMNS) 15 / 36
Constructivism
Day and Night
Baxter 1989
Covering of the Sun
Clouds
the Moon
Astronomical movements
Sun goes around Earth once a day
Earth goes around Sun once a day
Sun goes up and down
Rotation of the Earth once a day
(DMNS) 15 / 36
Constructivism
Earth, Moon, and the Sun Models
Earth-centered
(DMNS) 16 / 36
Constructivism
Earth-centered
Spinning Earth-centered
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Constructivism
Earth-centered
Earth-centered, orbiting Sun & Moon
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Constructivism
Earth-centered
Sun-centered, orbiting Earth and/or Moon
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Constructivism
Earth-centered
Sun-centered, orbiting Earth and/or Moon
Sun-centered, orbiting Earth which is orbited by Moon
(DMNS) 16 / 36
Constructivism
Lunar Phases (K–16+)

From Trundle et al. 2002
Clouds covering Moon
(DMNS) 17 / 36
Constructivism


Other planets cast shadow
(DMNS) 17 / 36
Constructivism


Shadow of the Sun
(DMNS) 17 / 36
Constructivism


Shadow of the Sun
Shadowing by the Earth
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Constructivism
The Moon
Lunar Phases
Clouds cover part of the Moon
Planets cast shadows on the Moon
Shadow of the Sun on the Moon
Shadow of the Earth on the Moon
Part of the illuminated Moon is visible from Earth
More at http://www.physics.umaine.edu/ncomins/moons.htm
(DMNS) 18 / 36
Constructivism
The Moon
Lunar Phases
Other common ideas from general population
about the Moon
(DMNS) 18 / 36
Constructivism
The Moon
Lunar Phases
Other common ideas from general population
about the Moon
Phases are due to shadow of the Earth
Moon is up only at night
Moon doesn’t rotate
A “Quarter Moon” shows a quarter of the Moon
(DMNS) 18 / 36
Constructivism
Direct Instruction: Birds-Eye View
(DMNS) 19 / 36
Constructivism
Constructivist Learning
Field observations: where is the Moon? (Elementary Science Study
1968, GEMS 1998, Project Aries 2000; Dai 1991)
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Constructivism
(DMNS) 20 / 36
Constructivism
Physical models of Earth/Sun/Moon
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Constructivism
Physical models of Earth/Sun/Moon
Kinesthetic astronomy: acting out Earth/Sun/Moon
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(Sadler 1992)
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(Sadler 1992)
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(DMNS) 21 / 36
(Sadler 1992)
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(Sadler 1992)
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“What can you tell me about the shapes of planetary orbits?”
N % Typical Answers
Elliptical 74 66% “oval,” “oblong,” “not a perfect circle,”
“egg-shaped”
Circular 22 20%
Elliptical+Circular 5 4% circular orbits close in,
elliptical further out;
elliptical for planets, circular for moons
Indeterminate idea 11 10%
From oral interviews of 100+ undergraduate students at Metropolitan State

College at Denver
Students had signed up for introductory astronomy, but had yet to receive
any instruction
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(Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit 2007)
(DMNS) 24 / 36
(DMNS) 24 / 36
(DMNS) 24 / 36
2D vs. 3D Learning
Much of traditional classroom instruction not helpful

(2D pictures, charts, slides, written descriptions)
(DMNS) 25 / 36
2D vs. 3D Learning

Teaching one topic may lead to reinforcement of
misconceptions in another topic
(DMNS) 25 / 36
2D vs. 3D Learning

Teaching one topic may lead to reinforcement of
misconceptions in another topic
One solution: Use computer-based 3D modeling and
visualizations
(DMNS) 25 / 36
2D vs. 3D Learning
Modern astronomy visualization software like that for the Orbits
Interactive (also SCISS’s Uniview running in the Gates Planetarium)
now show easily:
Multiple frames of reference
Exocentric and egocentric viewpoints
Range of size scales
Time-variation
(DMNS) 26 / 36
Explaining Seasons: A Full Understanding
(DMNS) 27 / 36
Explaining Seasons: Motions of the Earth
1 Rotation of the earth on its axis every 24 hours produces night-and-day

cycle. This makes it seem as though sun, moon, and stars are orbiting
around the earth once a day.
(DMNS) 28 / 36

2 The earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits
around the earth.
(DMNS) 28 / 36

around the earth.
3 A number of planets of very different size, composition and surface features
move around the sun in nearly circular orbits.
(DMNS) 28 / 36

around the earth.
3 A number of planets of very different size, composition and surface features
move around the sun in nearly circular orbits.
4 The axis of the Earth’s rotation is tilted relative to the plane of the Earth’s
yearly orbit around the sun. As the Earth orbits the sun, the axis remains
pointed to the same place in space.
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Explaining Seasons: Light Warming Objects
1 The sun warms the land, air, and water.
(DMNS) 29 / 36

2 A warmer object can warm a cooler one by contact or at a distance.
(DMNS) 29 / 36

3 Light and other electromagnetic waves can warm objects. How much an
object’s temperature increases depends on how intense the light striking its
surface is, how long it shines on the object, and how much of the light is
absorbed.
(DMNS) 29 / 36

3 Light and other electromagnetic waves can warm objects. How much an
object’s temperature increases depends on how intense the light striking its
surface is, how long it shines on the object, and how much of the light is
absorbed.
4 The intensity of the sunlight striking a place on the surface of the Earth
varies depending on what time of day it is, what time of year it is, and on
how far north or south of the equator the place is.
(DMNS) 29 / 36
Explaining Seasons: Variations of
Temperature
1 The temperature and amount of rain (or snow) tend to be high, low, or
medium in the same months every year.
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Temperature
2 The temperature of any location on the Earth’s surface tends to rise and fall
in a somewhat predictable pat ern over the course of a day.
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Temperature
in a somewhat predictable cycle over the course of a year.
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Temperature
in a somewhat predictable cycle over the course of a year.
4 The yearly temperature cycle of a location depends on how far north or
south of the equator it is, how high it is, and how near to oceans it is.
(DMNS) 30 / 36
Explaining Seasons
1 The difference in how much of the day is daytime and how much is nighttime
at a place on the surface of the Earth depends upon where the Earth is in its
yearly orbit around the sun and how far the place is from the equator.
(DMNS) 31 / 36
Explaining Seasons
2 Because the Earth is a sphere, at any particular time, light from the sun
strikes different parts of the Earth at different angles and therefore the
intensity of light striking the surface of the Earth is different in different
places.
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Explaining Seasons
places.
3 The intensity of sunlight striking a place on the surface of the Earth depends
upon where the Earth is in its yearly orbit around the sun and how far the
place is from the equator.
(DMNS) 31 / 36
Explaining Seasons
places.
3 The intensity of sunlight striking a place on the surface of the Earth depends
upon where the Earth is in its yearly orbit around the sun and how far the
place is from the equator.
4 The seasonal variations in temperatures at different places on the surface of
the Earth are explained by the differential heating of the Earth’s surface as it
rotates on an axis that is tilted relative to the plane of the Earth’s orbit
around the sun.
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(DMNS) 32 / 36
Teaching Strategies
“The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner
already knows; ascertain this and teach him accordingly.”
— Ausubel, 1968, Educational Psychology, e.g.,
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Teaching Strategies
Find out what the learner already knows:

“pre-conceptions,” “misconceptions,” “alternative
conceptions”
(DMNS) 33 / 36
Teaching Strategies

conceptions”
Design curriculum to address these alternate viewpoints
(DMNS) 33 / 36
Teaching Strategies

conceptions”
Constructivist approaches seem to have better success
rates than direct instruction.
(DMNS) 33 / 36
Teaching Strategies

conceptions”
Constructivist approaches seem to have better success
rates than direct instruction.
What exactly do we teach?
(DMNS) 33 / 36
National Science Education Standards
(National Research Council 1996)

Grades K–4, pp. 130, 134
(DMNS) 34 / 36

Grades K–4, pp. 130, 134
By observing the day and night sky regularly, children in grades K–4
will learn to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in
these changes. As they observe changes, such as the movement of an
object’s shadow during the course of a day, and the positions of the
sun and moon, they will find the patterns in these movements. They
can draw the moon’s shape for each evening on a calendar and then
determine the pattern in the shapes over several weeks. These
understandings should be confined to observations, descriptions, and
finding patterns. Attempting to extend this understanding into
explanations using models will be limited by the inability of young
children to understand that the earth is approximately spherical. . . .
(DMNS) 34 / 36

Grades 5–8, p. 159
(DMNS) 35 / 36

Grades 5–8, p. 159
The understanding that students gain from their observations in grades
K–4 provides the motivation and the basis from which they can begin
to construct a model that explains the visual and physical relationships
among Earth, Sun, Moon and the solar system. . . .
By grades 5–8, students have a clear notion about gravity, the shape of
the earth, and the relative positions of the earth, sun, and moon.
Nevertheless, more than half of the students will not be able to use
these models to explain the phases of the moon, and correct
explanations for the seasons will be even more difficult to achieve.
(DMNS) 35 / 36

Grades 5–8, p. 159
The understanding that students gain from their observations in grades
K–4 provides the motivation and the basis from which they can begin
to construct a model that explains the visual and physical relationships
among Earth, Sun, Moon and the solar system. . . .
By grades 5–8, students have a clear notion about gravity, the shape of
the earth, and the relative positions of the earth, sun, and moon.
Nevertheless, more than half of the students will not be able to
use these models to explain the phases of the moon, and correct
explanations for the seasons will be even more difficult to
achieve.
(DMNS) 35 / 36
What to do ...
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...
Don’t ignore visitor’s language. Ask questions!
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...

For your language ...
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...

Be careful with scientific language.
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...

Be careful with everyday language.
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...

Confront them with new knowledge.
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...

How much time do you focus on getting one topic
right? Concentrating more on one subject means less
time for other things.
(DMNS) 36 / 36
What to do ...

How much time do you focus on getting one topic
right? Concentrating more on one subject means less
time for other things.
What is the balance between inspiring vs. teaching?
(DMNS) 36 / 36

Misconception Dmns

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Misconception Dmns

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Knowing Your Audience:

Astronomy Misconceptions by the Public

What are “misconceptions?”

What are “misconceptions?”

“Alternate conceptions,” “preconceptions”:

What are “misconceptions?”

“Alternate conceptions,” “preconceptions”:

Difficulty of Learning Astronomy

Physical systems cannot be experienced directly

Difficulty of Learning Astronomy

Physical systems cannot be experienced directly

Difficulty of Learning Astronomy

Physical systems cannot be experienced directly

Difficulty of Learning Astronomy

Physical systems cannot be experienced directly

Shape of the Earth (K–5)

Positivism: science is absolute knowledge

Positivism: science is absolute knowledge

Some classes of misconceptions:

Seasons (Duit 2002, Bailey & Slater 2003)

Fundamental Science Misconceptions

Fundamental Science Misconceptions

Materials and their properties:

Fundamental Science Misconceptions

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Ideas about Light (ages 11-14)

Ideas about Light (ages 11-14)

Ideas about Light (ages 11-14)

Ideas about Light (ages 11-14)

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Osborne & Freyberg 1985: Learning in Science: The Implications of Chidren’s

Forces and Motion

Forces have to do with living things

Forces and Motion

Forces have to do with living things

Forces and Motion

Forces have to do with living things

Forces and Motion

Forces have to do with living things

Forces and Motion

Forces have to do with living things

Day and Night

Day and Night

Day and Night

Day and Night

Day and Night

Earth, Moon, and the Sun Models

Earth, Moon, and the Sun Models

Earth, Moon, and the Sun Models

Earth, Moon, and the Sun Models

Earth, Moon, and the Sun Models

Lunar Phases (K–16+)