Private Universe

Many of us have grown up with the misconception that changing seasons has everything to do with the distance the earth is the from the sun. According to recent discoveries (HA!) this is untrue.

In the video, Heather was interviewed before and after being taught the astronomy lesson. She stated that she believes that the light of the sun indirectly and directly bounces off the earth in which that is what creates the seasons. The teacher in the video talks about the misconceptions teachers have for their students. Often times we might assume that our students understand the basic ideas and that isn’t always the case. I found this interesting, because we really do have our own ideas about how the world around us works. Whether it’s right or wrong.

I also found it interesting that Heather seemed to understand the new knowledge that she was taught but could not let go of her misconceptions. Her misconceptions were not discussed in the classroom. She provided her own misconceptions and theories to the new information she was taught. New information is always competing with preconceived private theories.

As a teacher, how do you make students aware of their misconceptions and get rid of them? Clearly, we were all taught that the distance of the earth to sun has nothing to do with the change of seasons however that has stuck with us forever . In the video they spent time with Heather- one to one instruction and asking questions to gage where her head is as well as her understanding. However, she still holds onto her own misconceptions.

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