Sweater Article

I agree with the article that science is an inquiry oriented subject. In the beginning of the article I liked what the author said about addressing our students’ misconceptions first and then expanding upon that in your lessons. A lot of times, teachers have a lesson set aside yet don’t address prior knowledge before hand. We then are not getting rid of any misconceptions along the way we are simply building upon them.

Surprisingly or not, learners will bring their own personal experiences to the classroom. Which is why their experiences should always be in the center of your lesson. As stated by the article, teachers who take personal, adaptive view of knowledge are known as constructivists. In other words, her focus was to teach for conceptual change and understanding. In order to do this, you must also create a welcoming environment for your students to want to share their opinions and prior knowledge with you. A lot of times, students will feel anxious about their ideas after they are told they are wrong. Some students may shut down and not want to participate anymore. We want students to be aware of the new beliefs and eliminate all misconceptions. The article discusses a lot about the importance of the language teachers use when creating an opportunity for students to change their misconceptions. I enjoyed reading this article due to its insight and research about changing the conceptions that students come into our class with.