Week 2 ODL - Misconceptions and Myths of Science

on

This week, we learned about the misconceptions and myths of science.

Misconceptions of Science

In my understanding, misconceptions about Science are most likely due to the lack of philosophy of science content. Some people are not aware that they have these misconceptions until they learned or explore it by themself. These misconceptions can lead people to fully believe in what they have been heard or taught about science.

Myths of Science

Here are 10 examples of myths in Science:

Myth 1: Hypothesis become theories that in urn become laws
Myth 2: Scientific laws and other such ideas are absolute
Myth 3: A hypothesis is an educated guess
Myth 4: A general and universal scientific methods
Myth 5: Evidence accumulated carefully will result in the sure knowledge
Myth 6: Science and its methods provide absolute proof
Myth 7: Science is procedural more than creative
Myth 8: Science and its method can answer all questions
Myth 9: Scientists are particularly objective
Myth 10: Experiments are the principal route to specific knowledge

Types of Misconception of Science
  • Preconceived notions - popular conceptions rooted in everyday experiences. For example, many people believe that water flowing underground must flow in streams because the water they see at the earth's surface flows in streams.
  • Nonscientific beliefs - include views learned by students from sources other than scientific education, such as religious or mythical teachings. For example, some students have learned through religious instruction about an abbreviated history of the earth and its life forms.
  • Conceptual misunderstandings - arise when students are taught scientific information in a way that does not provoke them to confront paradoxes and conflicts resulting from their own preconceived notions and nonscientific beliefs.
  • Vernacular misconceptions - arise from the use of words that mean one thing in everyday life and another in a scientific context (e.g., "work"). A geology professor noted that students have difficulty with the idea that glaciers retreat, because they picture the glacier stopping, turning around, and moving in the opposite direction. The substitution of the word "melt" for "retreat" helps reinforce the correct interpretation that the front end of the glacier simply melts faster than the ice advances.
  • Factual misconceptions - are falsities often learned at an early age and retained unchallenged into adulthood. If you think about it, the idea that "lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is clearly nonsense, but that notion may be buried somewhere in your belief system.




Extra info: Helping Students Overcome Their Misconceptions and Myths of Science

  • Anticipate the most common misconceptions about the material and be alert to others.
  • Encourage students to test their conceptual frameworks in discussion with other students and by thinking about the evidence and possible tests.
  • Think about how to address common misconceptions with demonstrations and lab work.
  • Revisit common misconceptions and myths as often as you can.
  • Assess and reassess the validity of student concepts.



8 science myths debunked



Comments

Post a Comment