Conceptions and Misconceptions

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Conceptions and Misconceptions

Bryan Duff; Carol Meyer

Children are primed (by evolution and early experiences) to develop intuitive theories about the world--about the physical and biological objects that populate it, about the human minds that think about it, and about the numbers that can help to describe it. These early conceptions work well up to a point, but sometimes they hinder the kind of disciplined thinking that contributes not only to success in school, but also to the ability to reason effectively about complex public issues (in our role as citizens) and to manage the biological, financial, and other aspects of our lives (in our role as individuals and family members). Learning how to surface these misconceptions and then address them is one of the great challenges of teaching, whether that teaching takes place in a classroom or elsewhere. In this course we will study common misconceptions in a variety of subject areas, paying special attention to those that hinder learning and reasoning in mathematics and history. In the latter part of the course, students will select a subject area of interest, explore common misconceptions within and about it, and learn and develop strategies for replacing these misconceptions with more accurate and productive ones. Prerequisites: None. Credits: 4 Time: MTh 4 - 5:50pm