Student Preconceptions
Describe tools used to determine student preconceptions:
1. Tool and place in unit: Modified KWL chart, Lesson 1
This tool is designed to draw out preconceptions and current understanding from
students.
2. Tool and place in unit: Activity Sheet 1, Lesson 3
This tool is designed to draw out misconceptions from students about how a wire,
battery, and bulb must be arranged in order to make a complete circuit.
3. Tool and place in unit: Activity Sheet 2, Lesson 5
This tool is designed to draw out misconceptions from students about how a wire,
battery, and bulb must be arranged in order to make a complete circuit. This can
help you determine if there are any students who still have misconceptions after
several lessons.
4. Tool and place in unit: Formative Assessment Probe, “Batteries,
Bulbs, and Wires”
This assessment probe from Keeley, Eberle, and Dorsey (2008) can be used to
determine student’s understanding of complete circuits involving a bulb. This
can be used any time after Lesson 3.
Keeley, P., Eberle, F., & Dorsey, C.(2008). Uncovering student ideas in
science Vol. 3: Another 25 formative assessment probes. Arlington, VA.: NSTA
Press.
1. Description of a student preconception (naïve conception,
misconception, incomplete conception):
Students are not aware that batteries have bipolarity.
Correct conception by the end of the unit:
Students understand that batteries that the direction of the battery matters. They must correctly align the batteries when creating circuits with more than one battery.
2. Description of a student preconception (naïve conception,
misconception, incomplete conception):
Students have the misconception that the plastic covering the wire slows down
the electricity.
Correct conception by the end of the unit:
The plastic covering the copper wire is an insulator.
3. Description of a student preconception (naïve conception,
misconception, incomplete conception):
Students have the misconception that touching one end of a wire to a bulb and
the other end to a battery will allow the bulb to light.
Correct conception by the end of the unit:
One end of the wire must touch one end of the battery; the other must touch either the side of the bulb with the bottom of bulb touching the other end of the battery or the bottom of the bulb with the side of the bulb touching the other end of the battery.