We experience misconceptions and mistakes everyday in our classrooms. Let us look closely at them so that we may be able to tackle them.

1. A mistake and a misconception
 There are all sort of mistakes, and each an everyone of us make them.
o not reading the question properly;
o Not understanding what is being asked;
o Understand the question but make a calculation error; and
o Forget the method or formula needed to find the answer.
 Now what is a misconception?
o A misconception occurs when a learner makes a mistake that suggests
deeper lack of understanding which can’t be solved by providing the
correct answer in its place.

2. What is a misconception?
 A view or opinion that is incorrect
 Beliefs that contradict the current state of scientific evidence
 Conceptions in conflict with the accepted meaning
 incorrectness or error
 From a child’s perspective, it is a reasonable and viable conception based on their experiences
in different contexts or in their daily life activities
UNFORTUNATELY, a major source of scientific misconceptions are reinforced during the course of
instruction.

3. Categories of misconceptions
1. Preconceived notions-when thinking about a concept in only one way.
2. Non-scientific beliefs- they are learned outside of scientific evidence
3. Conceptual misunderstanding-ideas about what one thinks they
understand based on their personal experience.
4. Vernacular misconceptions-when one word has two completely different
meanings.
5. Factual misconceptions- ideas or beliefs that are learnt at a young age

4. Where do misconceptions come
from?
 Based on observations of the world
 Lack of knowledge
 Preconceived notions based on religious and/or cultural influences
 Worldview that supports a given misconception

5. How can misconceptions be addressed?
 Identify learners’ prior knowledge-Prior knowledge can impede learning
 Build on learners’ prior knowledge
 Develop your own pretest of misconceptions for your subject
 Focus on facts (‘Why right is right”) before you address a potential misconception
 Activate the misconception, i.e. why wrong is wrong.
 Then refute- focus on why wrong is wrong.

6. Natural Science and Mathematics
 In Natural Science –learners believe that the world is flat
 Children rely on their observation
 They are surprised to hear that the world is a sphere
 In Mathematics- the following misconceptions have been recorded
6² = 12; 7 X 0=7;
In fractions:
1
4
>
1
2
;
6
8
-
1
4
=
5
4