Sweater

When students come into class with convictions, it can be incredibly hard to change those preconceptions even if true evidence disproving those ideas is presented. I really appreciate the way that Ms. O'Brien greeted her students misconceptions and had her students write in a journal about their "best thinking so far". This idea sets the children up to know that we all have ideas and we are all trying to make sense of the world with the current information that we have. I like the idea of the magic words in science, "Let's find out!" I think that being aware of our students misconceptions is incredibly important. If we are not aware of what the students are clinging to internally, they may slide through life thinking with a mishmash of fact and fiction in their minds and simply parrot what the teacher told them when it is convenient or with 'get them the grade.' Introducing journals and self reflection at a young age will help these students to be able to reflect on their ideas and defeat misconceptions while investigating the truth. As a teacher, I need to practice what the article suggests, infinite patience and a willingness to let children swim upstream to investigate the truth.
Finally, I really cling to the idea that science as inquiry is a process of uncovering rather than covering. I know that there is a lot of pressure to "cover" the curriculum, but I'm continually learning that its more important for students to uncover their misconceptions and uncover the truth, than it is to "cover" a year's worth of curriculum.