Dealing with Calvin's Misconceptions

Calvin has some misconceptions about the world and he holds on to these misconceptions rather than changing his initial beliefs. For instance he believes that bats are bugs and persists in this belief despite the comments of others. All of us tend to resist changing our existing beliefs – although Calvin does appear to be particularly enthusiastic about defending his beliefs. Here are some other misconceptions we have identified in our observations of Calvin:

• He believes that all rivers run from north to south.
• He believes that the phases of the moon are caused by the earth’s shadow (new moon = earth’s shadow is covering the moon; half moon = earth’s shadow is covering half the moon; full moon = moon is not in the shadow at all).
• He believes that hills are all baby mountains that will eventual grow into adult mountains; the biggest mountains are the oldest.

Your mission is to help Calvin overcome his persistent misconceptions. Choose ONE of these misconceptions and do the following:

1. Discuss the possible origin of this misconception.
2. Explain why Calvin holds on to this misconception.
3. Design an activity that will help Calvin undergo genuine conceptual change.

Details on this assignment will be sent from SUSIE to your Blackboard interface. If you have any questions, contact Agent Pugh.

Links to your mission reports:

• Agent One's Report
• Agent Two's Report
• Agent Three's Report
• Agent Four's Report

Calvin Project Homepage