If you have taught math any length of time, you know students have misconceptions on certain topics. Right now my pre-algebra class is struggling to get past ignoring minus signs and adding everything. I got desperate and created a flow chart to follow so they had to stop, look, and think about the signs before completing the operation. .
Forming misconceptions is a normal part of learning but they can impede the learning process because many times students do not know they have incorrectly learned the material. Secondly, any new learning filters through the established misconceptions. Finally, misconceptions become so entrenched that its hard for them to be changed.
One of the best ways to identify student misconceptions is to cut back on lectures and increase student activities. It is when students are working, their misunderstandings become apparent. In addition, the best way to replace misconceptions is by changing from a teacher centered to student centered classroom.
Another highly recommended method for eliminating misconceptions is to regularly show problems containing the misconceptions so students can examine each problem, identify the misconception, and discuss why these are misconceptions. Another name is error analysis so students learn to identify the error.
Unfortunately, many of the misconceptions students have when they hit high school have been with them since elementary school. One of the standard ones has to do with the idea that if you multiply by 10, you add a zero at the end but that only works with whole numbers. It does not work when you multiply a decimal by a 10.
I love using the error analysis method in class. Often students have trouble identifying what is wrong due to their understanding of the material. It takes several days of showing the same type of misconception for students to begin recognizing it. It is important to work on eliminating their misconceptions so they do better overall in math.
Let me know what you think. Have a great day.
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