Video
Guide for Human Origins and Prehistory
Video
Guide for Human Origins and Prehistory
About the Video
Produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. 1987. ISBN: 1-57680-404-6 20 Minutes. B & W
With its famous opening scene at a Harvard
graduation,when asked what causes seasons, graduating Harvard seniors (one of
whom had taken several physics classes) informed the filmmakers confidently that
eccentricity in Earth's orbit made Earth warmer when it was closest to the sun.
They also thought that the phases of the moon were caused by Earth's shadow. The
same misconceptions were common among ninth graders in a nearby school. When
given an opportunity to test these ideas and see them proven wrong, the students
would often let go of them and accept the new ideas they were being taught, but
would occasionally try to blend the old and new ideas or revert to the old ideas
entirely. Even the brightest students in the class have false ideas based on
enduring misconceptions that traditional instructional methods cannot overcome.
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Some questions:
1. Why is it that bright students have a hard timing learning science?
2. What role does prior knowledge play in how people learn science?
3. Is there any way to overcome prior knowledge and "received wisdom" in science classrooms?
4. Is it important in science education to correct flawed scientific understanding? Why or why not?
5. Do you live in your own "private universe" regarding human origins?