The Relation of Knowledge to Problem Solving,

Students have well-formed but incorrect theories of simple motion. As children, they interpret many phenomena related to motion before encountering any formal science education. Since most adults have misconceptions, children's questions are not answered correctly, io the misconceptions persist. Thus, every science teacher must face the prospect that their students have serviceable misconceptions about the phenomena being studied. Yet the prototypical science course ignores all preconceptions and develops the science "de novo. " Likewise, psychology of learning is largely concerned with original learning, not relearning or unlearning-. Both psychologists-and science educators need to ask not what should be done when the learner is not a tabula rasa, but is burdened with half-truths and conflicting concepts. Various misconceptions about motionTheld by students are discUssed. A framework is presented fo