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Seeing Facets, not Misconceptions: �How to Build on the Range of Student Thinking in Instruction

Philip Bell�University of Washington

Tiffany Neill�Council of State Science Supervisors

With contributions and feedback from the ACESSE Network, Tana Peterman (Washington STEM), and �Kerri Wingert (University of Colorado Boulder)

July 2022 • Resource F

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Educators and others may use or adapt. If modified, please attribute and re-title. CC BY-SA license details are at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

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This workshop will prepare you to…

Analyze cognitive formative assessment responses to surface the range of student thinking about science topics and concepts
Guide instruction based on that diversity of student ideas
Design and use classroom formative assessment tasks to support equitable 3D instruction

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Session Goals

How does a ‘facets of thinking’ approach help us understand students’ science learning?
How can we learn to appreciate the range of ways in which students make sense of the natural world?
How can we use assessment tasks that attend to this diversity of student ideas?

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Learning as �Knowledge Refinement

“Students have often been viewed as holding flawed ideas that are strong held, that interfere with learning, and that instruction must confront and replace. We argue that this view overemphasizes the discontinuity between students and expert scientists and mathematicians... It also conflicts with the basic premise of constructivism: that students build more advanced knowledge from prior understandings.”

— Smith, diSessa & Rochelle (1993), p. 115

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Highlighting the Shift in Teaching

From: Todd Campbell, Christina Schwarz & Mark Windschitl, What We Call Misconceptions May Be Necessary Stepping-Stones Toward Making Sense of the World (sample article from NSTA The Science Teacher)

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What if…we have misconceptions about student misconceptions?

What if… rather than simply viewing students’ intuitive or partially scientific ideas as misconceptions, we viewed the diversity of student’s ideas as stepping stones to deeper understanding?

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Student Refinement of Conceptual Models

“More sophisticated types of models should increasingly be used across the grades… The quality of a student-developed model will be highly dependent on prior knowledge and skill and also on the student’s understanding of the system being modeled, so students should be expected to refine their models as their understanding develops.” � — NRC, 2012, p. 59

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Part 1: Using Cognitive Formative Assessment

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Cognitive Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is central to the learning process.

Cognitive Formative Assessment: Attends to the social nature of learning and provides resources to assess students’ concepts and practices as they participate in increasingly sophisticated practices common to disciplinary experts.

Learn more about types of formative assessment in ACESSE Resource A at stemteachingtools.org/pd/SessionA

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Small Group Discussion

How are you currently assessing how your students understand concepts and engage in practices? ��What are different approaches you are aware of?

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Cognitive Formative Assessment

Different approaches:

Learning Progressions: �Developmental account of �understanding useful for �looking at learning across �months and years
Facets of Reasoning: an �account of the various pieces �of knowledge students use to �reason in conversation or on tasks

To explore trade-offs between these approaches further see: �http://tiny.cc/Facets-and-Progressions

((Read slide))

With that as an overview of a formative assessment process, there are two prominent learning theories used to implement Cognitive Formative Assessment: Learning Progressions and Facets of Reasoning. These two are pretty different from one another, but both have some evidence that using them can improve student learning in science. A “learning progressions” approach emphasizes that student learning can build over time in a step-by-step fashion, as students' reasoning becomes more sophisticated. A ”facets approach” views student thinking in a more "piece-like" fashion, and views understanding as developing through encounters with lots of different types of phenomena and problems in a domain in a more bottom-up way. Understanding develops as students connect these different ideas to one another.

You can follow the link shown to learn more about each model of learning.

[estimated time: 1 min]

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Consider Facets of Student Learning

Students bring a diverse range of science-related ideas and ways of knowing to the classroom — some more & some less productive. As documented by extensive research, they come from student’s cultural lives and tend to be productive in some contexts.

Not all of students’ nonscientific thinking should be considered a “misconception” or error—some ideas are stepping stones to deeper understanding.

A facet-based assessment practice can be used to focus instruction on the refinement of student thinking.

Ok, let’s review some of the key points about facets of thinking…

((Read and interpret slide))

Some teachers may worry that by naming and engaging specific ideas held by students that they are “propagating misconceptions.” But this is what students are thinking about—so if we are going to help them refine their understanding we need to start from where they are in a differentiated way. When there is a knowledge refinement culture cultivated in a community—with opportunities to discuss and explore various ideas—student’s ideas will become more productive over time. It is the your role as the teacher to cultivate this knowledge refinement culture, seed important ideas and perspectives in instructionally responsive ways, and press for students to engage in deep reasoning about their conceptual ideas.

[2 min]

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Facets of Student Learning

Facets are “pieces of knowledge” or “conceptual models” around a key idea or event related to the natural world

Facets clusters document the set of patterns in student thinking that show up regularly for a key idea, event, or topic

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http://STEMteachingtools.org/brief/37

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Sample Facet Cluster: Falling Bodies (Physics, �Jim Minstrell)

Facet Cluster: a grouping of productive and unproductive facets of student ideas that show up regularly for a big idea, phenomena, or topic. Includes the explicit learning goals in addition to various reasoning, conceptual, and procedural difficulties

*340 Fall time depends upon gravitational field strength and inversely upon fluid medium resistance

*341 With no resistance by fluid medium, vertical fall near the earth's surface is at nearly constant acceleration of 10 m/s²

342 Gravitational pull and mass compensate with no accounting for air resistance.

343 Greater drag effects compensate for greater gravitational pull explaining equal accelerations.

344 Medium effects will exist even when there is no motion relative to fluid medium.

345 All things fall equally fast regardless of medium effects.

346 Vertical fall is at a constant velocity of 10 m/sec.

348 Heavier will hold back more (fall slower).

348-1 Larger fall substantially slower.

349 Heavier falls faster.

349-1 Larger falls faster.

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Facilitator Instruction Slide

The rest of Part 1 is pulled from ACESSE Resource A which is an introduction to formative assessment in science education.

They are included here in case your participants have not encountered this model of formative assessment—which is crucial for the rest of the facet-based approach. You can skip over the rest of this section and the embedded facets example if your participants are familiar with Resource A.

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The Formative Assessment Process:�A 3D Example

3D Learning Performance: Students develop and use a model to provide a causal account of what happens when thermal energy is transferred from a pure substance. They explain how this can cause: a substance to change state from a gas to a liquid or from a liquid to a solid, or a decrease in the temperature of the system as the motion of the particles relative to each other decreases—representing a decrease in the kinetic energy of the system.

Constructed from components of MS-PS1-4 and MS-PS3-5

Clarify Intended Learning

Elicit Evidence

Interpret Evidence

Act on Evidence

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The Formative Assessment Process:�A 3D Example

Clarify Intended Learning

Elicit Evidence

Interpret Evidence

Act on Evidence

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The Formative Assessment Process:�A 3D Example

Clarify Intended Learning

Elicit Evidence

Interpret Evidence

Act on Evidence

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The Formative Assessment Process:�A 3D Example

Possible teacher responses…

Ask students to explain how the process works without using science terminology (e.g., “phase change”)
Probe about how a particular mechanism would actually work (e.g., “can you say more about how cold things ‘attract’ hot things?”)
Focus instruction next year on concepts missing in student thinking (e.g., kinetic energy)
Demonstrate condensation forming on a glass of �ice water; ask students �to explain how it �happened

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Developing Coherent Formative Assessment Sequences

Individual formative assessments serve as “check-in points” to get feedback on what to do next — to revisit the current learning goal, or to move on to the next lesson / learning goal
Formative assessments should…

be embedded throughout instruction
focus on specific learning goals for an instructional segment
cover the major learning goals as a set
guide the instructional focus and pace

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Formative Assessment Formats

On-the-fly check-ins…

Conversations with and between students about their thinking (individually, small group, whole class)

Curriculum embedded formal check-ins…

Brief exit tickets on student’s conceptual ideas through disciplinary practices OR the learning process
Analysis of student work & performances (e.g., using criterion-based rubrics, self-documentation)
Short tests of conceptual ideas expressed through disciplinary practices

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Not Grading Formative Assessments

According to the research, formative assessments should not be graded—but it can be pragmatically necessary to do so in specific contexts.
Teachers should realize that grading negatively impact how students will share their true thinking. They should not grade assessments them whenever possible.
One strategy is to award points for students simply being willing to share their thinking. Another strategy is to take up ungrading practices that decenter the assignment of summary grades to student work.

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Conducting Formative Assessment

Formative assessments focus on analyzing student performances and guiding instruction—not on the assessment of individuals (White & Frederiksen, 1998).
Interpretation of student responses needs to be manageable. One strategy is to scan student responses and select a subset of items that give �you coverage of the 3D learning performance �with the most variation in student thinking.
Holding an equity stance when working with assessment responses and planning responses is vital!

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Part 2: Ways to Keep Equity Central

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Equity-oriented STEM education must promote genuine belonging for each student across the scales of justice. ��Progress frequently involves de-settling systems associated with historical inequities (Bang, et al., 2012) — while imagining and resourcing expansive cultural learning pathways �(Bell, et al., 2012).

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Expanding Relationships Among Students, Teachers & Science Practices

“The bottom line is, the more you show genuine intellectual and scientific interest in your students’ sense-making [of phenomena], the more you expand the �space of possible relations �among you, your students, �and science.”

—Bang, Brown, Calabrese � Barton, Rosebery & Warren � (2017, p. 34)

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How a Facets Approach �Promotes Equity

In terms of belonging, we want ideas, experiences, perspectives, and worldviews of each student to be seriously considered during knowledge refinement processes
In terms of de-settling, we want to move beyond the quick right/wrong judgement frame of a misconceptions view and recognize the range of student ideas as potential sense-making resources for the community
In terms of extending learning pathways, by recognizing, exploring, pushing on, and refining students’ ideas, learners will be engaged in �meaningful conceptual refinement, learn how �to learn, and better identify with science

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Ways to Keep Equity Central

Adopt a stance of generous interpretation as you closely read student responses: “What do they seem to be thinking?”
Try to get to the “essence” of their thinking (e.g., the conceptual model “behind” their response). Think of it as trying to find intellectual treasures.
Think about how you would instructionally respond to refine student thinking. What do students experientially or cognitively need? Do they need to combine ideas?

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The Formative Assessment Process

Don’t forget the cycle of formative assessment!

It is vital for promoting equity in learning.

Clarify Intended Learning

Elicit Evidence

Interpret Evidence

Act on Evidence

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How can you support students to express their understanding using multiple modes of expression on your formative assessments?

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Designing Fair Assessments

Resource: STEM Teaching Tool #33

Emphasize multiple modes of �expression of science concepts, �such as drawing, sculpture, art, �video, or photography.

Assessment authors can…

…give assessments a meaningful scientific purpose that connects to students’ lives. This allows students to practice science language more authentically.
…include relevant, taught vocabulary while minimizing reliance on unnecessary, ambiguous, or confusing wording.
…avoid overly dense vocabulary and complex �sentence structures unless that is the specific goal �of the assessment item.

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Group Discussion

How are these ideas similar to what you already do? ��Do you have questions about any of these ideas?

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Small Group Discussion

Have you noticed certain patterns in student thinking about different topics that you teach? ��Do you have a way to track them—or respond to them instructionally?

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Part 3: Identifying Facets of Student Thinking

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Our Assessment Task: �Eliciting Evidence of Student Thinking

Assessment Scenario: an everyday situation involving natural phenomenon you ask students to reason about so they can communicate what they currently know or how they think

Our Scenario for Today: Imagine that it is a cold, winter day. �You take a hot shower and �the mirror in the bathroom �fogs up.

What is the natural �phenomena involved?
From a science perspective, �how do you explain this? �How does it happen?

We will be analyzing student work �on this assessment task, looking for �facets of student thinking.

Some starting points:

Temperature change
Particle motion
Kinetic energy
Vocabulary: gas, liquid, evaporate, condense, expand, contract

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Sample Facets from Interpreting �Evidence of Student Thinking

Gas is involved between water from the shower and water on the mirror

Evaporation is water that sticks to cold.

Water sticks to cold surface.

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Clarify Intended Learning Outcomes with�3D Performance Expectation Bundle

Evidence�StatementsMS-PS1-4�MS-PS1-5�MS-PS3-5

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Written Assessment Used to Elicit Evidence of Student Thinking

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How to Identify Facets and Responses

Get into small unit assessment teams of 4 to 5 people
Focus on responses to Assessment Questions 1, 2, 5 & 6
In your group, pass the student work around the circle and identify facets in the student responses using “the sticky note method”:

Look at each student’s responses to the subset of items. Try to attend to all three dimensions (DCIs, SEPs & CCCs) in student’s responses as appropriate.
Write facets of learning you notice in the student’s thinking on sticky notes. One facet per sticky note.
Leave the sticky note on the paper and pass it �to the next person in your group.

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How to Identify Facets and Responses

Get into small unit assessment teams of 4 to 5 people
Focus on responses to Assessment Questions 1, 2, 5 & 6
As a group, engage in “round robin” facet analysis of all student responses to the subset of items—using “the sticky note method”:

a. Look at each student’s responses to the subset of items. Try to attend to all three dimensions (DCIs, SEPs & CCCs) in student’s responses as appropriate.

b. Write facets of learning you notice in the student’s thinking on sticky notes. One facet per sticky note.

c. Leave the sticky note on the paper and pass it to the next person in your group.

Reminding Ourselves: Keeping Equity Central

Adopt a stance of generous interpretation
Try to get to the “essence” of thinking, the conceptual model behind their response.
What do students experientially or cognitively need?

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Group Share-Out

What is the most surprising or interesting facet of student thinking that you found? ��What concerns or appreciations did you have about that specific student facet?

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Part 4: Responding to Student Thinking

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Some Research-based Principles

To work on students’ ideas, thinking must be made visible and public.
Learners cannot “discover” theoretical entities or processes; these must be introduced at strategic times by the teacher and used as tools to reason about phenomena, rather than be confirmed in activity.
Students can learn to participate in science if the epistemic “rules of the game” are made explicit and modeled by others.
Knowledge production in the classroom and in science is supported when theories/models are revised over time to become more consistent with evidence and more �internally coherent.

From Ambitious Science Teaching

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Facet Cluster Rubrics

The teachers in Seattle developed what were called “facet cluster rubrics”. These rubrics used student examples of thinking to identify the range of facets related to the light occlusion phenomenon. In the third column, teachers then analyzed facets to identify concerns and appreciations to the thinking. Then, they thought through instructional moves that would make sense for specific facets to push on that thinking. Those are in the fourth column. It is important to see this as an act of differentiated instruction for students—to connect to the details of how individuals or groups of students are thinking about the phenomena.

Here you see elicited evidence of student thinking from their written work being interpreted as evidence in the list of facets and teachers’ concerns and appreciations about them followed by identifying instructional moves to support further refinement of student thinking. This is almost the full clover leaf represented in rubric form. The clarification of intended learning—the first phase of the clover leaf—is the backdrop to the curriculum design and this analysis.

[3 min]

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Facet Cluster Rubrics

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Facet Cluster Rubrics

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Facet Cluster Rubrics

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Developed Facet Cluster Rubrics �of Student Learning

Visit the K20 Learn Science Resources Webpage, with resources created by Oklahoma educators and the University of Oklahoma.
Click a particular resource to explore lesson unit ideas. Within each unit, you can find a “Pattern Analysis of Student Thinking (PAST)” document. These documents are facet cluster rubrics that include example student responses / facets, and instructional responses.

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Let’s Explore Facet Cluster Rubrics�http://tiny.cc/OK-K20-science

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Create Facet Clusters

Sort responses into a few groups (correct and incorrect categories) and give facets names.

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Develop a Facet Cluster Rubric �(Student Learning Chart)

Collaborate to complete a Facets of Student Learning Chart on butcher paper to determine instructional moves based on student thinking. Try to fill in a row or two.

Sample Student Response	Facet of Student Knowledge/Practice	Concern or Appreciation	Frequency �(not often, sometimes, �very frequent)	Instructional Move Possibilities (Optional)

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Share Out Our Facets Charts

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Reflect on Facet Cluster Rubrics

When and where might we use this strategy in the future?��Are there any changes you would want to make to have this approach fit into your teaching practice?

How might you communicate progress to parents & guardians using this asset-based approach (i.e., instead of grades �based on right/wrong thinking)?

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Part 5: �Conclusions & Resources

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Free Download: www.nsta.org

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Foundational Research Article

There is a detailed research article that provides the foundation for a facet-based, knowledge refinement view of science learning. For those who are interested, you can explore it through the following link. The full citation and abstract is included for your reference.

BACKGROUND RESEARCH ARTICLE: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242421838_Misconceptions_Reconceived_A_Constructivist_Analysis_of_Knowledge_in_Transition

CITATION: John P. Smith III, Andrea A. diSessa & Jeremy Roschelle. (1994). Misconceptions Reconceived: A Constructivist Analysis of Knowledge in Transition, Journal of the Learning Sciences, 3:2, 115-163, DOI: 10.1207/s15327809jls0302_1

ABSTRACT: This article uses a critical evaluation of research on student misconceptions in science and mathematics to articulate a constructivist view of learning in which student conceptions play productive roles in the acquisition of expertise. We acknowledge and build on the empirical results of misconceptions research but question accompanying views of the character, origins, and growth of students' conceptions. Students have often been viewed as holding flawed ideas that are strongly held, that interfere with learning, and that instruction must confront and replace. We argue that this view overemphasizes the discontinuity between students and expert scientists and mathematicians, making the acquisition of expertise difficult to conceptualize. It also conflicts with the basic premise of constructivism: that students build more advanced knowledge from prior under- standings. Using case analyses, we dispute some commonly cited dimensions of discontinuity and identify important continuities that were previously ignored or underemphasized. We highlight elements of knowledge that serve both novices and experts, albeit in different contexts and under different conditions. We provide an initial sketch of a constructivist theory of learning that interprets students' prior conceptions as resources for cognitive growth within a complex systems view of knowledge. This theoretical perspective aims to characterize the interrelationships among diverse knowledge elements rather than identify particular flawed conceptions; it emphasizes knowledge refinement and reorganization, rather than replacement, as primary metaphors for learning; and it provides a framework for understanding misconceptions as both flawed and productive.

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The Equity Stance of a �Facets Approach

In terms of belonging, we want ideas, experiences, perspectives, and worldviews of each student to be seriously considered during knowledge refinement processes
In terms of de-settling, we want to move beyond the quick right/wrong judgement frame of a misconceptions view and recognize the range of student ideas as potential sense-making resources for the community
In terms of extending learning pathways, by recognizing, exploring, pushing on, and refining students’ ideas, learners will be engaged in �meaningful conceptual refinement, learn how �to learn, and better identify with science

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Revisiting and Reflecting on our Session Goals

What does it look like for students to come to understand particular science concepts?

How can we learn how students learn science?

How can we learn to appreciate the range of ways in which students make sense of the natural world?

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Professional Learning Resources �to Support NGSS Implementation

STEMteachingtools.org (web)

@STEMteachtools (twitter)

pinterest.com/stemeducation (pinterest)

Co-designed by practitioners & researchers
Tested & refined over time
Easily shareable—over social media, email, paper

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On Twitter �@STEMTeachTools

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Sign Up for Email Newsletter�STEMteachingtools.org

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Help us improve the resource

�Please take this 5 minute survey to help the ACESSE team improve this resource for others.��tiny.cc/ACESSE-PD-F

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Thank you! For more info…

Related Resources

ACESSE Project @ACESSEproject (twitter)
STEM Teaching Tools�STEMteachingtools.org @STEMTeachTools (twitter)
Other ACESSE PD Modules�STEMteachingtools.org/PD

Contact Us

Philip Bell pbell@uw.edu @philiplbell�Tiffany Neill tiffany.neill@sde.ok.gov @tiffanyneill

This resource was developed through the ACESSE project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Award DRL-1561300 and the Research + Practice Collaboratory funded by NSF through DRL-1626365. The opinions do not represent those of the funder.

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Part 6: �Optional Back Pocket Slides��Another Example

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Facilitator Instruction Slide

The following slides are an optional sequence that may help some educators understand how facets are involved in student thinking. They show a worked example of facets from a middle school light curriculum context.

The reason to not use these slides is if the physics subject matter is not likely to be well understood by the audience. All of the different facets of thinking may add confusion rather than clarity.

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An Example of Facets of Student Thinking

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Investigating Students’ �Conceptual Change about Light

Nature of Light
Behavior of Light
Optical Instruments
Vision
Light Propagation

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The “How Far Does Light Go?” Debate Project (Bell, 1998, 2004)

A comparison of two theories:

Light dies out as you move farther from �a light source.
Light goes forever until absorbed.�

Student activities:

Analyze, categorize, and create evidence
Create argument involving claims, evidence & reasoning (explanations)
Present and discuss their argument in class

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Evidence: Light Over Distance

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Evidence: Light Over Distance

Written Explanation as Elicited Evidence of Student Thinking:

“What we want to remember about this evidence is that eventually, light dies out. The farther it goes, the less that is there. The light spreads out and so it fades away. It is brighter at the beginning because there is so much light intensity but then it fades away. ”

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Evidence: Galaxies in the Young Universe

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Evidence: Galaxies in the Young Universe

Written Explanation as Elicited Evidence of Student Thinking:

“This evidence supports LDO because telescopes look at light farther out—before it got to us. It died out before it got to us.”

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Sample Student Explanations

Telescopes look at light closer to the light source�“. . . with a telescope you’re seeing farther away. So the light would die out eventually because you can’t see that, so you have to look farther out to get the light that’s farther out because it’s died out before it’s got to us.”�
Light reaches us from far away stars�“. . . the light from the far away galaxies travels such a long way just to reach our planet. And who knows it probably goes on throughout space.”

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Developed Facet Clusters

Telescope facet cluster:

focus or magnify the light reaching them
can be used to see things far away
make the light bigger
take you closer; bring stars closer
look at light closer to source, before it dies out

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Some Facets Are Used Together While Others Are Not

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Some Facets Are Used Together While Others Are Not

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Some Facets Are Used Together While Others Are Not