(12) Persistence of "Old Ideas" and Intuitively Appealing Beliefs: Thank you, Annenburg Foundation, "A Private Universe" and Marlene LaBossiere for demonstrating "misconceptions that block learning"

A 9th grader's drawing of the moon's path round the earth,
showing how the phases of the moon are caused.

1)  What causes the phases of the moon?  Why do we see a full moon and a quarter moon and a new moon?
2)  What causes the seasons?

"In the summer, the earth is closer to the sun..."

"...in the winter, the earth is farther from the sun."

The "farther from the sun" model to explain winter.

1)  What causes the phases of the moon?  Why do we see a full moon and a quarter moon and a new moon?
2)  What causes the seasons?

In 1989, a documentary film was made with 23 graduates and fcaulty of Harvard University.

This blog post is a tribute to Ms. LaBossiere, one of the teachers who was open to seeing how her presentations of two principles were no match for "the private universe."   I'm not sure about the copyright status of this fragment, but it is a service to teachers to look at this video.  Ms. LaB. was particularly helpful to me because she was on-camera, showing her reactions -- I squirmed as I watched this piece (from 3:50 on).

Thank you, Marlene Laboussiere.   Look at Minute 4:23 in this video.

She's still at Cambridge Rindge Latin School.  That's a good idea:  keep teachers at a school so former students can easily find them!  Ms. LaBossiere was a good sport to be recorded as she watched her students explain the seasons and moon phases with an outdated concept.  That science teacher could have been me.

Discuss
1)  What causes the phases of the moon?  Why do we see a full moon and a quarter moon and a new moon?
2)  What causes the seasons?

See this Fragment at 3:51 (thank you Ms. LaBossiere)

3)  What procedures can we use in our classes to overcome the Private Universe ("misconceptions that block learning")?
4)  How about a click?