Softening the Landing: Approaches to Facilitating Conceptual Change for Science Museum Educators

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this article, we describe some of the common misconceptions guests have expressed while visiting a Museum of Natural History and Science, along with ways in which museum educators had reacted to and/or responded to guests’ misconceptions. Correcting commonly held misconceptions can be difficult, especially when guests are emotionally invested in their conceptual understandings or beliefs. Therefore, in this article, we further describe what conceptual change is and present two approaches museum educators can utilize to facilitate conceptual change. Specifically, we discuss a Refutation Approach and Inquiry Approach to facilitating conceptual change, and support museum educators’ use of both or either approach in an enthusiastic fashion, without hindering guests’ exploratory spirit. We conclude this article with some words of encouragement to educational researchers, museum educators, and museum enthusiasts.