I just finished watching a short clip at TED by Jonathan Drori, What we think we know. He poses 4 questions which he insists that most people think they know the answer to,but really don't.
- A little seed weighs next to nothing but a tree weighs a lot. From where does the tree get the stuff that makes up a wooden desk?
- Can you light a little torch bulb with a battery, a bulb and one piece of wire?
- Why is it hotter in summer than in winter?
- Could you scribble a plan diagram of the solar system showing the shape of the planets' orbits?
This talk, while brief, makes excellent insights into how science is taught to students of all levels and how our preconceived notions of things tend to be far more difficult to correct than they were to get into our heads in the beginning.
If I were to be honest, I would have only gotten 2 of the questions right, and a third I would classify as I thought was true but wasn't sure of the answer. How well did you fair?