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Lesson 2.7: How Do Populations Grow?Alternative Ideas |
| Issue | Naive Idea | Scientific Idea |
| Population | A population is a group of organisms of various types living in a given geographical area. | A population is a group of interbreeding individuals that share the same gene pool that is, a species or a subset of a species. |
| Community | A community is a group of interbreeding individuals that share the same gene pool. | A community is a group pf organisms of various types living together in a given geographical area. |
| Population Growth | Continued population growth is progress. [this is actually apolitical idea] |
The hyper-exponential growth of the human population is a serious source of concern for the planet. |
| Ecosystem | Each type of organism in the world can be considered individually, and its success or failure will not affect other types of organisms. | Within an ecosystem, each type of organism has direct or indirect effects on every other organism that is present in that ecosystem. |
| Human Survival | Human beings are exempt from the rules of nature that is, humans can not become extinct. | Homo sapiens is subject to the same rules as other species that is, humans can become extinct. |
| Exponential Growth | Exponential growth means doubling each generation. |
Exponential growth is a mode of growth in which a population changes by a fixed proportion (rate) in each unit of time; characteristic of population growth. |
* A misconception or alternative idea has three primary features: it is a cognitive idea that differs in a significant way from the scientific idea, it is held by a sizable proportion of the population, and it is notably resistant to being taught away; it is often described as a conceptual primitive (Clement, 1982). There are many other types of errors in understanding besides misconceptions (Fisher & Lipson, 1986).
Clement, J. (1982). Students' preconceptions in introductory mechanics. American Journal of Physics, 50 (1), 66 - 71.
Fisher, K. M. & Lipson, J. I. (1986). Twenty questions about student errors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 23 (9), 783-803.
