Didaskalogenesis

The terms didaskalogenesis and didaskalogenic refer to confusions and misconceptions resulting from instruction. Etymologically, the term is derived from from the Greek word for teacher (didaskalos) and the English "-genic" meaning "produced by"; it is analogous to iatrogenesis/iatrogenic (physician-induced) disease." Didaskalogenic misconceptions are particularly common in scientific disciplines, because of the fact that many of these involve counter-intuitive ideas that may be presented in an inaccurate, confusing or poorly chosen manner during formal instruction.

A number of didaskalogenic effects have identified: a wide-spread example is the notion of "high-energy" bonds that release energy when broken. In fact, all bonds release energy when formed and require energy to break (see- [http://www.scitutors.org.uk/article.php?id=78 Science Knowledge: Materials and their Properties] ). Similarly, Schneps and Sadler's [http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/pup/ "A Private Universe"] project suggested that visual representations of planetary motions lead to or support the misconception that seasons are due to the distance between the sun and earth, rather than the changing inclination of the earth over the course of a year.

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