More than misconceptions: Multiple perspectives on student knowledge and reasoning, and an appropriate role for education research

This article analyzes an excerpt of a discussion from a high school physics class from several different perspectives on students’ knowledge and reasoning, illustrating a range in what an instructor might perceive in students’ work and take as tasks for instruction. It suggests a view of current education research as providing perspectives to expand, refine, and support instructors’ perceptions and judgment, rather than as providing definitive principles or proven methods.