Misconceptions Die Hard

After I read this article I was not surprised by the common misconceptions regarding concepts related to sinking/floating. I think that this, along with many other physics concepts, are a hard concept to grasp. It's things we see everyday; we know it happens, but we can't explain why it happens. As a teacher, it is my job to correct common misconceptions. It is a little frightening to think that I would need to teach these topics because, to be honest, I'm not sure I could explain why objects float on water in the with "complete understanding" (as stated in the article). With this being said, I was very interested in what the author's of this article had to say about how to improve or remove these misconceptions. I was not satisfied with the suggestion to choose better textbooks to teach from. I think that simply finding a better textbook is not going to solve the problem. What I do agree with is the idea to monitor students vocabulary closer and be quick to correct students during labs and class time. Immediate response between the teacher and the student is the key to keeping students on the correct track.