I regularly divide photosynthesis into "photo" and "synthesis"
portions, and have no problem explaining why "dark reactions" is a
no-no in my class. Students who read my old exam file find multiple
variants on that standby essay question about why plants don't reduce
carbon in the dark. Few of them miss it, given that they are
encouraged to stop the lecture dramatically if I slip and use that
d-word.
To some extent, "bad" terms can be helpful when you're discussing "the
nature of science." If students hear that the term "abscisic acid"
was based on error, they may be less likely to believe that everything in
the text is set in stone.
Kathy Schmid
schmid at butler.edu
