Incorporating Authentic Scientific Research and The Nature of Science Into the High School Classroom.
- PDF / 339,186 Bytes
- 6 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 90 Downloads / 178 Views
Incorporating Authentic Scientific Research and The Nature of Science Into the High School Classroom. A. Strunk1; K. Gamez Warble2; R. J. Nemanich3; R. J. Culbertson3 1 Paradise Valley High School, Phoenix, AZ, United States. 2 Arizona School for the Arts, Phoenix, AZ, United States. 3 Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States. ABSTRACT The true nature of scientific research, often neglected in science education and pre-service teacher training, is critical to student conceptual understanding of how science works. Many education students leave school with the naive view that science is a collection of facts rather than a dynamic process of inquiring into nature. The ASU Math and Science Teaching Fellows (MSTF) program gives in-service math and science teachers an opportunity to experience scientific research by immersion in active research groups in state-of-the-art laboratories. With a better understanding of what science looks like in actual research laboratories, these teachers implement direct instruction in the Nature of Science in their classrooms. Research that was conducted by teachers in a nanoscience laboratory and how they plan to implement their experiences into their high school classes will be presented. INTRODUCTION The importance of teaching the Nature of Science (NOS) in science education has long been established. The NOS includes the understanding of the history of science as well as how scientific knowledge is acquired. John Dewey in 1916 wrote a convincing argument for teaching how scientific knowledge is arrived at opposed to teaching just the terminology and facts of science [1]. Since Dewey numerous individuals have continued to argue for the inclusion of the NOS in science education [2-4]. The National Science Education Standards published in 1996 included the importance of the NOS [5]: In learning science, students need to understand that science reflects its history and is an ongoing, changing enterprise. The standards for the history and nature of science recommend the use of history in school science programs to clarify different aspects of scientific inquiry, the human aspects of science, and the role that science has played in the development of various cultures. Why has such emphasizes been placed on including the NOS in science education? Students’ overall understanding of science concepts can be enhanced when students have an understanding of the NOS [6]. In several studies a correlation has been found for both student and teacher acceptance of the theory of evolution and a high degree of understanding of the NOS [7-9]. Student understanding of the NOS is essential for science literacy [10]. McComas puts it best:
Only by clearing away the mist of half-truths and revealing science in its full light, with knowledge of both its strengths and limitations, will all learners appreciate the true pageant of science and be able to judge fairly its processes and products [11]. The education community has been aware for over a hundred years of the importance o
Data Loading...
