Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Nature of Science
Contrary to what most of us have been taught in our past experiences, the essence of science lies far beyond following the 3 basic steps of the scientific method. There are multiple processes involved in the practice of science, and they very seldom occur in a linear format. Science utilizes many elements and processes such as discovery, creativity, curiosity, innovative thinking, evaluation, interpretation, questioning, comparing ideas, working cooperatively, and much more. Science is more than a branch of knowledge we teach in schools. Science is a profession, a philosophy, an active and ongoing study, a discipline and a process. As teachers, we must be careful about the types of messages we send explicitly, implicitly, and subconsciously to our kids. In relation to Science, and any subject for that matter, the underlying connotations we portray in our classrooms can greatly influence student perceptions and interest in a subject. So if our goal is truly to help students develop a positive view of Science, we must consistently evaluate whether or not our words and actions in practice are consistent with this goal.
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Very well written! I agree! It was great for all of us to have this discussion and grow beyond what we were taught in our science classrooms. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said. Science is so much more than most of us were lead to believe as children. There is so much more that goes into science than just following a few steps.
ReplyDeleteI also really like what you said about our attitudes as teachers. We need to have a good grasp on what we are teaching and how we come off as we are teaching. Students pay a lot more attention that we might think. They will be able to tell if we are excited about what we are teaching.