Unifying Concepts in Science Education

A summary of concepts employed in a course of study

by Frank Jenkins

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Unifying Concepts

• goals for sci. educ.• KSAs in curriculum• hidden curriculum• STSE components• lesson planning• interventions• curriculum emphases• Bloom’s levels

• awareness-understanding-action

• natures of science• create-test-use-test• evidential bases• instructional emphases• assessment emphases

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Instructional Strategies

• demonstrations• laboratory work• games• projects• video• Internet• computer software• field trip• constructivist• learning cycle

• lecture (full range)• inquiry (Q & A)• independent learning• STS-issues strategies

– library research– classroom discussion– classroom debates– townhouse role playing– public interventions– public hearings– case studies

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Natures of Science:as derived from inductive & deductive forms of reasoning

• Create (inductively: specific to general)– Francis Bacon (1600s)

• Test (hypothetico-inductively)

• Test (hypothetico-deductively)– Karl Popper (1930s)

• Use (deductively: general to specific)– Aristotle (300s BC)

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Processes of Problem Solving

• Purpose (scientific)

• Problem• Hypothesis and/or• Prediction

– or neither of the above two

• Experimental Design• Materials• Procedure

• Evidence• Analysis

– empirical answer

• Evaluation– of evidence

– of prediction/authority

• Synthesis– if authority is restricted,

revised or replaced

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Designs and Variables

• manipulated variable– independent variable; e.g., mass

• responding variable– dependent variable; e.g., time to fall

• controlled variables– e.g., temperature, gravity, wind, humidity, shape

• controls– i.e., control group and experimental group

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Scientific Knowledge

Empirical Knowledge

• descriptions (observables)

• empirical hypotheses

• generalizations

• empirical definitions

• laws

Criteria

• describe, explain

• predict, simple

Theoretical Knowledge• descriptions (unobservables)

• theoretical hypotheses• theoretical definitions• theories

Criteria• describe, explain• predict, simple

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Natures of Science Umbrella

Problem Solving

Processes

Skills

N ature of Science

I H-I H-D D

s

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Lab Report: ProcessesPurpose Create (I) Test (H-I) Test (H-D) Use (D)

Problem general general specific specific

Hypothesis X general general X

Prediction X X specific X

Analysis general general specific specific

Eval. 1 evidence evidence evidence evidence

Eval. 2 X hypothesis prediction

hypothesisX

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Evidential BasesEvidential Base Description

Laboratory

(wet lab)

evidence gathered in the laboratory by the students

Demonstration

(wet lab)

evidence gathered in the laboratory by the instructor

Lab exercise

(dry lab)

evidence gathered for the students and put into a lab format

Computer simulation

evidence provided in a computer simulation/animation format

Computer (or not) video

evidence provided in a video format (to be analyzed by students)

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Scientific = Pedagogic Order

• empirical theoretical– observables before nonobservables– laws before theories

• concrete abstract– Piaget’s levels of cognitive growth– concrete examples before abstract concepts,

especially theoretical concepts– empirical concepts before theoretical concepts

• create test use test cycle

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Natures of Science Cycle

• Create (inductively (I))– the origin of accepted scientific concepts

• Test (hypothetico-inductively (H-I)) &/or

• Test (hypothetico-deductively (H-D))– verifying increases the certainty of knowledge

• Use (deductively (D))– applying well accepted knowledge

• Test (H-I or H-D)– falsifying starts the cycle all over again

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STSE: Science, Technology, Society & the Environment

Curriculum Emphases• science• technology• society• environment

(See STS monograph.)

Components• knowledge• attitudes• skills• processes• problem solving• epistemology

– theory of knowledge

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Curriculum Emphases: S7

Unit A:

Ecosystems

B:

Plants

C:

Heat

D:

Structures

E:

Earth

Science 2 2 2 1

Tech. 1 2 1 2

Society 1 1

Enviro. 1 1

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KSAs + STS Connections

• Knowledge– more often called concepts in curricula

• Skills– often called processes or problem solving

• Attitudes– attitudes toward something; e.g., science– scientific attitudes; e.g., openmindedness

• STSE Connections– contexts for learning; relevance; meaningful

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Stages of Concept Development

• Awareness– E.g., awareness of your scientific language

• Understanding– E.g., understand that it is impossible not to convey

a view of the nature of science

• Action– E.g., act on controlling your language and

providing a logical and consistent view of science

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Lesson Planning

Aoki’s IDAE Model• Intents

– goals, purposes

• Displays– resources, materials

• Activities– see Rosenshine

• Evaluation– of lesson by teacher

Rosenshine’s Activities(based upon classroom research)

• Introduction• Concept Development• Guided Practice• Closure/Summary• Solitary Practice• Review/Assessment

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Purposes

• Pedagogic purpose– from program of study, syllabus, curriculum– from teacher’s experience, knowledge, beliefs– e.g., increase students’ confidence or knowledge

• Scientific purpose– e.g., create, test or use a concept– or an experimental design, material, procedure

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Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Knowledge: observation & recall of info

• Comprehension: understands meaning

• Application: use information; solve problems

• Analysis: seeing patterns; organizing

• Synthesis: create, relate, generate

• Evaluation: compare, assess, choose– The latter are “higher order thinking skills”.

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Stages of a Learning Cycle

• Exploration– concrete and independent exploration, disequilibrium,

discrepant event, testing personal conceptions, constructivist, Piaget’s assimilation (awareness)

• Concept Invention– teacher directed discussion, term introduction creating

the concept, logical explanations created, Piaget’s accommodation (understanding)

• Expansion of the Idea– concept application, repetition and practice, Piaget’s

organization (conceptual reorganization) (action)

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Types of Learning Cycles

• Descriptive– E: explore; gather

relevant evidence– CI: create description– CA: apply description

• Empirical Inductive– E: explore; gather

evidence to generalize– CI: create explanation– CA: apply explanation

• Hypothetico-Deductive– E: explore; gather

evidence to test a prediction/explanation

– CI: evaluate explanation and restrict, revise or replace it, if necessary

– CA: apply old explanation with renewed confidence or new explanation (to test its utility

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Summary

• The preceding list of pedagogic concepts were presented in a secondary-education curriculum and instruction course.

• You had to be there to learn the concepts in detail and in practice. This presentation was used as an end of course review by the instructor—to help prepare students for their final exam.