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Scientifi~ Literacy and Education What should we teach to help students become scientifi- cally literate? Most practicing scientists would argue that "science" connotes a process or procedure for making in- quires about our world and for evaluating the hypotheses these inquires generate. The results of science give us a human perception of the physical world. The processes of science turn diverse phenomena and observations into points of view that lead to deeper insights into nature than do the original phenomena and observations taken alone. Scientists pride themselves on being able to ask the right questions and to evaluate the results engendered by those questions. From this point of view, science involves gather- ing facts (observations, phenomena, measurements, etc.) and the organization of those facts. The organization of facts often leads to stunning and/or unexpected insights, but this process cannot occur unless the appropriate facts are avail- able. Thus, it would appear that to become scientifically literate one needs to know how to obtain facts, how to recog- nize avalid fact, and to have an understanding of the organi- zational processes that turn facts into a more meaningful whole. It is no more possible to decide whether the facts or their organization is the more important, than it is to decide whether the heart or the brain is the more important to the human body. While it is true that in certain circumstances one may be more important than the other, it is probably not possible to make an accurate generalization concerning their relative importance under all conditions. So it is in science. Unfortunately, students and teachers in the educational process can easily become caught-up in emphasizing the collection of facts rather than the grand implications of the organizational processes or the processes themselves; on the other hand, for lack of time and/or convenience, it might be tempting to discuss the grand implications of science to the exclusion of facts and their organization. It is, after all, relatively easy-on the student and the teacher-to test whether the student has learned that, for example, alumi- num contains a certain number of electrons, protons, and neutrons; the thinking behind the concept of the atomic number can get involved and consume too much time. Scientific literacy should reflect an understanding of the processes of science, that is, the relationships among obser- vations (raw data), the organization of observations into standard representations, and the assimilation of the latter into more general schemes of thought. From this under- standing should come a strong sense of the underlying ideas of science, for example, mass and energy conservation. Such an understanding should not merely reflect the knowledge of the existence of such ideas, but also the ability to recognize these ideas in their various natural manifestations (e.g., as in the concept of petroleum as anonrenewable resource). In the course of acquiring such a point of view, students should learn to draw conclusions and discover the importance of personal judgement in decision making. Scientifically literate persons should understand that sci- ence is the end product of rational thought rather than a collection of arbitrary rules. They should be sufficiently comfortable with this process of rational thought to be able to use it in other contexts. They should be familiar with the grand insights that science has produced concerning our material world such as the particulate nature of matter, energy and mass conservation, and the theory of evolution. And, they should recognize that these and other conclusions derived from the processes of science are constantly under scrutiny, either directly or indirectly, and that parts may be subject to modification as new knowledge is discovered. But, the critical question remains: What are we to teach? A clue may be found in the suggestion of some that the processes and procedures of science for making inquiries is an "art". The dictionary tells us that an "art" is the result of a conscious use of skill and creative imagination. A skill is a developed attitude (mind set) or ability-a competence in doing obtained by either natural talent or as an acquired proficiency. Where in our curricula can skills be developed or proficiency acquired? The key words imply intellectual interaction with the "things of science", and this leads us to laboratory instruction. Unfortunately, this venue for in- struction is rapidly losing ground at nearly alllevels of chem- istry instruction. Instructional laboratories are being squeezed out by economic arguments at the most critical points in the curriculum, that is, in the early courses (general chemistry) whether they are taught in high school or at the post-secondary level of instruction. There are, of course, examples of very good instructional programs that somehow maintain a laboratory presence in the beginning courses, hut these are few and far between. In many of the larger post- secondary institutions the pressure for increased research space has been a major factor in the erosion of the under- graduate laboratory curriculum. Additionally, the stature of "laboratory courses" has slipped to the extent that such courses generally receive skimpy budgets for chemicals and replacement equipment, are often assigned the least able instructors, and do not, in general, receive the necessary attention to keep them fresh. Meaningful laboratory instruction to help our students, both majors and nonmajors, become scientifically literate can undoubtedly he developed. However, the most impor- tant aspect of the problem, perhaps, is to convince our col- leagues that the laboratory should once again become the high-ground where science is taught. It's a prize worthy of our best effort, for on it possibly hinges the scientific future of this country. JJL Volume 64 Number 11 November 1987 905

Scientific literacy and education

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Page 1: Scientific literacy and education

Scientifi~ Literacy and Education What should we teach to help students become scientifi-

cally literate? Most practicing scientists would argue that "science" connotes a process or procedure for making in- quires about our world and for evaluating the hypotheses these inquires generate. The results of science give us a human perception of the physical world. The processes of science turn diverse phenomena and observations into points of view that lead to deeper insights into nature than do the original phenomena and observations taken alone. Scientists pride themselves on being able to ask the right questions and to evaluate the results engendered by those questions. From this point of view, science involves gather- ing facts (observations, phenomena, measurements, etc.) and the organization of those facts. The organization of facts often leads to stunning and/or unexpected insights, but this process cannot occur unless the appropriate facts are avail- able. Thus, it would appear that to become scientifically literate one needs to know how to obtain facts, how to recog- nize avalid fact, and to have an understanding of the organi- zational processes that turn facts into a more meaningful whole. I t is no more possible to decide whether the facts or their organization is the more important, than it is to decide whether the heart or the brain is the more important to the human body. While it is true that in certain circumstances one may be more important than the other, it is probably not possible to make an accurate generalization concerning their relative importance under all conditions. So it is in science. Unfortunately, students and teachers in the educational process can easily become caught-up in emphasizing the collection of facts rather than the grand implications of the organizational processes or the processes themselves; on the other hand, for lack of time and/or convenience, it might be tempting to discuss the grand implications of science to the exclusion of facts and their organization. I t is, after all, relatively easy-on the student and the teacher-to test whether the student has learned that, for example, alumi- num contains a certain number of electrons, protons, and neutrons; the thinking behind the concept of the atomic number can get involved and consume too much time.

Scientific literacy should reflect an understanding of the processes of science, that is, the relationships among obser- vations (raw data), the organization of observations into standard representations, and the assimilation of the latter into more general schemes of thought. From this under- standing should come a strong sense of the underlying ideas of science, for example, mass and energy conservation. Such an understanding should not merely reflect the knowledge of the existence of such ideas, but also the ability to recognize these ideas in their various natural manifestations (e.g., as in the concept of petroleum as anonrenewable resource). In the course of acquiring such a point of view, students should

learn to draw conclusions and discover the importance of personal judgement in decision making.

Scientifically literate persons should understand that sci- ence is the end product of rational thought rather than a collection of arbitrary rules. They should be sufficiently comfortable with this process of rational thought to be able to use it in other contexts. They should be familiar with the grand insights that science has produced concerning our material world such as the particulate nature of matter, energy and mass conservation, and the theory of evolution. And, they should recognize that these and other conclusions derived from the processes of science are constantly under scrutiny, either directly or indirectly, and that parts may be subject to modification as new knowledge is discovered.

But, the critical question remains: What are we to teach? A clue may be found in the suggestion of some that the processes and procedures of science for making inquiries is an "art". The dictionary tells us that an "art" is the result of a conscious use of skill and creative imagination. A skill is a developed attitude (mind set) or ability-a competence in doing obtained by either natural talent or as an acquired proficiency. Where in our curricula can skills be developed or proficiency acquired? The key words imply intellectual interaction with the "things of science", and this leads us to laboratory instruction. Unfortunately, this venue for in- struction is rapidly losing ground a t nearly alllevels of chem- istry instruction. Instructional laboratories are being squeezed out by economic arguments a t the most critical points in the curriculum, that is, in the early courses (general chemistry) whether they are taught in high school or a t the post-secondary level of instruction. There are, of course, examples of very good instructional programs that somehow maintain a laboratory presence in the beginning courses, hut these are few and far between. In many of the larger post- secondary institutions the pressure for increased research space has been a major factor in the erosion of the under- graduate laboratory curriculum. Additionally, the stature of "laboratory courses" has slipped to the extent that such courses generally receive skimpy budgets for chemicals and replacement equipment, are often assigned the least able instructors, and do not, in general, receive the necessary attention to keep them fresh.

Meaningful laboratory instruction to help our students, both majors and nonmajors, become scientifically literate can undoubtedly he developed. However, the most impor- tant aspect of the problem, perhaps, is to convince our col- leagues that the laboratory should once again become the high-ground where science is taught. It's a prize worthy of our best effort, for on i t possibly hinges the scientific future of this country.

JJL

Volume 64 Number 11 November 1987 905