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Training on Student Centered Approaches for Science Education Teaching the Scientific Method RTTC Kandal, January 2010

Teaching the scientific method

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Presentation for science teacher trainers in Cambodia on how to integrate the scientific method in their lessons

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Page 1: Teaching the scientific method

Training on Student Centered Approaches for Science Education

Teaching the Scientific Method

RTTC Kandal, January 2010

Page 2: Teaching the scientific method

Content

• What is the scientific method?• Traffic Lights Activity

• Teaching the scientific method• Brainstorming (Thought showers)• Classification & Categorizing (card sorts)• Observing & making inferences• Designing experiments• Using experiments as discrepant events

Page 3: Teaching the scientific method

Starter activity: Traffic Light Cards

• Each student has set of 3 cards– Agree = green– Disagree = red– Don’t know = orange

• Use in lesson– Teacher presents statement– Students vote with cards– Students discuss in groups of 2– Students vote again– Teacher explains or continues

Courtesy Menno Abbink

Page 4: Teaching the scientific method

What is the scientific method?

Example traffic light cards

Science can prove anything.

True FalseNo idea

Page 5: Teaching the scientific method

Example traffic light cards

False

Science attempts to disprove hypotheses by testing them with data from carefully designed experiments. If the idea survives testing, then it is a stronger explanation. Science is a process which can only produce “possible” or “highly probable” explanations for natural phenomena; these are never certainties. With new information or approaches, earlier findings can be replaced by new findings.

Page 6: Teaching the scientific method

What is the scientific method?

Example traffic light cards

Science can solve any problem or answer any question.

True FalseNo idea

Page 7: Teaching the scientific method

Example traffic light cards

False

The scope of scientific knowledge is limited to the physical world, a world that we can observe with our senses. Science is not suitable to handle the supernatural, values and ethics. Scientific explanations must be disprovable. Explanations based on supernatural forces, values or ethics can never be disproved.

Page 8: Teaching the scientific method

What is the scientific method?

Example traffic light cards

Scientific explanations must be based on careful observations and the testing of hypotheses.

True FalseNo idea

Page 9: Teaching the scientific method

Example traffic light cards

Science must follow certain rules; otherwise, it's not science (just as soccer is not soccer if its rules are not followed). The rules of science are intended to make the process as objective as is humanly possible, and thereby produce a degree of understanding that is as close to reality as possible.

True

Page 10: Teaching the scientific method

What is the scientific method?

Example traffic light cards

Different scientists may get different solutions to the same problem.

True FalseNo idea

Page 11: Teaching the scientific method

Example traffic light cards

Science can be influenced by the race, gender, nationality, religion, politics or economic interests of the scientist. Different backgrounds may lead, intentionally or unintentionally, to different research hypotheses. Unfortunately, science may also be misused. The peer review system aims at controlling the quality of scientific research and falsifying incorrect hypotheses.

True

Page 12: Teaching the scientific method

Variation

Instant student feedback

– Red card: I didn’t understand this part of the lesson– Yellow card: I still have a few questions– Green card: I understand, go on with the next concept.

Page 13: Teaching the scientific method

What is the scientific method?

Research Question

Make Observations

Make Hypothesis

Do Experiments

Make Conclusions

Sequence of steps

Page 14: Teaching the scientific method

Tips

There is no single correct path to follow when doing a scientific investigation.

Science should be an exciting and creative pursuit, not a fixed series of steps

Page 15: Teaching the scientific method

Exercise

• Design a research framework for:

– Laundry hanging out to dry

– Effect of soil characteristics on water run-off

– Affecting the dissolving rate of sugar in water

– Factors affecting the sense of taste

Page 16: Teaching the scientific method

Brainstorming

• group work• problem-solving technique • creative contribution• from all members

• collect prior knowledge• to raise research questions• to generate possible solutions

Page 17: Teaching the scientific method

Brainstorming instructions

• Do not evaluate ideas yet• Focus on quantity, not quality• Build on ideas of others• Stimulate to be creative, think “outside the box”• Write down keywords

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Brainstorming tips

• Use a simple demonstration, some pictures or a short lecture.

• Limit the time• Determine a minimum number of ideas to ensure

quantity.• Afterwards allow time for prioritization or reflection

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Example brainstorming

• Open ended and inquiry based approach on plasma (spheres) (physics)

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Example brainstorming

• Introduce the topic “plasma” with short lecture & pictures• “Generate as many questions as possible about what

you want to know about plasma.”

Page 21: Teaching the scientific method

Example Earth Science

Lunar mission•Stranded on Moon some distance from research station.

•Which items to take from the wreckage for the trek?

Page 22: Teaching the scientific method

Example Biology

Environmental degradation (grade 11, chapter 6, lesson 2)

– Which factors cause environmental degradation in Cambodia?

– How can environmental degradation in Cambodia be reduced?

Page 23: Teaching the scientific method

More brainstorming ideas

• What defines an animal (or life)?• Design an experiment to measure the Archimedes effect.• Recall everything you know about oxygen.

Page 24: Teaching the scientific method

Variant: thought showers

Courtesy Steven DePolo

• One question per group• Collect as many ideas as possible• Call “Change”• Build on ideas previous groups• World Café variant

Page 25: Teaching the scientific method

Examples for though showers

• Can you describe any examples of genetic engineering you have heard on?

• List all the factors which we should consider in a policy on deforestation.

Courtesy Steven DePolo

Page 26: Teaching the scientific method

Tips

A powerful question:– Is simple and clear– Is thought provoking– Generates energy– Focuses on inquiry– Surfaces assumptions– Opens new possibilities– Invites deeper reflection

Courtesy Steven DePolo

Page 27: Teaching the scientific method

Classification & Categorizing (card sorts)

• Why do we make classifications in science?• Which criteria do we use for classification?• Card sorts as a learning activity

Page 28: Teaching the scientific method

Nebulae and galaxies (grade 7, chapter 2, lesson 1)

Example Earth Science

http://hubblesite.org/

Page 29: Teaching the scientific method

Example Earth Science

Planets of the Solar System (grade 7, chapter 3, lesson 4)

Page 30: Teaching the scientific method

Example Biology

Classification of vertebrates (grade 7, chapter 6)

Page 31: Teaching the scientific method

Example Chemistry

• Classification of matter (grade 8, chapter 2, lesson 3)

Page 32: Teaching the scientific method

Example Chemistry

Is It Matter?

Classify the things that you consider to be matter. Describe the rule or reason you used to decide whether something is matter or not.

Rocks Baby powder Milk Air

Light Dust Lightning Cells

Atoms Fire Smoke Salt

Mars Stars Steam Rotten bananas

Heat Sound waves Water Bacteria

Oxygen Gravity Magnetic force

Dissolved sugar

Electricity

Page 33: Teaching the scientific method

Example Physics

Categorizing questions on plasma

Page 34: Teaching the scientific method

Example Biology

Card sorts with fixed categories

Is it food (for plants)? (grade 7)

Organisms, including plants, need food to survive. Which things do you think plants use as food?

Sunlight Nitrogen Sugar Carbon dioxide

Minerals Fertilizer Soil Water

Leaves Oxygen Chlorophyll Vitamins

Protein Starch Phosphorus

Page 35: Teaching the scientific method

Observations & Inferences

Page 36: Teaching the scientific method

Observation vs. inference

• Observe a burning candle− No inferences!− Use all your senses− Qualitative & Quantitative

Page 37: Teaching the scientific method

Inferences

Inferences are an explanation for an observation you have made.– based on past experiences and prior knowledge.

– can change with new observations.

Page 38: Teaching the scientific method

Inferences

Can you find some more examples?

• Record all observations about a phenomenon, a demonstration or image.

• Record individually all the observations or make a drawing.

• Students compare their lists in groups of 2 (optional).

• Collect and write observations on the board.

Page 39: Teaching the scientific method

Example Biology

Structure of the flower (grade 8, chapter 3, lesson 8)

Page 40: Teaching the scientific method

Example Earth Science

Planets (grade 7, chapter 3, lesson 4)

Page 41: Teaching the scientific method

Example Chemistry

Surface tension and hydrogen bonds in milk

Page 42: Teaching the scientific method

Example Physics

Free experimenting with the plasma sphere– Make as many observations as possible– Some observations will lead to new experiments– At the end students present their results in groups.– Only observations should be written down

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Designing Experiments

• A systematic approach of a research question• To test our assumptions about possible theories• Dependent and independent variables

Page 44: Teaching the scientific method

Designing Experiments

• Students freely imagine and invent possible experiments

Page 45: Teaching the scientific method

Example physics

• Design an experiment to investigate these hypotheses: – The bigger the air resistance, the faster the laundry will dry.– Evaporation is a cooling process.

Courtesy Varvara Lozenko

Page 46: Teaching the scientific method

Example Biology

• Design an experiment to investigate these hypotheses: – Plants always grow opposite to the field of gravity.– Plants always grow to direction of the light

Page 47: Teaching the scientific method

Discrepant Events

• Short experiment• Counterintuitive• Capture interest

• Introduce new subject• Detect misconceptions

Page 48: Teaching the scientific method

Examples

• Nails in equilibrium (physics)

• Burning balloon (physics)

• Growing plants on a sponge (biology)

• Cloud in a bottle (earth science)

• A Sugar fire (chemistry)

Page 49: Teaching the scientific method

Example Earth Science

Pictures can also be used as discrepant event

Which star is closest?

Page 50: Teaching the scientific method

Activity on discrepant events

Can you find more examples for your lessons?

– Find a topic and suitable discrepant event– What student reactions do you expect– What activities will you do afterwards?

Page 51: Teaching the scientific method

Exercise

• Select one or more activities from this module• Develop a lesson plan• Peer review on lesson plan• Lesson try-out & feedback session