Second, third, fourth, & upcoming fifth class Additional Notes SCE 4310

Thinking Skills Habits Of Mind Cognitive Tasks that Demand Skillful Thinking What to teach Recap Content Disciplinary Core Ideas Life Science Physical Science Earth/Space Science Engineering Cross-Cutting Concepts E.g. Patterns, Cause/Effect Science & Eng. Practices E.g. Modeling Investigating How to teach Student engagement Why we teach science

Nature 1. the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations. 2. the basic or inherent features of something, especially when seen as characteristic of it.

Teaching Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a Starting Point ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012 Chapter 2 The Nature of Science ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012

Chapter 2 Topics Explaining the Nature of ScienceDeveloping Scientific KnowledgeScience as Social and TentativeScientific Theories: Source of Power in ScienceScience as a Way of KnowingNature of Science and Diverse Classrooms

Explaining the Nature of Science The complexity of science can be appreciated by viewing science as if it is a culture Science culture: Underlying tendencies and unspoken assumptions that guide the actions of scientists In addition to the “stuff” of science, students should also learn the hows and whys of the science culture The knowledge created by science is shaped by the culture of science that produced it ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012

Developing Scientific Knowledge Empirical: Knowledge comes from Observational DataEvidence (Data) is used to Produce ExplanationsScience Processes and Interpretations Benefit from CreativitySubjectivity: Our Perspectives Shape what we PerceiveNew Evidence is Used to Test the Explanation Evidence Explanations

Science as Social and Tentative The “steps of the scientific method” is a mythTeaching children that science as a recipe is misleadingScientists work with others and knowledge is deliberatedAllowances made for new explanations of the evidenceTentativeness of science knowledge is a cultural norm

Making Explanations from Evidence Evidence of Continental Drift eventually led to the Explanation of Plate Tectonics

Scientific Theories Theories Explain Phenomena, Laws Describe Patterns Theories have the Power to PredictTheories are Not as Simple as Hypotheses

Science as a Way of Knowing Science is One Perspective Characteristics of THIS Way of Knowing: Empirical, Creative, Social, and Tentative Science is Insufficient for Understanding Some ExperiencesScience and Technology are Not One and the Same

Limits of Science The scientific study of a work of art, say a picture, may give an exhaustive account of the chemical constitution of the pigments, the wavelengths of the light they reflect, their reflection factors, masses and physical distributions. But such a scientific account has hardly begun to say much of interest to the viewer or to the artist. … It is not that pictures cannot be described in terms of chemicals, or mental activities in terms of brain functions—they can. What is wrong to assert … is that these scientific accounts are the only valid ones there are. ~ Michael Poole

Nature of Science and Diversity Since science is one way of knowing, it should not be used to demean or displace other perspectives Treating science as a special culture suggests that a teacher can help to demystify the world of science The capacity to learn science is unrelated to gender, language, ethnicity, or physical abilities Learning to function and be comfortable within the science culture requires participating in it ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012

Chapter 2 Summary The Nature of Science Explains its CultureScientific Knowledge: Process of Evidence  ExplanationSocially Derived and Tentatively Applied: No Single MethodTheories Serve as Tools for Explaining, Not SpeculatingScience Offers One Way for UnderstandingTreating the Nature of Science as Cross-Cultural ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012

What is Sustainability Sustainability education is defined as the act of presenting knowledge to the current generation to meet their needs without jeopardizing the needs of future generations (Nolet, 2009). Sustainability literacy is defined as “the skills, attitudes, competencies, dispositions, and values that are necessary for surviving and thriving in the declining conditions of the world in ways which slowdown that decline as far as possible.” (Stibbe, 2009 p.10).

The nine themes of Sustainability Nolet (2009) has identified nine common themes of sustainability in the literature. – Nature as a model – Systems Thinking and Interdependence – Importance of Local Place – Environmental Stewardship – Respect for limits – Social Justice and fair distribution – Economic restructuring – Global Citizenship – Intergenerational Perspective

Nature as a Model While the technologies produced by the human race in the last two centuries have been extraordinary, they have one fairly consistent failing—their lack of sustainability. By and large, they pollute the environment, use large amounts of energy, and waste materials.

But Nature…….. On the other hand, the technologies developed and used by the millions of organisms surrounding us have stood the test of time. To endure on Earth for the long term, species and ecosystems cannot afford to pollute or waste materials and energy.

BIO-MIMICRY As sustainability has become more widely recognized as an important challenge for humanity, the natural world is acquiring new meaning as a resource for sustainable technological ideas. Instead of seeing technology, and our species, as somehow in contrast to the natural world, bio-mimicry helps us to see a way we can learn from the technological solutions all around us.

BIOMIMICRY: LEARNING FROM NATURE

Hunting and Gathering Activity Select a card out of the hat. Spend Five minutes individually observing silently. (use your senses to help) – Use your science notebook to write – Draw a picture With your group share what you observed. Discuss with your group how to represent the card in nature. Present your findings to 2 groups and record information from 2 groups in your science notebook