1. Getting Students to Write Like Scientists
Paul K. Strode
Fairview High School
Boulder, Colorado

2. Getting Students to Write Like Scientists

3. Getting Students to Write Like Scientists

4. Science Research Seminar
A BVSD student won the Westinghouse Prize for a math project
- At this time, the Science Fair was attended by 3-10 HS students each year
- University parents questioned why such low involvement
SRS course was created after a small committee designed it and a referendum was passed to support it—part of the curriculum involved students competing at the Regional Science and Engineering Fair
I started teaching the course at Boulder High School with 4 students and suggested concluding the year with a Symposium
I began teaching SRS at Fairview High School, now with students

5. Reading-Writing Workshop
Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Reading-Writing Workshop
Doing authentic reading and writing work in a vibrant community of readers and writers
Making meaningful choices about the direction of student work
Writer’s notebook is an essential thinking and exploring place
Teacher participates as reader and writer
Teacher instruction comes in three places: mini-lessons to the whole class (10 min), 1-to-1 conferencing, written feedback on student work
Lots of time in class for students to do the reading and writing
Response groups to discuss student reading and writing

6. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Science Workshop
Students are doing science
Students are engaged in inquiry
Teacher participates as a fellow scientific thinker
Lots of discourse about science and the science practices
Lab notebook is an essential thinking and exploring place
Open and often public feedback is essential

7. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

8. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

9. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

10. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

11. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

12. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose a journal article and present it to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

13. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose a journal article and present it to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

14. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose a journal article and present it to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

15. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the initial community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

16. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

17. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
The Workshop Model
Students read assigned journal articles of various topics and we discuss them in class
Students learn and practice several inferential statistical tests and practice writing results sections of scientific papers
Students choose journal articles and present them to class: this is where most of the community workshopping really takes place
Students follow established models and write research proposals—not the typical ISEF Research Plan—that are equivalent to a college senior or masters thesis proposal
Students workshop their proposals through several rounds of peer review.

18. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Communicating Science

19. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Instructions to Authors

20. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Writing Pedagogy
Learn how to write by studying mentor texts.
Write for authentic purposes, not because it’s an assignment.
Writing that exists outside of school.
How is the piece structured?
How do these authors put sentences and paragraphs together?
How careful is each word choice?

21. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal

22. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal

23. Science Research Seminar As a result, students sometimes do well at the Science Fair
Murie, Kimberly A cross case study of excellence in science fair program design. Dissertation, University of Arkansas. Accepted July 2015.

24. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
More Discussions
Science Denial
Pseudoscience
Manufactured Scientific Controversies
Nature of Science
Hypotheses and Predictions

25. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
More Discussions
Science Denial
Pseudoscience
Manufactured Scientific Controversies
Nature of Science
Hypotheses and Predictions

26. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
More Discussions
Science Denial
Pseudoscience
Manufactured Scientific Controversies
Nature of Science
Hypotheses and Predictions
Intel ISEF 2006 Indianapolis

27. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Survey of 1,864 Student Projects Over 8 Years
In Science… A hypothesis is an explanation for an observation or a generalization about a pattern.
A prediction is a prophecy about an event that is expected to happen in the future.

28. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal
Strode, P. K. (2015) Hypothesis generation in biology: A science teaching challenge & potential solution. The American Biology Teacher 77:

29. Science Research Seminar Getting students to think like scientists: My #1 Goal