Philosophy of Science
My current position on the definition
of science is that science is a blend of logic and imagination. It is a
relationship that we share with the world around us. Science is a method of
inquiry which allows us to question the “how” and “why” of the universe; a
method of questions and answers, or sometimes questions that lead to more questions.
This was not always my understanding of science. At the beginning of the
semester, I hate to admit, that science, to me, was a series of processes. It
wasn’t until I read the article, A Leg
(or Three) to Stand on (Weinburgh, 2003), that I realized I wasn’t actually
“doing” or “teaching” science. I was one of those poor souls who mostly
experienced science through textbooks, and made observations on things without
any purpose or depth other than completing a scientific process. Because this
was the experience I had, these were the misconceptions about what science
actually was that I carried into adulthood. I am thankful for the experience of
learning about how creative science can be, and how simply asking a question,
and investigating to get an answer, can all be a part of science if done within
the correct context. Science is something that should be experienced, not
“taught”. I hope to provide my students with meaningful experiences that they
can carry on into adulthood; minus the misconceptions.
Elementary students are in need of
learning science. Not science as we once knew it, but science as I now know it.
Our students need to know how to question, investigate, inquire, and should
know about all the different natures of science. The students need to know how
what they do in the classroom is comparing to what goes on in the science
community, which is likely where they’ll be one day if we can teach them to
love science. Science can cross the boundaries of all other subject areas, and
should, and can be learned and applied in almost any environment. Also, when
students are learning science skills, they are also learning life skills. The
possibilities of applying science to other disciplines are endless. This is why
it is so important for students to learn, understand, and experience science.
Students learn science by “grappling with their own explanations and questioning scientists’ explanations in an effort to figure out why the two are sometimes the same and sometimes different” (Sullenger, 1999). They learn by inquiry and curiosity, and by being able to discover their answers rather than someone just telling them and testing them on a textbook definition. “Students need to experience science through direct experience, consistently practicing the inquiry skills and seeking deeper understanding of science content through their investigations (Banchi &Bell, 2008). The key word in that last sentence is “experience”. We all learn through experiences, so why not allow our students to have experiences that they can recall many years in the future and relate back to the content, without having to be “told” what to do or how to learn. Discovery learning gives students a sense of ownership in which they are responsible for their own learning. It makes the information more meaningful and allows them to retain it longer.
Science should be taught in many ways, but most importantly by throwing out the old recipes for activities and cookie cutter science activities, and using the skeleton of those activities to create a lesson that can teach content, processes and the nature of science in a meaningful way. Now I’m not suggesting that we reinvent the wheel, I have learned thus far that time is valuable and scarce, so we must conserve our resources. I am suggesting that we take what we have and make it meaningful; make it science. “Cookbook activities are a good point from which to develop inquiry lessons” (Owens & Martin, 2009). In my coursework this semester, I was able to take a cookbook recipe of a science activity, analyze it to find its strengths and weaknesses, and modify it to be a meaningful science lesson. This is a task that would’ve been impossible for me to do at the beginning of the semester, since I, much like my students, had a very skewed impression of what doing science actually looks like. I am proud to say that I now feel prepared to modify and use these cookie cutter lessons and turn them into a meaningful learning experience.
Students learn science by “grappling with their own explanations and questioning scientists’ explanations in an effort to figure out why the two are sometimes the same and sometimes different” (Sullenger, 1999). They learn by inquiry and curiosity, and by being able to discover their answers rather than someone just telling them and testing them on a textbook definition. “Students need to experience science through direct experience, consistently practicing the inquiry skills and seeking deeper understanding of science content through their investigations (Banchi &Bell, 2008). The key word in that last sentence is “experience”. We all learn through experiences, so why not allow our students to have experiences that they can recall many years in the future and relate back to the content, without having to be “told” what to do or how to learn. Discovery learning gives students a sense of ownership in which they are responsible for their own learning. It makes the information more meaningful and allows them to retain it longer.
Science should be taught in many ways, but most importantly by throwing out the old recipes for activities and cookie cutter science activities, and using the skeleton of those activities to create a lesson that can teach content, processes and the nature of science in a meaningful way. Now I’m not suggesting that we reinvent the wheel, I have learned thus far that time is valuable and scarce, so we must conserve our resources. I am suggesting that we take what we have and make it meaningful; make it science. “Cookbook activities are a good point from which to develop inquiry lessons” (Owens & Martin, 2009). In my coursework this semester, I was able to take a cookbook recipe of a science activity, analyze it to find its strengths and weaknesses, and modify it to be a meaningful science lesson. This is a task that would’ve been impossible for me to do at the beginning of the semester, since I, much like my students, had a very skewed impression of what doing science actually looks like. I am proud to say that I now feel prepared to modify and use these cookie cutter lessons and turn them into a meaningful learning experience.