Demonstration of Illinois Professional Teaching Standards
1. Content Knowledge: The teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students. |
I have two different papers in this section.
Misconceptions About the Nature of Science
The article Ten Myths of Science: Reexamining What We Know About the Nature of Science by William McComas presents ten common misconceptions that should be discussed in order for people to have a genuine understanding of the nature of science. Each myth is bulleted, then explained, and in most cases, an example is given. A few of the myths presented are misconceptions about theories becoming laws, science providing absolute proof, and experiments being the only route to scientific knowledge. These misconceptions are not only held by students, but by teachers, and other adults as well.
In my opinion, this article was very informative. Some of the myths are beliefs that I had not thought about before. The article addresses the idea that Science is Procedural More Than Creative (McComas 12). I didnt realize how dry my high school science career was until I discovered how creative science needs to be. This made me think of my job as a teacher. When a student has a legitimate idea that is different from the majority of the class, they shouldnt be penalized. Their ideas should be praised and, time permitting, discussed in the class.
A very important idea that the article addresses is the myth that theories become laws. For students and all others to understand that they are not one in the same is very important. This is the first myth presented in the article. Laws are patterns or things that always happen in nature. On the other hand, theories are simply explanations of laws. Neither are proven absolute facts, but they are well accepted ideas in science. I do not remember being taught this distinction in high school science. I think that it is important and that I will pass this knowledge on to my students.
Another myth presented is that a lot of evidence can prove something true. This is not really case. I think that it is a common misconception among all people. Especially now in society, people read scientific things in newspapers and hear scientific things on the news and just take them to be the truth. The only way that science can be proved is for it to be untrue. Although many things like the theory behind gravity and the theory of evolution cannot be proved; they have not yet been disproved. In this case, they are generally accepted. We take them as truth, but everyone should be aware that they are able to be proved otherwise at any time. This is a difficult idea to explain to a child. They may then ask why they have to learn about theories that arent even the absolute truth. As educators, we should be able to respond in a way that makes the child still understand the value of what they are learning.
In order to understand the many details of science that educators teach students, it is essential that there is an understanding of the terminology and scientific basics. Fundamental misconceptions of science have been passes on through generations. This makes it even more difficult to set the facts straight. Now is as good of a time as ever to begin the process of accurate science teaching. We should not underestimate the students. If we clear up these myths now, it will be that much easier to teach them science now, and down the road. This article has made me think about how to teach my students and how important it is for them to have a fundamental understanding of the nature of science.
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Science is a product of curiosity. The
Prologue of Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the
Missing Science of Consciousness by Roger Penrose allows the
reader to observe this. This excerpt is the story of a
father and his daughter Jessica. Jessicas dad is a
scientist studying plants that live in caves. As Jessica
and her father go to collect specimens for her dads work,
Jessica asks many questions. Jessica is worried that a
boulder will fall and trap the two in the cave. Her father
assures her that they are safe. Jessica values her fathers
words, but is still concerned about the boulder. Jessica
begins to think of what might happen if they were to be trapped
in the cave, and even what it would be like if she had always
been enclosed in the cave. Jessicas father senses
scientific curiosity in Jessicas questions and the
discussion between the two picks up. They contemplate the
theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun and how to make
others believe this if they had lived their entire lives stuck
inside the cave. Jessicas dad walks her through how
he would persuade others trapped in the cave that this theory is
valid. In the end, Jessica is happy will the discussion and
is convinced that her dad was right about the boulder.
Jessicas interaction with her father is a
wonderful example of the nature of science. Jessica learns
that scientific knowledge is based on observations of the natural
world. To understand the world outside of the cave, she
would have to look at shadows on the cave wall. From
repeated viewing of the shadows, she would be able to make a good
guess, or her theory of what is really out there and how it acts.
Jessica creating a theory, or her subjectivity, is also part of
the nature of science. Her theory is based off of her
imagination and creativity, which is another aspect of the nature
of science. I think that there is an inherent curiosity in
children to understand the world. With little guidance,
children can better understand the nature of science. Knowing
this, in my own classroom, I would like to explain the importance
of the nature of science. By having the knowledge of how
scientific knowledge is made, my students can make
educated arguments about the validity of simple theories and
understand how they can come up with their own new scientific
knowledge.
It seems that Jessicas father is very wrapped
up in his experiment at the beginning. Jessica asks a
legitimate question about the large boulder that she is afraid
will fall and trap them in the cave. The answer to her
question was short and finite so that her dad could get back to
his work. For something that seems so simple to her father,
Jessica doesnt really agree. She thinks that the
boulder should fall since it has been there so long, but her dad
argues that is has been up there so long that it will just stay
there. They are both valid arguments that could be
considered; yet Jessicas father simply ends the
conversation. As an educator, I need to remember that
students may come up with all sorts of ideas about how and why
things happen. I cannot simply tell them the right answer,
but I must also explain why the wrong answer is wrong. I
think this is what Jessica was looking for from her dad. It
is important to take all questions and comments from students
seriously. Explaining the right and the
wrong will hopefully clear up any misconceptions and
also give students a better understanding of the topic.
As scientific knowledge continues to grow and
change, its simpler aspects are sometimes forgotten. I
think Jessica believes that science is something that is only
done by scientists. She sees her dad participating in
research and experiments and giving presentations to groups of
other scientists. I think that students need to know that
science is not only for scientists, but for them as well. Educators
should allow students to be Junior Scientists. Through
simplifying a difficult concept, allow the students to make
hypotheses and do experiments in an attempt to validate theories.
Another equally important approach is to let students know some
of the other careers and everyday situations that involve
science. This will hopefully spark their interests and
deter them from thinking that science is too difficult for them.
I think that all children have an instinctive
curiosity about science. As educators, it is important to
see when this curiosity shows its face. It is our job to be
there to nurture this curiosity, to answer questions, and to keep
their interests high.