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Head: WHAT IS SCIENCE AND WHY TEACH IT?

What is Science and Why Teach it?

Breanne Caldwell

January 2017

Educ 460.17; Werklund School of Education

University of Calgary
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What is Science and Why Teach it?

Until I thought critically about what science is, I had never realized that I have shown

scientific ways of thinking since I was a child. When I was young, I investigated pond life, how

tadpoles turn into frogs, and even questioned the birthing process of our sheep on our farm.

According to my parents, I consistently questioned absolutely everything. I was not the first child

to ask numerous questions and continuously inquire about the world around them, every child

does. For example, over Christmas break my nieces and nephews posed several questions to me.

Why is my hair brown? Why is water wet? Why is snow white? Not only are the answers to

these questions scientific in nature, the simple act of asking them tugs at the true purpose of

science: to encourage the innate human desire of curiosity, which is to ask how and why.

Science is often thought of as an isolated factual based discipline driven by content

knowledge. There is an “overemphasis [on] what [people] know rather than how [they] know it”

(Nature of Science, 2011). I believe science is more than just a rigid method resulting in

empirical based evidence. Science is “a way of thinking” (Nature of Science, 2011) it is a way of

exploring, investigating, and discovering aspects of our world by asking questions, just as

children do. In my opinion, the importance of teaching science is not to farm students that can

regurgitate scientific content. Not only does teaching science allow students to gain knowledge

about the history and survival of our species, it is taught to promote “a critical sense of wonder

and curiosity” (Alberta Learning, 2007). I agree that “the nature of science itself is [to] make

observations of the natural world, try and identify patterns, ask questions, find answers, [and] ask

more questions” (Shafer, 2016). Science is taught to foster critical thinkers, problem solvers, and

creative, ethically informed citizens who possess the knowledge and tools to investigate topics

that interest them.

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So, why do we teach science? In addition, why do we teach very specific, in depth

disciplines such as biology, chemistry and physics in schools? I agree with Kumar & Chubin

(2012) that teaching specific disciplines may inspire “future scientists and engineers” (p. 56),

which I will elaborate on later. However, a critical issue exists with this statement because not all

students will aspire to follow STEM career paths. Thus, teachers need to also pique student’s

interests of becoming “…citizens who need intellectual empowerment to participate thoughtfully

in their society” (p. 56). As teachers I believe we need to prepare our students with “…science-

related knowledge, skills and attitudes that they need to solve problems and make decisions and,

at the same time, to help [them] become lifelong learners who maintain their sense of wonder

about the world around them” (Alberta Learning, 2007). In doing this, it will interest all students,

rather than just those who aspire to follow STEM careers.

Teaching the nature of science “…helps create citizens that can think critically about

science-related discoveries” (MacDonald & Gustafson, 2006), and make decisions for

themselves on the validity of such discoveries. It equips students with knowledge about how

“scientific investigations are carried out, [about] standards defining acceptable scientific

explanation and the reliability of scientific knowledge” (MacDonald, & Gustafson, 2006).

Knowing these things allows students to think critically about scientifically related information,

fads, and myths that they are bombarded with daily in popular culture, and at times, in their

education itself. Those “who engage in science are” (Nature of science, 2011) influenced by

society and have their own subjective biases. Thus, students who understand the nature of

science are better prepared to analyze that bias, and any other experimental errors that sources

may exhibit. In addition, it gives students knowledge on what constitutes a good, or reliable,

source. It is important to bring awareness to the limits and biases of science, and to acknowledge
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that it is tentative, a social process, and that it can be flawed. Therefore, teaching the nature of

science, and increasing scientific literacy, protects students from being “taken advantage of”

(Shaha, 2010) by others who are perpetuating science myths, or misusing scientific knowledge.

Further, it also fosters students the ability to think critically, and make responsible informed

“personal and societal decisions” (Nature of science, 2011) in their daily lives.

We live in a democratic society where people make “science-based choices each day”

(Shafer, 2015) that impact their health, financial situation, and quality of life. Some examples

might be; deciding to eat organic food, beginning the alkaline diet, vaccinating your children,

and even purchasing a certain product because it states it is environmentally friendly. Teaching

science, and specifically the nature of science in conjunction with the interconnection of science,

technology, society and the environment is critical to nurturing scientifically literate youth.

Scientific literacy is becoming increasingly necessary as we live in a culture abundant with

widespread technology. Information is at the tips of our fingers, but not all of that information is

creditable. The hope is that students who gain scientific knowledge during their education will

think critically, and inquire about information they are presented with, rather than blindly

believing it. This scepticism is also necessary when making decisions regarding contradictory

opinions and sources, and to determine the credibility of information that is presented as ‘fact.’ It

provides students the tools to answer questions for themselves, and to determine if they agree or

disagree with topics such as certain pharmaceutical or medical interventions, genetic

engineering, nuclear energy, animal testing, and many more. Overall, it is necessary to teach

students to think scientifically because “the scientifically literate citizen possesses facts and

vocabulary sufficient to comprehend the context of the daily news” (Hazen, 2002). This
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comprehension is crucial to maintaining critical awareness about the world around us, and vital

to making daily decisions.

Further, teaching science not only gives students the ability to formulate their own

questions, but it also teaches the transferable skills needed to investigate them. It gives students

an introduction to many science disciplines, in hope that it may spark interest for future scientific

inquiry and STEM careers. Economically speaking, if teachers can establish a spark for students

to go into future STEM research, “supply demands in science-related field[s]” (Hassard, 2010)

may be met, and perhaps exceeded with future innovation. I believe scientific inquiry is not only

important for our economy, but for the future of our world. Scientific inquiry is vital to the

interconnection between, and advancement of, both technology, and society, in addition to the

preservation of our planet.

For example, I personally could not imagine a culture where DNA evidence is not used in

solving crime or persecuting offenders in society. The use of DNA in forensic science would not

have happened if biologist Alec Jeffreys did not possess the critical thinking skills to wonder if

this was possible, or the biological skills needed to scientifically investigate the topic. The use of

DNA in forensics is only one example of the advancements that have occurred because of

science. Numerous medical and technological advancements may never have occurred without

both a scientific ‘way of thinking’ or investigative wonder, in addition to specific scientific

skills. Students who possess both have the tremendous ability to change our world for the better.

Therefore, teaching science can result in students asking and answering pivotal questions that

have the ability to drastically alter humanity, and perhaps improve quality of life.

There are many issues that humanity still faces that do not have answers yet, such as

climate change and global warming, curing some infectious diseases, finding sustainable energy
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sources, decreasing the extinction of endangered species, and many more. Without youth who

are scientifically literate, interested enough to tackle “difficult issues and hard questions” (Metz

2005), as well as possess scientific skill to answer them, scientific inquiry would cease to exist,

and our world would stagnate. Thus, as teachers we should strive to not only prepare our students

with “scientific and related technological knowledge and skills that will enable them to

understand and interpret their world” (Alberta Learning, 2007), but the drive to ask ‘hard

questions,’ and the skills to propel positive change in our world through innovation and

discovery.

I have only touched on the surface of why teaching science is integral to our “innate

curiosity” (Shaha, 2010), democratic citizenship, economy, culture, and fundamental scientific

skills needed for future discovery. Why it is important to teach science is a question that I will

consistently attempt to answer, as it will constantly change, just as science itself does. Science

can be important to people in different ways, but that does not mean its importance wavers.

Students grow up to be the future of our economy, culture and world. Therefore, it is vital that

we as teachers equip them with the scientific knowledge, skills, and scepticism for them to

become contributing members of society. It is important that they understand that science,

technology, society, and our environment are not only irrevocably linked, but consistently

changing. Finally, it is essential that we teach societies future leaders critical thinking skills,

while cultivating their wonder and curiosity about our world, in order to promote their endeavour

towards developing a love of lifelong learning - and teaching science is an excellent way to

accomplish that.
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References

Alberta Learning. (2007). Science 20-30 [Program of Studies]. Retrieved from

https://education.alberta.ca/media/3069385/pos_science_20_30.pdf

Hassard, J. (2010). Why do we teach science? – the economic argument. Retrieved from

http://www.science-as-inquiry.org/why-do-we-teach-science.html

Hazen, R. H. (2002). Why should you be scientific literate? Retrieved from

http://www.actionbioscience.org/education/hazen.html

Kumar, D. D., & Chubin, D. E. (2012). Science, technology, and society: Education A

sourcebook on research and practice. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business

Media.

MacDonald, D. & Gustafson, B. (2006). Three classroom strategies for teaching about the

nature of science. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/t22Kf4

Metz, S. (2005). Why Is This Important?. The Science Teacher, 72(9), 8.

Nature of Science. (2011). Reasons for teaching the nature of science. Retrieved from

http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Nature-of-Science/Reasons-for-teaching-the-nature-of-science

Shafer, L. (2016). Why Science. Retrieved from http://digitalpromise.org/2016/11/07/why-

science/

Shaha, A. (2010). Why is Science Important? [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://whyscience.co.uk/