GAME TIME!

•Get into groups of 3 or 4. Discuss if the following are

correct or false and how did you prove?
•1) Can sun cause cancer?
•2) What is the best remedy for acnes?
 CHAPTER 1:
THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
FOCUS
ON INQUIRY
Chapter 1

EDUC 423

FALL 2022-2023
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

• Scientific Literacy
• Nature of Science (NOS)
•Scientific Concepts Vs. Process
• Scientific Inquiry
Why do we teach science?
 Scientific Literacy
•Scientific literacy has become one of the major goals of science
education.
•Defined as: “an individual’s understanding of scientific concepts,
phenomena and processes, and their ability to apply this
knowledge to new and, at times, non-scientific situations” (PISA,
2018) and thus have the ability to make informed decisions.
Scientific
Literacy
WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC NATURE?
NATURE OF SCIENCE

•Scientific knowledge is self-correcting based on

new empirical evidence or new ways of
interpreting data.
•The knowledge is based on volumes of data and
shouldn’t be disregarded. Why?
 NATURE OF SCIENCE (PAGE 24)
– The nature of Science refers to six characteristics of scientific knowledge that derives
directly from how the knowledge is developed.
1. There is no such a thing as a scientific method
2. Scientific knowledge, both theories and laws, is subject to change.
3. Scientific knowledge must be supported by empirical evidence.
4. Scientific knowledge is the product of creative imagination.
5. Scientific knowledge is subjective to some degree.
6. Scientific knowledge is the product of both observation and inference.
IN THE CLASSROOM

In your classroom:
• you need to address the characteristics of scientific knowledge
as you teach.
• Consider the developmental level of your students
• Then, you will be able to help your students to develop the
understandings that will guide them in making the proper
decisions.
Children enjoy observing
the world around them.
How can this help you in the classroom?
ANTS & STUDENTS

• Why do ants follow each other?

• Why do the ants live in the
ground and not above the
ground?
• How can the ants carry things
twice their size?
 SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS VS. PROCESSES

–Scientific concepts relate to the knowledge of science, or

what scientists have found out as a result of their work.

–Scientific processes are the skills that students develop, such

as observation, classification, inference and measurement.
 The Nature of Inquiry
– According to National Science Teachers Association
(NSTA), we need to implement approaches to teaching
science that cause students to question and explore and to
use those experiences to raise and answer questions
about the natural world
– Read Grade 3 Examples on pages 26 27
 LET’S COMPARE
Mr. Bryant’s Class Ms. Davis’s Class
Pros: Cons: Pros: Cons:
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT

•You have 10 minutes in groups of 3

•Write down about a classroom to teach about:
1. Food pyramid
2. Trees
3. Healthy living habits
4. Planets
 The Nature of Inquiry

• Inquiry-based learning is the process of engaging students

in posing questions, formulating hypothesis, collecting data,
investigating answers , coming up with solutions then reflecting
on the whole process.
• Inquiry activities take place in the form of group projects,
research projects, field work and science experiments.
 Levels of Inquiry
1. Confirmation Inquiry: You give students a question, its answer and the method of
reaching this answer.
2. Structured Inquiry: You give students an open question and an investigation method.
They must use the method to reach a conclusion.
3. Guided Inquiry: You give students an open question. Typically in groups, they design
investigation methods, from their own choice, to reach out a conclusion.
4. Open Inquiry: You give students time and support. They pose original questions that
they investigate through their own methods, and eventually present their results to
discuss and expand.
 Reflection Assignment Guidelines

Write a one-page reflection paper in which you address the

following questions:
a. What concepts did you learn about in this chapter? (summary)
b. How did your knowledge of teaching science change? Or how
did it add to your understanding of teaching this chapter?
(be specific here).
THANK YOU!