1 On behalf of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, this lesson was prepared by Arizona State University’s Mars Education Program, under contract to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology. These materials may be distributed freely for non-commercial purposes. Copyright 2014; 2012; 2010; 2000. Last edited: April 24, 2014 Marsbound! Mission to the Red Planet

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas

Many innovative approaches to education such as problem-based learning (PBL) and inquiry learning (IL) situate learning in problem-solving or investigations of complex phenomena. Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006) grouped these approaches together with unguided discovery learning. However, the problem with their line of argument is that IL and PBL approaches are highly scaffolded. In this article, we first demonstrate that Kirschner et al. have mistakenly conflated PBL and IL with discovery learning. We then present evidence demonstrating that PBL and IL are powerful and effective models of learning. Far from being contrary to many of the principles of guided learning that Kirschner et al. discussed, both PBL and IL employ scaffolding extensively thereby reducing the cognitive load and allowing students to learn in complex domains. Moreover, these approaches to learning address important goals of education that include content knowledge, epistemic practices, and soft skills such as collaboration and sel...

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Scaffolding and Achievement in Problem-Based and Inquiry Learning: A Response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006)

Basing its arguments in current perspectives on the nature of the scientific enterprise, which see argument and argumentative practice as a core activity of scientists, this article develops the case for the inclusion and central role of argument in science education. Beginning with a review of the nature of argument, it discusses the function and purpose of dialogic argument in the social construction of scientific knowledge and the interpretation of empirical data. The case is then advanced that any education about science, rather than education in science, must give the role of argument a high priority if it is to give a fair account of the social practice of science, and develop a knowledge and understanding of the evaluative criteria used to establish scientific theories. Such knowledge is essential to enhance the public understanding of science and improve scientific literacy. The existing literature, and work that has attempted to use argument within science education, is reviewed to show that classroom practice does provide the opportunity to develop young people's ability to construct argument. Furthermore, the case is advanced that the lack of opportunities for the practice of argument within science classrooms, and lack of teacher's pedagogical skills in organizing argumentative discourse within the classroom are significant impediments to progress in the field. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:287–312, 2000.

Establishing the norms of scientific argumentation in classrooms

Helping students develop informed views of nature of science (NOS) has been and continues to be a central goal for kindergarten through Grade 12 (K–12) science education. Since the early 1960s, major efforts have been undertaken to enhance K–12 students and science teachers' NOS views. However, the crucial component of assessing learners' NOS views remains an issue in research on NOS. This article aims to (a) trace the development of a new open-ended instrument, the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS), which in conjunction with individual interviews aims to provide meaningful assessments of learners' NOS views; (b) outline the NOS framework that underlies the development of the VNOS; (c) present evidence regarding the validity of the VNOS; (d) elucidate the use of the VNOS and associated interviews, and the range of NOS aspects that it aims to assess; and (e) discuss the usefulness of rich descriptive NOS profiles that the VNOS provides in research related to teaching and learning about NOS. The VNOS comes in response to some calls within the science education community to go back to developing standardized forced-choice paper and pencil NOS assessment instruments designed for mass administrations to large samples. We believe that these calls ignore much of what was learned from research on teaching and learning about NOS over the past 30 years. The present state of this line of research necessitates a focus on individual classroom interventions aimed at enhancing learners' NOS views, rather than on mass assessments aimed at describing or evaluating students' beliefs. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 497–521, 2002

/pdf/views-of-nature-of-science-questionnaire-toward-valid-and-5gsh9nzrts.pdf

Views of nature of science questionnaire: Toward valid and meaningful assessment of learners' conceptions of nature of science

The research reported in this paper focussed on the design of learning environments that support the teaching and learning of argumentation in a scientific context. The research took place over two years between 1999 and 2001 in junior high schools in the greater London area. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first developmental phase, working with a group of 12 science teachers, the main emphasis was to develop sets of materials and strategies to support argumentation in the classroom and to assess teachers‘ development with teaching argumentation. Data were collected by videoing and audio recording the teachers attempts to implement these lessons at the beginning and end of the year. During this phase, analytical tools for evaluating the quality of argumentation were developed based on Toulmin‘s argument pattern. Analysis of the data shows that there was significant development in the majority of teachers use of argumentation across the year. Results indicate that the pattern of use of argumentation is teacher specific, as is the nature of the change. In the second phase of the project, teachers taught the experimental groups a minimum of nine lessons which involved socioscientific or scientific argumentation. In addition, these teachers taught similar lessons to a control group at the beginning and end of the year. Here the emphasis lay on assessing the progression in student capabilities with argumentation. Hence data were collected from several lessons of two groups of students engaging in argumentation. Using a framework for evaluating the nature of the discourse and its quality, the findings show that there was an improvement in the quality of students‘ argumentation. In addition, the research offers methodological developments for work in this field.

http://disciplinas.stoa.usp.br/pluginfile.php/28363/mod_resource/content/1/Enhancing%20the%20Quality%20of%20Argumentation%20in%20School%20Science.pdf

Enhancing the quality of argumentation in school science

This book should be of interest to all science educators, whether they teach students, advise or inspect or are involved in planning a science curriculum. The content is essentially an account of a research project undertaken to find out and to report the range and nature of school students' understanding of the nature of science. The authors designed a cross-age study, giving the same task to samples of pupils of three different ages: 9, 12 and 16 years. The collected data were analysed to see the ways in which understanding seemed to change with age and experience. The researchers' interest in students' ideas about science has grown from their observation that learners' responses to observations and ideas are constrained and limited in significant ways by their perception of the nature of scientific work and of scientific knowledge. The result is that students often misinterpret information and experiences presented in the classroom and laboratory. The authors hope that, by knowing more about these misperceptions, we may understand better the processes of science content learning and hence achieve more effective teaching. The book is divided into three sections. In the first 70 pages the authors set out the arguments for giving the nature of science a more prominent place in the curriculum. Next they present an overview of the major schools of thought about science and scientific knowledge, followed by a summary of previous research on students' ideas about the nature of science. The section concludes with the questions, methods and tools used in the research. In the next 60 pages the main findings of the study are presented and discussed. In the final chapter the authors bring together the theoretical arguments for the place of teaching about the nature of science with the results of the research study and consider the possible implications for science teaching in schools, discussing ways in which the curriculum could be adapted to assist students to become better citizens in a modern technological world. The book is well laid out, carefully planned and argued at every stage, with excellent clear headings and summaries. It is possible to read it on a superficial level, dwelling more on the conclusions, or to select sections for closer study using either the index or section headings. There are several appendices, one of which contains the 174 references to other publications quoted in the text. There is considerable food for thought and/or discussion or debate, not only for new teachers but as timely reminders to those who have been in the classroom, laboratory or management for many years, about their aims and objectives and whether they are being realized. This is a volume which should find its way into the resource library of every science teaching department.

Young People's Images of Science

Spotlight Science is a new integrated science course for all abilities to Key Stage 3, designed to provide a text covering the latest National Curriculum programme of study. Year 9, the last year of the course for 13-year-olds, contains eleven chapters, five of which are substantially physics based, being some 30 hours of teaching material. Each double-page spread is intended as the background for a one-hour lesson. Energy, forces, matter, reflection, refraction, colour, sound, basic current electricity and magnetism are the topics covered. Why should Physics Education be reviewing a science course textbook for such an age group? It is important that the basic physics taught should be accurate and not misinforming; concepts should be introduced at the right level of difficulty and complexity so as not to confuse or talk down to the students. The book is well laid out with many good colour pictures and diagrams on every double-page spread. The pictures include sensible modern applications or everyday life illustrations of the basic text. The format is attractive with different coloured backgrounds to the text for different activities such as investigations, questions, etc. The language is simple with clear short sentences directly to the point with correct technical terms, e.g. kinetic energy and strain energy. The text is also well balanced between the sexes with at least as many applications to interest the girls as the boys. The Teachers' Guide reviewed below contains all of the additional materials to create a full learning and activity package around this reader. Physical principles and concepts are well explained in most places. For example, the idea of order to disorder being the direction of spontaneous energy change in a system is included, as are Sankey (energy transfer) diagrams. However, the model suggested for thermal conduction is sadly very wrong and the electron flow model of an electric current is also rather dubious. Several of the photographs do not have captions where this would be useful. However, these are the only criticisms of what otherwise looks like an attractive, interesting and easy-to-read book, to encourage any 13-year-old.

Spotlight Science 9

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