“WE ARE SCIENTISTS! We worked as a group! We explored! We made
theories! We researched! We discovered! We had fun!
Fleer, Jane and Hardy, 2007, p.6
- How do you respond to the view that 'we' are scientists? Can
you envisage your students as scientists?
- What does each element of the statement imply for what you
should do to 'be a scientist' during this module?
- What other elements would you add to the list to give a fuller
picture of what it is to be a scientist?
Comparing a scientists approach and a
students approach
Students should understand the complexities
of what scientists do, so as they grow older, have this frame of reference to
draw on if they are in a position to make socio-scientific decision making.
Therefore, teachers must mediate between the world of the scientist and the
world of the student. In order to mediate between these two worlds, teachers
must understand the differences in the approach both groups have towards
science.
Perceptions of purpose:
Hipkins and Booker (2002) suggest that
while scientists hope to contribute new knowledge to their field of research,
student scientists may just be following a method approach, where the end
result may already be know. This may be result of official curriculum being
delivered in such a way that the hidden curriculum, that is, our values and
beliefs about how we wish students to learn (Wenham and Ovens, 2010, p.7), has
not been considered by the teacher involved. When teaching science, the teacher
needs to carefully consider what skills, attitudes and ways of working are
important to develop, not solely the transmission of official curriculum to the
students.
Hipkins, R. &
Booker, F. (2002). You can’t investigate in a vacuum. Set: Research Information
for Teachers, 3.
