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Communicating Ocean
Sciences
Session 2:
The Nature and Practices of
Science
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Session Objectives
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Discuss “what is science?” and the nature of
science
Discuss that evidence is collected, interpreted,
and influenced by current scientific perspectives
and understandings and by the society, culture,
and even the scientists’ personal subjectivity
Discuss the value and effect of a deeper
understanding of, and reflection on, the nature
and practices of science.
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Quick write
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Would you say that Feynman was doing
science or did it just appear scientific? What
specifically about his results make you think
that?
Why do you think that we chose to assign
the Feynman reading, both for the overall
course and specifically for this session on the
nature and practices of sciences?
Outsmarted by Ants
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What do you think about Feynman’s
science experiments with ants now?
How do these ideas fit into your
schema of what is science?
What is Science?
http://www.synergizedsolutions.com/simpsons/pictures.shtml
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Think-Pair-Share
What is science?
How does science
work?
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Mystery Tubes Activity
•
Work in two’s or three’s to explore
the mystery tube and share ideas.
•
Your goal is to determine what the
interior construction of the tube looks
like and to draw a diagram to model
your hypothesis.
You cannot open the tube to look inside.
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Mystery Tubes Activity
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1.
Share your model with another
group.
2.
What would you say if you were
going to publish your findings right
now?
3.
Make sure to comment and ask
questions about each other’s
models.
Ponder This
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Were you doing science?
What were you doing that is similar
to what scientists do?
How Science Works Flowcharts
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What was the first thing
you did in the activity?
Where does it fit on the
flow chart?
Put a #1 in that section of
the flow chart.
Place numbers on the
flow chart in the
appropriate places.
How Science Works Flowcharts
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What do you notice about your pathway shown on
the flowchart?
How does this differ from how you were taught
about the science process in school?
Which part(s) of the science process and practices
did we address in this session?
Which part(s) did we not address?
Which part(s) do you think are most often addressed
in K-12 education? Why do you think that is?
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Activity: Sorting Statements
Discuss each statement about
science and determine if it is
an:
“Accurate” statement about
science and scientific
practices; or an
“Inaccurate” statement about
science and scientific
practices.
Place them into piles…
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The exact “right” answers are not
the point of the activity.
The purpose is to create an
opportunity to discuss and think
about what science is & what it is
not.
University of California
Museum of
Paleontology
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/misconceptions.php
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Key Ideas from the Literature
Think-Pair-Share
1.
Read Key Ideas from the Literature about
Science.
2.
Discuss your ideas in a few minutes with a
partner.
- What are the implications of these key
ideas?
- How are these ideas about science relevant
to you as an educator?
3. Share your discussion with the whole group.
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Six Americas
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What are the varying views about climate change?
Do you think a better understanding of the process of
science changes people's views about climate
change?
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Self-reflection
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How is a scientific view distinct
from other ways of knowing?
What did you find most interesting,
though-provoking, or applicable to
you from today’s session about the
nature and practices of science?
Homework
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On-line discussion.
 Ask two people “Do you think that global warming is happening and is
caused mostly by human activities?” “Why or why not?” Record their ideas
and a bit about the tenor and content of the discussion you had with them.
 What is the value of teaching K-12 students to think scientifically? How
might they apply scientific thinking in their everyday lives and when they
grow up if they don’t become scientists?
Reading.
 Hohenstein, J. M., & King, H. (2007). Learning in and outside of school.
 Choose at least one of the biome chapters from the textbook (11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16) to read in full.
 Peruse the Understanding Science website: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/
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