Nature of Science (NOS)

1. Nature of Science (NOS) Strategies to help students get started

2. View of Nature of Science Questionnaire Form C • Purpose: Assess learners nature of science views. • Question: By incorporating the following pedagogies in my teaching • BSCS 5E model • Inquiry Toolkit • Student designed lab project • Will students learn more about the nature of science?

3. Student Population • N = 36 • Foundations of biology course for non-science majors • Foundations: primarily first year students

4. Implementation • 5-6 BSCS 5E activities • Each activity reinforced a particular concept. • 3-4 Guided Inquiry Labs • Helping students identify: • Independent and dependent variables • Question • Hypothesis • What is a control? • Number of trials? • Student based lab project

5. How does the VNOS measure Nature of Science (NOS) Views? • Views are classified as: • More naïve or More informed • Interviews are key • Avoid misinterpretation of respondent meaning • Indicating problems with previous instruments • Generate profiles of meanings ascribed to NOS aspects

6. Methods • Pre and Post Assessment (10 questions) • Focus Questions: • Question #1a: What is science? • Question 1b: What makes science (or scientific discipline such as physics, biology, etc.) different from other disciplines of inquiry (e.g. religion or philosophy)? • Question #2: What is an experiment?

7. VNOS Analysis • 8 out of 19 UMF natural scientists • 1 Physicist, 1 Geologist, 1 Chemist, 4 Biologists, 1 Environmental Science Educator • Established More Informed Concepts • Inter-rater reliability • 3 undergraduate researchers • Science educator

8. Pretest Results % % % % % % % Q 1a Q 1b Q2

9. Posttest Results % % % % % % Q 2 Q 1a Q 1b

10. Results Summary • Question 1a: What in your view is science? • 14% were more informed • Question 1b: What makes science (or a scientific discipline such as physics, biology, etc.) different from other disciplines of inquiry? • 9% were more informed • Question 2: What is an experiment? • 27% were more informed

11. Nature of Science • Evolution • PBS Evolution Resources

12. How to Observe and Describe • Go outside and find 4 natural objects • 4 objects must look exactly like each-other (i.e. four leaves of the same size and shape from the same tree) • Work in pairs and choose 1 set of 4 objects • Label each of the objects A, B, C, D • Write a DETAILED description for each object on one side of the index card. • On the back of the index card indicate the correct corresponding letter. • When you are done be sure to have your descriptions facing up and mix them up. • Visit another groups objects and attempt to match the object with its description. • ONLY after all 4 objects have been matched, you can check the back of the index cards to see if your matches are correct.

13. Mystery Cube Beginning to look for trends/patterns

14. Mystery Shapes: Trends • Arrange the 17 figures into groups. You can have as many groups as you and your partner want. • On a piece a paper write down a statement describing why you have placed the figures in each particular group.

15. Mystery Shapes Data

16. What if? • Instructor chooses two interesting groupings (e.g. Team 1 & 3) • Splits class in half • 1/2 class arranges shapes like Team 1 • 1/2 class arranges shapes like Team 3 • Students try and decide why team 1 (or 3 whichever is appropriate) arranged the figures as they did, and they right down the reasons. This is their HYPOTHESIS. • Instructor passes out shapes Q & R and students TEST THE HYPOTHESIS by placing Q & R into the groups they think team 1 (or 3) would. • Students state why they think Team 1 (or 3) arranged the figures into their groups and to which group they think Team 1 would place Q & R • Team 1 now reveals whether the discussion has been accurate. If so the HYPOTHESIS IS SUPPORTED. If not, the hypothesis is not supported and must be rejected. • If Q & R are placed in the right group but for the wrong reasons other than those that Team 1 originally stated, the hypothesis is supported, but the hypothesis is incorrect. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT FOR DISCUSSION

17. Checks Lab NOS Skills in Action

18. Getting Organized • Divide into research teams • 2 per team • Envelope with 16 checks is distributed • Envelope contains the same set of 16 identical cancelled checks from the same family or individual. • Select only four checks at random WAIT FOR THE INSTRUCTOR TO TELL YOU TO DO SO!!.

19. Analyze Checks • What kinds of data do these cancelled checks give us?” • Select one recorder per group to keep track of the data (4 check sets randomly chosen) • Remove any four checks blindly and randomly from the envelope and begin constructing a “story” about this family or individual. • What does this have to do with science? • This phase is similar to scientists getting information in a non-linear fashion and at different intensities.

20. Summary • On Newsprint record an outline of your story and select someone in your group not the recorder to share you conclusions. • Investment in your data • Scientists who may study a phenomenon for years cannot help but have an investment in the data they have been collecting. It is when this data and personal buy-in becomes public that ideas are either supported or refuted. That is how science works.

21. Checks Lab Directions • Individual teams collaborate after preliminary analysis • Individual teams must collaborate • Similar to a scientist traveling to the Antarctic during a specific time of the year because of the weather. • Scientists must collaborate with each other to piece together a “story”

22. Beluga’s

23. Location

24. Beluga Characteristics

25. Donner Party: What is the data telling us?

26. NOS Video • PBS Nature of Science

27. NOS in Action • Observations: • Young woman enters theater alone • Young man enters theater alone and sits next to woman • He does not say anything to her

28. How to start? • What Questions do you have about the situation?

29. Organizing Information • What can we change? (Note: you can not ask the two people questions) • What will we observe? • When we change______________ will the man/woman _____________? • Based on this question, We predict,______ __________________________ • FORMING A HYPOTHESIS: Converting a question into a statement.

30. Inquiry Grab BagWorking with Donner party data • teacher stuff

32. Introductory Exercises to Promote Science Thinking Skills • Observation skills • Mystery Shapes: Looking for Trends • Analyzing Data: Looking for Trends