Analysis of analogies used by science teachers

Science teachers use analogies that display a rich variety of form and content. An account of science teacher analogies that relies solely on systems of analysis imported from other fields of inquiry tends to obscure the unique features of these analogies as they operate within classroom discourse. This study examines teachers' analogies in context and highlights some of their special characteristics. The purpose of this analysis is to increase our understanding of how analogies operate in naturalistic instructional settings and to generate new research questions about science teaching and learning in view of the broader dimensions of the curriculum. Science isa very human activity. It involves human actors and judgements, rivalries and antagonisms, mysteries and surprises, the creative use of metaphor and analogy. It is fallible, often uncertain, and sometimes creatively ambiguous [Lemke, 1990, p. 134].     

Scientific views and religious beliefs of college students: The case of biological evolution

The purpose of this study was to explore how some university biology majors in Beirut, Lebanon, accommodate the theory of biological evolution with their existing religious beliefs. Sixty-two students enrolled in a required senior biology seminar responded to open-ended questions that addressed (a) their understanding of the theory of evolution, (b) their perception of conflict between this theory and religion, and (c) whether the theory of evolution clashed with their own beliefs about the world. Based on their responses, 15 students were selected for an in-depth exploration of their written responses. Students' answers clustered under 1 of 4 main positions: for evolution, against evolution, compromise, and neutral. The authors suggest that teaching students about the nature of scientific facts, theories, and evidence is more likely to enhance understanding of evolutionary theory if students are given the opportunity to discuss their values and beliefs in relation to scientific knowledge. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34: 429–445, 1997.     

Regaining focus in Irish Junior Cycle Science: potential new directions for curriculum and assessment on Nature of Science

The Irish national discourse on curriculum and assessment reform at the Junior Cycle level has been fraught with controversy in the past two years. The introduction of the new curriculum and assessment framework in 2012 by the then Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn has led to significant media coverage and teacher union response. In this paper, we argue that in the midst of the reaction toward the particular assessment elements of the framework, the focus has been lost on key revisions made in the draft science curriculum and assessment specification released in September 2014. A central aspect of the draft document released for consultation includes the introduction of a ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) theme intended to be an overarching feature of all science teaching and learning. We examine the coverage of NOS in the draft document and analyze it relative to a model of NOS developed in our recent book. Our analysis illustrates that the draft science curriculum and assessment specification for Junior Cycle incorporates contemporary research and aligns the Irish curriculum with most features of NOS, although some aspects need further development including the articulation of a nuanced model of NOS. We highlight some future directions for curriculum and assessment development for a comprehensive, coherent and holistic coverage of NOS in Junior Cycle Science in Ireland.     

What do COVID-19 Tweets Reveal about Public Engagement with Nature of Science?

Science & Education - Using the social media platform Twitter, this study explores public reference to “scientific method(s)” in tweets specifically pertaining to COVID-19 posted...     

Contributions of the Family Resemblance Approach to Nature of Science in Science Education

Science & Education - The emergence of the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) to nature of science (NOS) has prompted a fresh wave of scholarship embracing this new approach in science...     

Evidence and Warrants for Belief in a College Astronomy Course

Science educators have argued that it is insufficient to be able to recite thetheories of science and not know how knowledge claims in science are justified, what counts as evidence, or how theory and evidence interact. We wonder, however, how much students' understandings of the nature of science vary with content. This paper draws on data collected in a university astronomy course. Data include three interviews and written work from twenty students, as well as written work from the 340 students in the class. This study provides us with evidence on how students' talk and writing about the nature of science differs depending on the particular scientific topic which is under discussion. The relationship between theory and evidence, warrants for belief, and nature of observation are described in various ways in the different disciplines discussed in the course.     

Apprentissage dans un environnement informatique: possibilité nature transfert des acquis

Resumé L'articulation des deux registres algébrique et graphique de représentation des fonctions est l'une des grandes difficultés rencontrés dans l'appropriation du concept de fonction. Dans cet article, nous étudions les possibilités d'apprentissage offertes par un logiciel Fonctuse susceptible de favoriser cette articulation. Une première expérimentation, courte, à laquelle ont participé 56 élèves de lycée, a montré l'efficacité du logiciel. Une seconde expérimentation, présentée dans cet article, a été ensuite réalisée avec un seul binôme mais sur une plus longue période, pour mieux comprendre les processus cognitifs en jeu dans cet environnement, les construtions de connaissance posssibles et la transférabilité des acquis à un environnement traditionnel. Nous étudions en particulier l'influence sur ces processus et acquis des connaissances algébriques antérieures des élèves.

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Linking the algebraic and graphical representations of functions is one of the great difficulties encountered in learning the function concept. In this article, we examine the possibilites for learning offered by a piece of software Fonctuse, likely to encourage this linking. A first short experiment, conducted with 56 upper secondary students, showed the effectiveness of the software. A second experiment, reported in this article, was then carried out with a single pair of students, but over a longer period, in order to better understand the cognitive processes at play in this environment the construction of knowledge which are possible and their transferability to a more traditional environment. We study, in particular the influence of prior algebraic knowledge on these process and constructions.