Developing an Understanding of Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-132
Author(s):  
Andrew Shtulman ◽  
Caren Walker
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Control Of Variables ◽  
Order Constraints ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Formal Science

Young children are adept at several types of scientific reasoning, yet older children and adults have difficulty mastering formal scientific ideas and practices. Why do “little scientists” often become scientifically illiterate adults? We address this question by examining the role of intuition in learning science, both as a body of knowledge and as a method of inquiry. Intuition supports children's understanding of everyday phenomena but conflicts with their ability to learn physical and biological concepts that defy firsthand observation, such as molecules, forces, genes, and germs. Likewise, intuition supports children's causal learning but provides little guidance on how to navigate higher-order constraints on scientific induction, such as the control of variables or the coordination of theory and data. We characterize the foundations of children's intuitive understanding of the natural world, as well as the conceptual scaffolds needed to bridge these intuitions with formal science.

Towards a Contemporary Philosophy of Islamic Science

1990 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Anwar Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Work ◽  
Single Observation ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Stephen Hawking ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Theoretical Physicist ◽  
Islamic Science ◽  
Rational Mind ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Our understanding of science itself as a body of knowledge and as asystem of analysis and research has changed over the last decades, just asover the last two centuries, or especially after the age of Enlightement inEurope, science has become more powerful, more sophisticated and complex.It is rather difficult to determine where science ends and where technologybegins. In fact there is a gmwing awareness that the physical or nam sciences,as a means of studying and understanding nature, are relying on the more“humanistic“ and cultural approaches adopted by the social sciences or thehumanities. The tradition of natural science is being challenged by newdiscoveries of the non-physical and non-natural sciences which go beyondthe physical world.Certainly research is vital for the growth and development of all sciencesthat attempt to discover and understand the “secrets” of nature. The validityof any scientific theory depends on its research and methodological premisesand even that-its proposition or theories (in the words of a leading cosmologistand theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking) -is tentative. Hawlung says: “Anyphysical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis:you can never prove it. No matter how many times the results of experimentsagree with some theory, you can never be sure that the next time the resultwill not contradict the theory. On the other hand, you can disprove a theoryby finding even a single observation that disagrees with the predictions ofthe theory.”The history of Western science is rooted in the idea of finding the ’truth’by objectivity. Nothing can be believed until there is a scientific proof ofits existence, or until it can be logically accepted by the rational mind. Theclassical scenario of scientific work gives you an austere picture of heroicactivity, undertaken against all odds, a ceaseless effort to subjugate hostileand menacing nature, and to tame its formidable forces. Science is depicted ...

scholarly journals The Development of Causal Reasoning

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Muentener ◽  
Elizabeth Bonawitz
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Causal Reasoning ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Statistical Evidence ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
Causal Relationships ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Very Young Children ◽  
The World

Research on the development of causal reasoning has broadly focused on accomplishing two goals: understanding the origins of causal reasoning, and examining how causal reasoning changes with development. This chapter reviews evidence and theory that aim to fulfill both of these objectives. In the first section, it focuses on the research that explores the possible precedents for recognizing causal events in the world, reviewing evidence for three distinct mechanisms in early causal reasoning: physical launching events, agents and their actions, and covariation information. The second portion of the chapter examines the question of how older children learn about specific causal relationships. It focuses on the role of patterns of statistical evidence in guiding learning about causal structure, suggesting that even very young children leverage strong inductive biases with patterns of data to inform their inferences about causal events, and discussing ways in which children’s spontaneous play supports causal learning.

scholarly journals Fostering Well-Being in Education Through Yoga and Mindfulness in the Snow (Snowga)

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-172
Author(s):  
Leanne Glasser
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Reflective Journals ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Growing Body

Through a program called Snowga (yoga in the snow), students learned about mindfulness and living in the present moment through yoga postures and meditations. Positive changes included growth in wellbeing as the children explored self, community, and the natural world through yoga, mindfulness, personal reflective journals, and artwork. The purpose: to engender awareness of the efficacy of mindfulness and yoga practices in nature and contribute to the growing body of knowledge around wellbeing in education.

scholarly journals A Place for Space: The Shift to Online Space Education During a Global Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Roche ◽  
Laura Bell ◽  
Mairéad Hurley ◽  
Grace D’Arcy ◽  
Brendan Owens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Online Engagement ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Dramatic Shift

The COVID-19 global pandemic has transformed the relationship between science and society. The ensuing public health crisis has placed aspects of this relationship in harsh relief; perceptions of scientific credibility, risk, uncertainty, and democracy are all publicly debated in ways unforeseen before the pandemic. This unprecedented situation presents opportunities to reassess how certain disciplines contribute to the public understanding of science. Space education has long provided a lens through which people can consider the intersection of the natural world with society. Space science is critical to understanding how human activity and pollution affect global warming, which in turn, inextricably links it to perceptions of the natural world, environmental change, science communication, and public engagement. The pandemic has caused a dramatic shift in how space education projects connect with public audiences, with participation pivoting to online engagement. This transition, coupled with the renewed societal examination of trust in science, means that it is an ideal time for the field of space education to reflect on its development. Whether it evolves into its own distinct field, or remains an area that straddles disciplinary boundaries, such as science education, communication, and public engagement, are crucial considerations when scientific trust, accountability, and responsibility are in question. This paper describes the current state of space education, recent advances in the field, and relevant COVID-19 challenges. The experience of an international space education project in adapting to online engagement is recounted, and provides a perspective on potential future directions for the field.

scholarly journals Making Sense of Monarchs

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 428-435
Author(s):  
Emily K. Mohl ◽  
Bethany M. Tritz ◽  
Ella B. Doud ◽  
Emilia G. Galchutt ◽  
Michele J. Koomen
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
College Level ◽  
Upper Midwest ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Biological Concepts

We use the population decline of the monarch butterfly as a central phenomenon to support data analysis and scientific argumentation skills and to motivate inquiry and content learning in intermediate college-level biology courses. Students practice analyzing population trends, critically evaluate scientific articles that debate the causes and implications of those trends, and interpret data using key biological concepts in evolution and ecology. Students learn how to evaluate and reconcile conflicting information and use evidence and scientific reasoning to develop arguments about how communities should respond to the decline. Many of our students find the phenomenon engaging, probably because many of them come from the Upper Midwest and have witnessed or even reared monarch butterflies at home or in previous schooling. However, we draw upon ideas from culturally relevant science teaching to engage more of our students in critical analysis about the relevance of these topics to their communities, and we propose strategies for teaching about the monarch decline phenomenon in diverse contexts.

scholarly journals TEACHING THE NATURE OF SCIENCE THROUGH STORYTELLING: SOME EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM A GRADE 9 CLASSROOM

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannis Hadzigeorgiou
Keyword(s):  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
Creative Activity ◽  
Explicit Teaching ◽  
History Of ◽  
Understanding Of Science

The instructional question of how to teach ideas about the nature of science effectively has been a challenge, but, according to the literature, explicit teaching appears to be the best way. However, the use of narratives, which incorporate actual events from the history of science, can also help illustrate the human and the larger socio-cultural context in which scientific knowledge was developed. Such context facilitates students’ understanding of science as a human endeavour, which is characterized by successes and failures as well as problems and struggles. It makes them aware of the fact that scientific knowledge is tied to human hopes, expectations, passions, and ambitions. Moreover, the use of narratives can help students understand such ideas as: scientific knowledge, while durable, is tentative and subject to revision, people of both sexes and from many countries have contributed to the development of science, science is a creative activity, science has a socio-cultural dimension, and also that there is not a standard scientific method, as scientists use a variety of approaches to explain the natural world. A recent empirical study provides evidence that such ideas can indeed be understood by 9th graders.

Language and Experience Influence Children's Biological Induction

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 171-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florencia Anggoro ◽  
Sandra Waxman ◽  
Douglas Medin
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
The Way ◽  
Naming Practices

AbstractChildren's reasoning about biological concepts is influenced not only by their experiences in the natural world and in their classrooms, but also by the way that these concepts are named. In English, 'animal' can refer either to (a) exclusively non-human animals, or (b) all animate beings (human and non-human animals). In Indonesian, this category of animate beings has no dedicated name. Here, we ask whether this difference in naming has consequences for children's reasoning about humans and non-human animals. Results from English- and Indonesian-speaking children reveals differences in reasoning at age 6, differences that become attenuated by age 9. These results suggest that not only naming practices, but also biologically-relevant formal and informal learning experiences, influence children's reasoning about biological concepts.

The story of a tree and what its tells us about our life

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bruun
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
New Combinations ◽  
Group Participation ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
The World ◽  
Thinking Process ◽  
Points Of View

<p>Our natural world presents many fascinating and often bizarre phenomena to us. The way primary producers convert sunlight with nutrients as part of the existence of life is simply amazing. This gives rise to phytoplankton communities in the oceans and the growth of trees across the world. The signals of our dynamic world, its chronology and patterns of how this life grows are indelibly written into these trees as well as in mineral and oceanic floor strata. In this session I’d like to symbolically ask a generic tree “what were the choices made 150 years ago that led to our current warming?” As interdisciplinary scientists – the thinking process we use whilst embedded in logic and reason – is also closely related to our personal creative and imagining aptitudes. Our social norms also reflect the scope of decisions that we choose to talk about and identify with. By enabling a platform that frames the co-existence of contemporary scientific reasoning together with the artistic expression we re-imagine and further create possibilities, through stories, drawing, metaphor, sound and dance. With this, a wider community of scientists can engage with topics that previously seem technically obscure. A deeper public understanding of geosciences also develops. In the first part of this session I’ll narrate a story of climate change choices see by the generic tree seen over the last 500 years linking this to tree ring records, personal geoscience learning and the EGU photo archive. In the second part – I invite the audience to share their creative points of view about these climatic era’s and to further explore what stories this generic tree may be telling us about our world. The aim of this work is to enable group participation and share creative ideas. My hope is that we may envisage new combinations of opportunities about climatic futures that can enable a more resilient future for us all.</p>

Junonia by K. Henkes

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matilda Roche
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Graphic Novels ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Illustrated Books ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
The Individual

Henkes, Kevin. Junonia. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2011. Print. Henkes’ carefully considered novel for young adults, Junonia, showcases his ability to convey depth of emotion very clearly and intuitively. Going against the truism that children’s book illustrations have to represent the characters, the beautiful and restrained illustrations evoke the archetypal woodcut illustrations of vintage children’s books without descending into nostalgic kitsch. Both word and illustration contribute to Henkes’ candid and clear-eyed depictions of the natural world and the exterior manifestations of the characters’ inner lives. The story unfolds as Alice Rice returns with her parents to Sanibel Island in Florida for their annual winter holiday and to celebrate her tenth birthday. Henkes has a deft narrative grasp of the unknowability of the individual, both to themselves and others; an aspect of the human condition that young people experience particularly acutely. In Henkes’ books for younger readers, there are gentle and empathetic adults present to help children negotiate the complexity of the world and their own feelings. However, Junonia is for older children and its protagonist is beginning the process of learning to navigate and master her own feelings and expectations. While supportive adults are present, they can only offer Alice a limited degree of benevolent protection from the realities of the passage of time and the vagaries of human emotions. While the subject of the book is transition to, and reconciliation with, a more adult-level of self-awareness, the book never seems maudlin and retains a very lucid and almost austere tone. Junonia is an immersive and lovely introduction to literature created with the intent to closely follow the interior monologues of its characters. One could imagine moving on to Mrs Dalloway rather effortlessly. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Matilda RocheMatilda spends her days lavishing attention on the University of Alberta’s metadata but children’s illustrated books, literature for young adults and graphic novels also make her heart sing. Her reviews benefit from the critical influence of a four year old daughter and a one year old son – both geniuses. Matilda’s super power is the ability to read comic books aloud.

scholarly journals Travniki, Travniki and Travniki: Herbals, Herbalists and Herbaria in Seventeenth-Century and Eighteenth-Century Russia

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 58-76
Author(s):  
Rachel Koroloff
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Natural World ◽  
The Body ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Medical Botany ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Physical Form ◽  
Primary Documents

This essay provides a sustained investigation of the term travnik, a capacious word that came to mean herbalist, herbal and herbarium over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Though different in physical form, all three were united during this period by the body of knowledge they contained about the botanical world. Taken togetherthey reveal the ways in which knowledge of plants, from folk collecting traditions, to medical botany, to binomial nomenclature, was generated in the productive tension between foreign expertise and local knowledge. The focus here on translation highlights the diverse array of influences that contributed to the early modern Russian conception of the natural world. The travnik as herbal is explored through two centuries of secondary sources, while the travnik as herbalist relies heavily on published primary documents. The third section on the travnik as herbarium focuses on eighteenth century herbaria and the transposition of new scientific methods onto older forms of knowledge making.

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