The document describes the process skills of inquiry that children use and develop when doing investigations. It gives an example of a kindergarten class exploring how potatoes grow through observing potatoes, generating questions, planning investigations, planting potatoes according to their plans, observing what grows, and generating more questions. The document then describes seven process skills in detail: observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, investigating, interpreting, and communicating. It provides examples from the potato investigation to illustrate how children can develop and apply each of these skills.
Observation Power Point Presentation 9 10 2010lggvslideshare
Example of Professional Development Workshop designed to expand upon teacher expertise, enrich the learning environment, and better understand the whole child.
Observation Power Point Presentation 9 10 2010lggvslideshare
Example of Professional Development Workshop designed to expand upon teacher expertise, enrich the learning environment, and better understand the whole child.
392STUDYING CHILD DEVELOPMENTo me, research is disco.docxgilbertkpeters11344
39
2STUDYING CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
o me, research is discovery: an odyssey of surprises, confi rmations,
and unexpected twists and turns that contribute to the excitement
of a research career. . . . The excitement of a research career is that
the story told by the data is always more interesting than the one you expect
to confi rm. In this sense, human behavior is far more interesting and provocative
than even the most thoughtful theories allow, and this means that the scientist
must be instructed by the lessons revealed by unexpected research fi ndings—
while maintaining humility about her or his capacity to predict the next turn in
the road. (Thompson, 1996, p. 69)
RESEARCH METHODS IN
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
MEASURING ATTRIBUTES AND BEHAVIORS
METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA
RESEARCH DESIGNS
SPECIAL ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENTAL
RESEARCH
STRATEGIES FOR ASSESSING DEVELOPMENTAL
CHANGE
CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES OF DEVELOPMENT
ETHICAL ISSUES IN
DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH
CONTROVERSY: THINKING IT OVER
Should Researchers Reveal
Information They Learn About
Participants in Their Studies?
CHAPTER RECAP
T
308200_ch02.indd Page 39 6/4/07 11:40:32 PM elhi308200_ch02.indd Page 39 6/4/07 11:40:32 PM elhi /Users/elhi/Desktop/BUKATKO/1614T_Bukatko%0/hmbuk1indd/308200_ch02/Users/elhi/Desktop/BUKATKO/1614T_Bukatko%0/hmbuk1indd/308200_ch02
40 PART ONE � CHAPTER 2 STUDYING CHILD DEVELOPMENT
L
T
hese words, written by developmental researcher Ross Thompson, reveal the
genuine enthusiasm of the scientist for the task of systematically observing
and making sense of human behavior. Like investigators in many disciplines,
developmental psychologists are fi rmly committed to the idea that theories and
hypotheses, such as those described in the chapter titled “Themes and Theories,”
should be thoroughly and systematically tested using sound principles of science.
But, as Thompson suggests, researchers must be prepared to modify or even cast
off theories if their observations suggest other truths. At fi rst glance, this outcome
may seem discouraging. But, as many researchers can attest, great rewards lie in the
simple notion of discovering something new.
Part of the reason that researchers get drawn into the enterprise of develop-
mental psychology is that they are captivated by and want to understand the fasci-
nating, complex, and oftentimes surprising array of behaviors children display.
Moreover, there is the sheer fun of being a “child watcher.” As even the most casual
of observers can confi rm, children are simply delightful subjects of study. Research
can also make a real difference in the lives of children. For example, newborn nurs-
eries for premature infants now contain rocking chairs so that parents and nurses
can rock and stimulate babies previously confi ned to isolettes. Bilingual education
programs capitalize on the ease with which young children master the complexities
of language. Clinical interventions help shy chil.
AQA Psychology A Level Revision Cards - Cognition And Development Topicaesop
revision cards for aqa psych paper 3 cognition and development topic. please excuse spelling or grammar mistakes! made entirely by me using the standard year 2 textbook, for reference i achieved an a* :)
Course OverviewResearch, regardless of the venue, is an ac.docxvanesaburnand
Course Overview
Research, regardless of the venue, is an activity with the primary purpose of advancing the scientific body of knowledge. If you decide to embark on a research quest, the journey you take must be filled with passionate commitment, curiosity, rigorous investigation, resourcefulness, imagination, and direction. Without these tenets, a research investigation is simply an exercise lacking in purpose and relevancy and the end result provides nothing more than a collection of isolated facts without scientific merit. Research must, therefore, command respect and adhere to the scientific principles of inquiry if the needed results are to be garnered so you can make best-fit decisions in the behavioral sciences.
As you travel upon this research mission, you will soon learn research activities are designed by a recipe—one not really much different from the type that you follow when baking a cake. When baking your favorite cake, you know there are specific instructions and exact amounts of ingredients, a conveyance mechanism (pan), and an outcome (cake).
Research in the behavioral sciences is no different. There are specific recipes (research designs), specific ingredients (measurement data), and a conveyance mechanism (statistical processes), and if you act in accordance with the strict rules of instruction, you will get a final product—the answer to your question.
Along the way, you will be introduced to the world of statistics—the technique or conveyance means you need for the critical and exacting analysis of the data you have collected. When approaching this area in the course, put aside all fears and illusions about statistics. Many of the formulas you will encounter present an awesome, if not terrifying, appearance, but beneath the strange symbols lurks nothing more forbidding than the simple arithmetic you mastered in school.
The uses you will make of the statistical processes in research activities require no differential equations, no calculus, and no analytical geometry. The sometimes horrifying mathematical manipulations that might fill you with anxiety ultimately reveal themselves as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Finally, as you proceed through each module, you will, as a student in the behavioral sciences, begin to see and appreciate the world of research as it unfolds before you.
Module 1 Overview
Research Topography in the Behavioral Sciences
The goal in Module 1 is to introduce you to the world of research methodology in the behavioral sciences and to help you understand that the primary responsibility of research is to advance the body of scientific knowledge through the scientific inquiry process. Research, when done well, is more than the simple collection of facts and numbers or the recording of occurrences.
Research activities investigating behavioral science issues, whether case study related, clinical trial based, or new product directed, must always start from a scientific approach an.
Un circuito es un recorrido o camino que comienza y finaliza en el mismo lugar, siendo igual el punto de partida y el punto de llegada. En ese camino se puede establecer diferentes y numerosas conexiones que pueden contar con diversas opciones de recorrido, aunque siempre llegan al comienzo de donde partieron. El circuito siempre sucede o toma lugar en un espacio definido ya que es cerrado y no infinito.
Para que circule la electricidad en un circuito eléctrico (Por ejemplo, pila, cable y focos) conectados, el circuito tiene que estar cerrado. Algunos materiales conducen con facilidad la corriente eléctrica (conductores) y otros no (aislantes). Cuando la corriente eléctrica atraviesa un componente eléctrico puede generar luz, calor y/o movimiento. (CNCFQ-4-05)
Un MIPI es una estrategia para fomentar el disfrute de la lectura desde una imagen relacionada con una historia. Se propicia descripción de la imagen, palabras, frases relacionadas y armar pequeños párrafos armando tu propia historia en relación a lo que sucede en la imagen. Cada estudiante escribe la misma historia pero a su manera.
El cuaderno de ciencia en pre escolar se puede convertir en una poderosa herramienta de evaluación de los aprendizajes de los estudiantes. Sólo debemos contar con un instrumento sencillo de lo que queremos evaluar y dar seguimiento a los apartados que correspondan al logro de objetivos de clase.
Organizar nuestra aula de clases es muy relevante dentro de nuestro quehacer educativo. Es importante conocerestrategias que sean útiles para tal fin. Las estrategias que nos ofrecen en KAGAN STRUCTURE son atinadas y fáciles. En Panamá las implementamos con el Programa de Fundación PROED y ha sido de mucha ayuda para los docentes.
Organizar nuestra aula de clases es muy relevante dentro de nuestro quehacer educativo. Es importante conocerestrategias que sean útiles para tal fin. Las estrategias que nos ofrecen en KAGAN STRUCTURE son atinadas y fáciles. En Panamá las implementamos con el Programa de Fundación PROED y ha sido de mucha ayuda para los docentes.
La ciencia por indagación es una estrategia y actualizada para lograr que nuestros estudiantes aprendan ciencia de una manera experimental, así como lo realizan los científicos. Es una forma de lograr que además de aprender conceptos de ciencia, también desarrollen habilidades científicas junto a sus compañeros de clase, de forma colaborativa.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
2. By being aware of the parts that make up the whole, a teacher can
help children learn the skills necessary to plan and carry out
successful inquiry investigations. While the inquiry process can be
represented in many different ways, this chapter gives one
interpretation that can help teachers identify and use the valuable
"process skills" of inquiry.
"When education is viewed as inquiry, important things happen. The
focus of education becomes learning and the task of teaching becomes
one of supporting the inquiry process."
--Harste (1993)
Imagine kindergarten children exploring how potatoes grow. The
children start by carefully looking at potatoes. One of the first things
they notice is that the potatoes have sprouts. They wonder about the
sprouts and what they might do. The teacher elicits more observations
and questions. Among other things, the children suggest that potatoes
grow under the ground. They wonder if potatoes have seeds, and what
a potato seed might look like.
The teacher helps the children generate a list of their questions:
What is a sprout?
How can you get plants without planting seeds?
Do the sprouts have anything to do with getting new potatoes?
Should we plant all or part of the potato?
In order to answer some of these questions, the teacher suggests that
students investigate in more detail. Based on their questions and
observations, he organizes the children into similar interest groups so
that they can work together in small groups of two or three. The
teacher then asks the students to begin by creating a plan that includes
a list of the materials they think they will need and drawings of what
they will put into the dirt--a whole potato, half a potato, the part with
or without a sprout, and so on. The child who wondered about the
seeds wants to include seeds in his plan. On his own, he has found a
book in the classroom that supports his theory that potatoes have
flowers and seeds. The teacher suggests that he research this piece
after the initial experiments are underway.
3. Next, the children plant their potatoes according to their plans. When
the plants begin to sprout, the students uproot them to look for
evidence of change. They notice that some of the potatoes they
planted have rotted, but others have grown. They see roots and the
beginnings of new little potatoes attached to these roots under the
ground. They hypothesize that the potato pieces that originally had
sprouts were the ones that grew into the plants with the little potatoes
attached to their roots.
The children have many more questions, and again the teacher lists
these for the class.
How long would it take to grow a larger potato?
How many potatoes would grow from each plant?
Can one of the new little potatoes be used to grow another potato
plant?
How much of the potato needs to be buried in order to grow a small
plant?
It is near the end of the year, so the teacher suggests that the children
try some followup experiments at home during the summer.
The Parts of the Process
When learners interact with the world in a scientific way, they find
themselves observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting,
investigating, interpreting, and communicating. These are often called
the "process skills" of science. Process skills play a critical role in
helping children develop scientific ideas.
A sometimes bewildering variety of interpretations of process skills,
including their number, order, and relative importance, exists in local,
state, and national science education standards. Here we suggest one
possible interpretation of seven of the process skills of science
(Harlen and Jelly, 1997):
Observing-watching carefully, taking notes, comparing and
contrasting
Questioning-asking questions about observations; asking questions
that can lead to investigations
Hypothesizing-providing explanations consistent with available
observations
4. Predicting-suggesting an event in the future, based on observations
Investigating-planning, conducting, measuring, gathering data,
controlling variables
Interpreting-synthesizing, drawing conclusions, seeing patterns
Communicating- informing others in a variety of means: oral,
written, representational
Observing
Observation of real phenomena begins the
inquiry process and continues throughout
all its phases. For the kindergartners
studying potatoes, observation, the starting
point for their endeavors, also led them
from one step to the next.
In making observations, the learner gathers
evidence and ideas about phenomena and
begins to identify similarities and
differences. He may also begin to see
patterns or understand the order in which
events may have taken place. Close
observation provides the evidence that
allows ideas to be checked, and it therefore
needs to be detailed and relevant. The
learner must have confidence that her
observations are valuable.
"The Eyes Have It: The
Growing Science Inquiry
Teaching Cycle," a video by
the National Gardening
Association, Burlington,
Vermont.
Because observation skills can more easily be developed than other
process skills, they are often more consciously practiced with younger
students. But, as shown above, even kindergartners have the ability to
move beyond observation to other areas of investigation.
Questioning
Curiosity drives the inquiry process--it generates questions and a
search for answers. In process of asking series is first step finding
Questioning therefore basis from which continues. It at heart process.
habit mind that can be encouraged any learning setting. An ethos
classroom allows learners freedom to move into uncharted territory
begin explore what they dont know or need better understand.
5. The questions the kindergartners asked about the potatoes arose from
watching real phenomena in an unhurried fashion. These questions
recurred regularly throughout the children's exploration. As they
worked, each question led to an action, which in turn led to the use of
other process skills, including asking more questions. This is the
nature of inquiry, which is not a linear process.
Equally important to raising good questions is the process of selecting
questions that might be followed with fruitful investigations. In the
school setting, one of the most important skills we can develop is to
understand better which questions can be answered by
experimentation, and which cannot. Children become aware of this
gradually. Part of the inquiry process is determining how to turn non-
investigable questions into investigable ones, and learning how to
recognize questions that are generative, long lasting, and interesting
enough to foster a rich investigation.
The Eyes Have It: The Growing Science Inquiry Teaching Cycle," a video by
the National Gardening Association, Burlington, Vermont.
Hypothesizing
Our kindergartners, by their actions, suggested that perhaps the sprout
itself was associated with the growth of the potato. This is a tentative
explanation for the function of the sprout. It is based on available
evidence, and it is, essentially, a hypothesis.
Hypothesizing suggests an explanation consistent with available
observations, questions, and evidence. When a student makes a
hypothesis, he links information from past experiences that may
explain both how and why events occur. (See "To Hypothesize or Not
to Hypothesize?" on page 61.)
6. Inquiry starts when something catches our interest and we take time to
observe it very carefully. Hypothesizing arrives after we have an
opportunity to observe, comment, raise questions, and explore with
materials. We raise questions based on experience and observations
and continue to gather experiences with the particular phenomenon.
Along the way, hypotheses are created, but they may arrive well into
the experience and act as a way of pulling together accumulated
information.
Predicting
Predictions are central to the process of testing whether or not a
hypothesis is on the right track. This process takes away the need for
guessing. A prediction goes beyond available evidence to suggest
what will happen in the future. A learner who says, "If I do this, then
that will happen" has a way of finding out how something works.
There are a variety of ways to use evidence. Young children may
make conclusions that are only slightly related to available evidence.
Older children may use evidence in more sophisticated ways,
including recognizing patterns of data from which to extrapolate or
interpolate. The greater the use of evidence to link the original ideas
to future behaviors, the more useful and testable the prediction.
Typically, a prediction is based on evidence from past knowledge
and/or experience, and upon immediate evidence gained through
observation. It is important to know how to gather evidence and how
it can be used to best advantage. Predictions invite the orderly
gathering of evidence for a specific purpose.
Investigating
Measuring, gathering data, and performing "fair tests" are used to gain
the evidence necessary to provide a consistent interpretation. With
meaningful evidence, we can answer a question or test a prediction
with some certainty that the appropriate variable is being tested and
systematically measured. This means the investigator is able to
understand which variable will be held constant and which will be
undergoing change, a concept that is often difficult for the young or
inexperienced investigator.
7. An investigation typically takes many unanticipated twists and turns.
Solving one problem may lead to another, so investigations may take
many different paths. Our kindergartners experienced this as they
planned their own potato investigations. One group's investigation led
to a rotted potato; another group's investigation led to a healthy potato
plant. In each case, meaningful information was gathered, but along
different paths.
Interpreting
Once the kindergartners had done their tests, they needed help in
making sense of them. They needed to get beyond the mere gathering
of data and begin to interpret what they'd found.
Interpreting includes finding a pattern of effects and synthesizing a
variety of information in order to make a statement about their
combined meaning. It may include making associations between
variables and making sure that the data support the hypothesized
connections. It is critical to relate findings to initial questions and
observations.
The Eyes Have It: The Growing Science Inquiry Teaching Cycle," a video by
the National Gardening Association, Burlington, Vermont.
Communicating
An inquiry classroom relies on open communication. For the students,
that means talking to others, listening to their evidence and
explanations, and representing their own results in a clear manner. It
includes taking notes in the course of an investigation. It also includes
choosing the appropriate way to translate knowledge to others, by
making representations such as charts or diagrams, for example, that
illustrate data and results.
8. Communication in the inquiry classroom goes beyond simply
exchanging knowledge. It implies that socially gathered and shared
information informs individual learning.
"The Eyes Have It: The Growing Science Inquiry Teaching Cycle," a video by
the National Gardening Association, Burlington, Vermont.
Modeling Independent Learning
One of the most important roles of the teacher as facilitator is to
gradually allow the learner to take more responsibility for the
learning process. In a school setting, the process of inquiry is
always guided by the teacher, who gradually transfers
responsibility for aspects of the investigation to the student.
Ultimately, a student who has effective guidance can learn to ask
his or her own questions. The same is true for the rest of the skills
that make up inquiry. Step by step, students can take on
responsibility for planning, conducting investigations, using
evidence, etc. As students master these skills, they can take
responsibility for assessing issues for themselves, making
judgments based on their assessments, taking action to initiate their
own inquiries, and collecting and interpreting evidence on their
own.
The gradual shift of responsibility from teacher to learner is a
complex one that is at once natural and carefully designed. Over
time, the teacher models the kinds of behaviors he or she would
like students to learn, such as collaboration, posing questions,
careful use of materials, self-reflection, and language skills. At
first, the teacher is directive, acting as a guide until students
9. demonstrate their own abilities to work independently. Like a
parent modeling the complex living skills a child will need through
life, the teacher models the skills and techniques of independent
learning. In a process often referred to as "scaffolding," the teacher
gradually fades from control of certain areas as students take on the
skills in their own way.
Putting the Pieces Together
There is no one way to use a process skill. Each skill has
characteristic, developmentally appropriate abilities for different ages,
from novice to advanced. With practice, these abilities can be
developed over time. In our potato investigation example, for
instance, the kindergartners used all the process skills of science, at a
level appropriate to their age.
Research suggests that some process skills are more regularly
practiced in the elementary classroom than others. In particular, there
may be more observation and questioning than hypothesizing and
interpreting. Because all the skills are necessary to full inquiry, and
because they all fit together in a coherent fashion, it is important to
develop all the process skills early on.
The inquiry process takes advantage of the
natural human desire to make sense of the
world... This attitude of curiosity permeates the
inquiry process and is the fuel that allows it to
continue.
10. Process skills are not used for their own sake. Rather, they are used in
order to further the learning process and are an important way to link
previous and current knowledge. During their investigations, for
instance, the kindergarten children were observing, questioning,
gathering information, and performing some initial tests that would
propel them in many new directions. As students use these skills, they
build up new conceptual understandings. They learn the content of
science.
>When doing inquiry, we assume that curiosity, respect for evidence,
and a willingness to change ideas are attitudes of scientific thinking.
These go hand in hand with the idea of a fair test and respect for
evidence. Use of evidence involves both the processes, the content,
and the attitudes of science, for it is useless to gather evidence if one
does not have a willingness to change beliefs if the evidence is
contrary to expectations.
For children, the process of asking questions, investigating
phenomena, gathering evidence, and solving problems begins when
they realize that they can find things out for themselves. The inquiry
process takes advantage of the natural human desire to make sense of
the world. It relies on a willingness to come up with questions that
reflect these interests. This attitude of curiosity permeates the inquiry
process and is the fuel that allows it to continue.
In the scenario above, the children learned important scientific ideas
about how plants grow and also discovered new information on their
own. By linking new ideas to existing ideas, children can change
conceptual models and build up a rich array of experiences. With
these experiences, they can go further--making hypotheses, posing
questions, making inferences, and ultimately coming to a deeper
understanding of science.
11. To Hypothesize or Not to Hypothesize?
by Jerry Pine
As a research scientist who is involved with elementary science
education, I often notice teachers recalling from their past
education a "scientific method" that usually includes many
attributes of scientific inquiry, among them observation, collection
of data, analyzing data, drawing inferences, and reaching a
conclusion. Very often this method is presented as a linear
sequence of activities, which it need not be. Scientists move back
and forth among processes to refine their knowledge as the inquiry
unfolds. Inquiry is an artistic endeavor, and not the following of a
recipe
Frequently, the scientific method as taught by non-scientists
requires that a scientific inquiry must stem from a hypothesis,
which in fact is not usually true. Did Darwin board the Beagle with
the hypothesis of natural selection in hand? Did Galileo experiment
with falling bodies with the hypothesis that they would all exhibit
the same acceleration? Did Mendeleev invent the periodic table
based on a hypothesis that there should be one? In these three
cases, as well as a great majority of other crucial scientific
inquiries, there was an exploration of the unknown, with not nearly
enough previous knowledge to support an initial hypothesis on
which to focus the exploration.
If we don't begin with a hypothesis, then what does initiate a
scientific inquiry? A question. Sometimes it can be a very specific
question: "Do bean seeds germinate better in the light or the dark?"
Sometimes it can be a much more general question: "How do
crayfish relate to one another?" If we have a great deal of previous
knowledge, we might hypothesize. After some study of electric
circuits, we might hypothesize: "Two lengths of resistance wire in
parallel will have less resistance than either one." But we could just
as well have asked the question, "How does the resistance of two
lengths of resistance wire in parallel compare to that of either one?"
We can begin every scientific inquiry with a question. If we insist
on a hypothesis we will often merely force an unscientific guess. If
12. there is a valid hypothesis it can always be stated as a question, for
example, "Is it true that (insert the hypothesis here)...?"
So, the answer to our initial inquiry is: To hypothesize or not to
hypothesize? Don't. Pose a question instead.
Reprinted courtesy of Jerry Pine, Caltech Precollege Science
Initiative.
References
Scenarios adapted from Windows on the classroom, a four-part video
series by the National Gardening Association, Burlington, Vermont.
For more information, see the Web site at
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/activities/processcircus/circus.html.
Harlen, W., and Jelly, S. (1989/1997). Developing science in the
primary classroom Essex, England: Addison Wesley Longman, Ltd.
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