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Nature of Science (NOS)

Nature of Science (NOS). What is NOS about?. What is science? How do scientists do their work? What is the nature of scientific knowledge? How does scientific knowledge develop? Is science objective? (What is objectivity?) How does science differ from other ways of knowing?. Study of NOS.

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Nature of Science (NOS)

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  1. Nature of Science (NOS)

  2. What is NOS about? • What is science? • How do scientists do their work? • What is the nature of scientific knowledge? • How does scientific knowledge develop? • Is science objective? (What is objectivity?) • How does science differ from other ways of knowing?

  3. Study of NOS • The study of NOS informed by: • Philosophy of Science • History of Science • Sociology of Science • Science Education

  4. NOS Card Sort • 1) Randomly select 8 different cards. • 2) Trade cards to improve your hand (your hand improves as the cards you hold better reflect your views on science). • 3) Find a partner and select 8 cards which best represent your shared notion of science (each person must contribute at least 2 cards). • 4) Pairs unite to form groups of 4. Select 8 cards which best represent your shared notion of science. • 5) Rank order the 8 statements starting with the most important. • 6) Develop a statement (paragraph-length) drawing from the work you’ve just done to describe what science is.

  5. Card Exchange Perspectives • Compare your statement to the varying NOS perspectives. • Which perspectives influenced your group the most? • Compare & contrast the “Theoretical Emphasis” & the “Empirical Emphasis” • Can elements of both be true? Are they mutually exclusive? • Which perspective(s) do you disagree with most? • Are there elements of this perspective that are compelling?

  6. What do we know about NOS? • Science cannot be singularly (and definitively) defined because it is interpreted in different ways by different people. • Methods such as the card sort and NOS surveys encourage students to think specifically about their views on science. • Scientists, science educators & philosophers of science have proposed some consensus views on NOS.

  7. Consensus Views on NOS • Empirically-based • Scientific knowledge is based on evidence. • Testable • Scientific ideas can be theoretically falsified through evidentiary tests or predicted observations. • Tentative, yet Reliable • Scientific ideas can change given new data or new interpretations

  8. Consensus NOS Views • Culturally-embedded • Scientists & scientific ideas are influenced by the society from they arise. • Creative • Scientists employ creativity in posing questions, collecting data, and interpreting data. (What does this suggest about “The Scientific Method?)

  9. Consensus NOS Views • Theory/Law Distinction • Scientific theories are robust, empirically supported explanations of natural phenomena. Scientific laws are perceived regularities regarding the natural world. Therefore, theories never become laws. Laws are typically more narrow in focus than theories.

  10. Provide examples from the history of science to support… • Empirically-based • Testable • Tentative • Culturally-embedded • Creative

  11. Tubes & Cubes

  12. Discussion Questions • What are the differences between theories and laws? • What is “the scientific method”? • Does “the scientific method” as presented in middle school science accurately reflect what scientists do?

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