Super Activity

Even though this article is at written at the college level, it is one that could e used, with modification, at almost any grade. The activity has so many parallels to the nature of science... See More

Even though this article is at written at the college level, it is one that could e used, with modification, at almost any grade. The activity has so many parallels to the nature of science, that it could be referred to all year long as you emphasize and re-emphasize aspects of the nature of science. Fun!

Facinating way to review NOS

In this article, the author describes an activity she uses to get students to really think about the way that science is conducted and how scientific knowledge is created. I like the activi... See More

In this article, the author describes an activity she uses to get students to really think about the way that science is conducted and how scientific knowledge is created. I like the activity, and I can see how it would really make ME think, so I can understand how it might influence undergraduate students. It is a shame to limit this to undergraduate classes, on the other hand, it would require a sense of maturity on the part of the participants so that the frustration that is generated leads to knowledge and not negative actions. I would also recommend this for honors or academic science classes at the high school level and perhaps, with a little more scaffolding for other high school classes as well. Less mature adolescents might find the experience more humiliating than enlightening if they are not generally successful in school, hence the need for additional scaffolding if one was to use this with those types of students. Still, I think this could be a good way to get across the notions the author states of "scientists are not all knowing, they had to work to develop the knowledge they share and were frequently frustrated in the process" (this is paraphrased but I believe the essence of one of the paragraphs). Excellent concept to share with our students!