Nature of Science

(1) tentativeness of scientific knowledge

(2) nature of observation

(3) scientific methods

(4) hypotheses, laws, and theories

(5) Imagination

(6) validation of scientific knowledge

(7) objectivity and subjectivity in science

Hypothesis: Initial guess tested for truth.

Scientific theory: Explains why, always tested true.

Law: Math statement showing how something happens.

SCIENTIFIC TRAITS

Curiousity- being aware

Humility- not boastful

Determination - persistent

Patience- can wait

Creativity – can make your own idea

Acceptance to failure- failure as inspiration

Careful Judgement – does not conclude easily

Open mindedness – accepts ideas of other people

Objectivity – not bias

Scope of science

Social Science – Society

Formal science – Formal System

Applied Science – Practical application (Medicine )

Natural Science – Nature

Utility of the subject :

Scientific knowledge allows us to develop new technologies, solve practical problems, and
make informed decisions — both individually and collectively. Because its products are so
useful, the process of science is intertwined with those applications:

1. New scientific knowledge may lead to new applications.

2. New technological advances may lead to new scientific discoveries.

3. Potential applications may motivate scientific investigations.

Interdisciplinary Approach- connection of 1 or more disciplines

The General Method of Teaching Science

“Sage on the Stage”

The teacher-centered model positions the teacher as the expert in charge of imparting
knowledge to his or her students via lectures or direct instruction.

In this setting, students are sometimes described as “empty vessels,” listening to and
absorbing information.

1. The focus is primarily on the instructor

2. The teacher chooses the topics

3. The teacher talks and the students listen

4. What the teacher knows about the subject takes priority

5. Students work alone/independently

6. The teacher monitors and corrects student work as needed

7. The teacher is solely responsible for answering students’ questions

8. The teacher evaluates students’ performance and evidence of learning

9. The classroom is typically quiet

Benefits of Teacher Centered approach

1. Order in the class! The teacher exercises full control of the classroom and activities.
2. Being fully in control minimizes an instructor’s concern that students may be missing key
material.

3. When a teacher takes full responsibility for educating a group of students, the class
benefits from a focused approach to research, planning and preparation.

4. Teachers feel comfortable, confident and in charge of the classroom activities.

5. Students always know where to focus their attention — on the teacher.

Drawbacks:

1. This method works best when the instructor can make the lesson interesting; absent
this, students may get bored, their minds may wander and they may miss key information.

2. Students work alone, missing potential opportunities to share the process of discovery
with their peers.

3. Collaboration, an essential and valuable skill in school and in life, is discouraged.

4. Students may have less opportunity to develop their communication and critical thinking
skills.

Student Centered

1. In student-centered learning, the teacher is still the classroom authority figure. However,
they function as more of a coach or facilitator while students embrace a more active and
collaborative role in their own learning.

2. Student-centered learning (SCL) is a teaching method that focuses on creating

connections with students’ interests and the things they learn in school. The ultimate goal
is to make the educational process more meaningful to students.

3. “Guide on the side”

4. SCL may seem to remove the teacher from the center of the classroom; but really, the
teacher’s role is instrumental for its success. The approach relies on students working
toward their own autonomy that would support learning at a pace they are comfortable
with.A student-centered learning environment might look like one in which:

1. The focus is shared by both the students and their teacher.

2. Students may have some choice in the topics they cover.

3. The instructor models a concept or challenge, then invites the students to explain or
demonstrate it back to the class.

Benefits:

1. Education becomes a more shared experience between the instructor and the students,
and between the students themselves.

2. Students build both collaboration and communication skills.

3. Students tend to be more interested in learning when they can interact with one another
and participate actively in their own education.

4. Students learn to both work independently and to interact with others as part of the
learning process.

Drawbacks:

1. With students free to interact, the classroom space can feel noisy or chaotic.

2. Classroom management can become more of an issue for the teacher, possibly cutting
into instructional activities.

3. With less focus on lectures, there can be a concern that some students may miss
important information.

An approach is informed by ones’ view or perspective on issues, a strategy is a carefully

planned activities use to achieve a goal; a method becomes the procedure one adopts in
solving an issues whiles a technique becomes ones’ own unique ways of solving a situation
at hand.

Laboratory method ( hands on)

Shulman and Tamir, in the Second Handbook of Research on Teaching (Travers, ed., 1973),
listed five groups of objectives that may be achieved through the use of the laboratory in
science classes:

Skill, concepts, Cognitive Abilities understanding the nature of science and Attitude .

Execution plan:

1.The assignment must be lesson concerned and related with the textbooks and
curriculum

2.The topic/unit of the assignment must be explained with the availability of the resources.

3. The core of the subject or unit must be clarified.

4. The hard and difficult portions of the assignment need to be explained well.

4. The topics/units irrelevant to the assignments must be defined very well.

5. The questions and answers for the assignment provided to the learners must comprise
the following:

*The questions must investigate the learners/students attitude.

*The questions need to express whether the students have gone through the
entire questions and assignment instructions.

*The answers must be simple and smaller in nature.

Assignment method helps student learn at their own pace.

Heuristic method:

The term heuristic refers to problem-solving

*Heuristics are mental shortcuts that can facilitate problem-solving and probability
judgments. These strategies are generalizations, or rules-of-thumb, that reduce cognitive
load.

*Logical thinking and imagination are prerequisites for the heuristic method of teaching
type of teaching strategy.

*The heuristic method of teaching is an economic and fast strategy. In the Heuristic
method, the student must be an independent discoverer.

Advantage:

1. It helps in the overall development of students as this teaching methodology focuses on

the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor objectives.

2. It enhances self-learning and helps students delve deeper into new concepts.

3. It enhances scientific thinking in learners.4. Lets the learner explore their surrounding to
find a solution to the problem.

5. Provision of individual guidance for students.

6. Heuristics involve mental shortcuts or simplifications that help individuals make

decisions or judgments with limited information.
7. It is based on rules of thumb or general guidelines that have proven to be effective in
certain situations.8. Heuristics often provide approximate solutions rather than precise
ones. It aims to find satisfactory or “good enough” solutions that are acceptable in
practice, even if they may not be optimal.

8. Heuristics often provide approximate solutions rather than precise ones. It aims to find
satisfactory or “good enough” solutions that are acceptable in practice, even if they may
not be optimal.

Types of Heuristic Method

- Availability Heuristic: Judging based on easily recalled examples. (May available example)

- Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic: Starting with an initial value and adjusting

- Representativeness Heuristic: Assessing based on similarity to a prototype.(may

representative )

- Satisficing Heuristic: Choosing the first satisfactory solution.