How do we get students to think like scientists? Fiona Rawle
Feb 22, 2016
How do we get students to think like scientists?
Fiona Rawle
Curriculum Mapping Project
• Undergraduate curriculum mapping:– Learning Outcomes– BOK Map (Body of knowledge – concepts)– Skill Map (Biology Skill Set)
• Every LO gets mapped accordingly to:– Taught, Assessed (-/T/A)– Introduced, Reinforced, Advanced (I/R/A)
• Using the review of the curriculum map to inform course redesign
BIO152Introduction to Evolution and
Evolutionary Genetics
BIO153Diversity of Organisms
BIO204Introduction to
Physiology
BIO205Ecology
BIO206Introductory Cell and
Molecular Biology
BIO207Introductory
Genetics
Core Courses
BIO215Laboratory in
Molecular Biology and Genetics
BIO360Biometrics I
BIO152
• We need to lay the foundation for future learning.
• Students need to know how science works, rather than learning lists/collections of facts.
• Need to learn to think like scientists…and later, think like scientists to learn.
Introductory Biology Course
Re-Design
1. “Thinking Like a
Scientist” Introductory
Module
2. Case Study Based
Tutorial Sessions 3. Inquiry
Based Labs
4. “Science vs.
Pseudoscience” Lecture Examples5. Scientific
Literacy Assignment
6. Active Learning
Exercises in Lecture
Nature of science
Process of science
Scientific Reasoning Skills
The process of science exploration is not about
“right answers”
Thinking Like A Scientist Module
What is science? Who does science?
Process of Science
Science around you
Why should you care?
Nature of scienceProcesses of scienceRoles of evidenceRoles of theoryGeneration of hypothesesInterpretation of dataCreation and use of models
What do you think of when you hear the word “scientist”?
-old-smart-conducts experiments
Sciencebuddies.org
www.understandingscience.org
What’s “wrong” with the simplified, linear scientific method?
• implies that scientific studies follow an constant, one-way recipe. (Reality: different order; different activities; repeats).
• implies that science is done by individual scientists alone. (Reality: different people might do different parts; collaboration; scientists actually talk to one another.)
• implies that science has little room for creativity. (Reality: process of science is exciting, dynamic, and unpredictable).
• implies that science concludes. (Reality: investigations are often ongoing; conclusions are reversible).
From: www.understandingscience.org
www.understandingscience.org
www.understandingscience.org
www.understandingscience.org
www.understandingscience.org
Science vs PseudoscienceScience vs Spin
www.understandingscience.org
Chlorophyll Supplementation
• “…take chlorophyll supplements to oxygenate your bowel”
(See expanded description of this chlorophyll example in Bad Science by Ben Goldacre)
Questions
• Will chlorophyll oxygenate your bowel?• Does chlorophyll contain oxygen?• Can photosynthesis occur in your bowel?• Do you want oxygen in your bowel?
Students assist in developing conceptual framework
Student generated steps…• Question the rationale.• Question the source.• Come up with a question.• Come up with a hypothesis.• Design a controlled experiment to test the
claim.
• “Contains stem cells and DNA technology”
• “Replace aged cells with younger cells”
• “Repair damage”• “Reverse the
aging process”
“Detox Foot Bath”
1. Rationale2. Source3. Question4. Hypothesis5. Prediction6. Experiment7. More Questions
How will we assess this?
• Concept assessments / inventories• NOSCA (Nature of science concept
assessment)
Acknowledgements & Resources
• Mindy Thuna, Science Librarian• Cleo Boyd, Academic Skills Centre
• www.understandingscience.org• Koslowski, B. (1996). Theory and evidence: The development
of scientific reasoning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.• Zimmerman, C. (2000). The development of scientific
reasoning skills. Developmental Review, 20, 99–149.• Link to “experiment” on detox foot bath, used as a class
example for critiquing experiments– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlvUHukhT9Q