THE NATURE OF science encourages students to explore the natural world through the scientific perspective through the use of unbiased techniques. Building off of key concepts such as inference, observation and hypothesis, students can draw their own conclusions about various topics. Students can then use their conclusions to support or disprove laws and theorems. The nature of science creates an overarching learning concept to encourage further exploration and deeper understanding in students.
The reason to teach science and to learn science is to “discover patterns in all of nature” (American Association). According to the American Association, science allows us to view our world as a single system based upon supportive evidence. By explaining everyday occurrences through observations, students are able to understand the present and speculate about the future. Students should understand the nature of science to have more meaningful learning experiences, to be able to apply science to modern day issues, and to learn ways to adapt new information to relevant information.
Through research, students learn the difference between observations and inferences and the appropriate time to apply them. An inference is a conclusion based upon observations. Observations are the data collected based on an environment or experiments. Inferences can only be made once observations have been collected. Therefore, inferences are the indirect findings of various experiments used to explain the natural world.
When teaching about a scientific law verses a scientific theory, it is important to explain that they are not codependent. Scientific laws describe how something occurs, generally as an observable rule, while scientific theorems explain why they occur, based more on applying abstract thought to explain a phenomenon. Understanding the difference between these two concepts allows you to properly utilize them in different situations.
The American Association identifies eight unique aspects that together comprise the nature of science. These aspects are tentative, empirically-based, subjective, creative, cultural, based on observation and inferences which aid in making unique laws and theories (Mumba, 2016). Creativity, empirical knowledge, inferences allow scientists to apply past knowledge to similar or different problems based on previous experience and observations. Cultural, tentative and creativity allow science to influence and be influenced by today’s society in an appropriate way that helps mankind. Differentiating between laws verse theories and observations and inferences allows science to specialize within certain fields, to change parallel to society, and understand the natural world. These eight aspects help create our understating of the nature of science.
As a teacher candidate, I intend to use the Nature of Science to deepen my students understanding of the natural world. By allowing them to connect their observations with topics discussed in class, my students will be able to create meaningful learning. By having more authentic labs and instruction, my students will be able to have first hand accounts of how science affects them.
Understanding the nature of science allows students to apply past knowledge to new situations. Understanding why we study science, how we study science, and how it impacts our lives gives students the power to draw their own conclusions about the natural world. By teaching the nature of science in K-12 classroom settings, students can grow their understanding from simple concepts like the difference between salt and sugar to the more complex such as balancing chemical equations. The nature of science is to comprehend the natural world in a way that is tangible to humans through gathering observations, creating inferences, and understanding patterns.
Allyson Grasso 