1. Major Outcomes of Science Instruction Proficiencies: 1.Conceptual knowledge & understanding in science 2.Abilities to carry out scientific inquiries 3.Understandings about the nature of science & scientific inquiry

2. Major Outcomes of Science Instruction Proficiencies: 1.Conceptual knowledge & understanding in science 2.Abilities to carry out scientific inquiries 3.Understandings about the nature of science & scientific inquiry Science as a way of knowing, nature of scientific knowledge, connections between theory & evidence Q: How does Proficiency 3, Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry, relate to the Next Generation Science Standards? A: This is part of the Practices of Science and Engineering: “understanding of how scientific knowledge is produced and how engineering solutions are developed. Such understanding will help students become more critical consumers of scientific information.” NRC, A framework for K-12 Science Education, p. 41

3. Learning Objectives Teacher candidates will be able to … Effectively use science notebooks in investigations, theirs & their students’ Explain the nature of scientific knowledge Evaluate science explanations using the three judging criteria Describe how to teach the nature of science to K-8 students Describe how science is done

4. Using Notebooks in Science Inquiry What sorts of information would you put in your science notebook for this lab?

5. Doing Science Driving Question: Why does the crocodile dentist behave the way it does? – Make observations/collect data – Come up with an explanation (hypothesis) for the mechanism inside that makes it work – Communicate your hypothesis What information should go into your science notebooks? Use blue or black ink or pencil only! (Anyone wish to do a water test of their alternative pens?) “The Crocodile Dentist!”

6. Judging a Scientific Explanation Is this a good explanation for what is inside the crocodile dentist toy? Why or why not?

7. Judging a Scientific Explanation Is this a good explanation for what is inside the crocodile dentist toy? Why or why not?

8. Judging a Scientific Explanation 1.Does it explain all the observations, data, & patterns? 2.Is it consistent with other ideas we have about how the world works and other explanations in science? 3.Can it predict the behavior of the system if something is changed in a specific way?

9. Now Judge your Crocodile Dentist Explanation 1.Does it explain all the observations, data, & patterns? E.g., order of teeth that trigger, how teeth are “armed,” how teeth trigger it to close, etc. a)What data/observations/patterns does it account for? b)What data/observations/patterns does it not account for? 2.Is it consistent with other ideas we have about how the world works and other explanations in science? E.g., how a selected mechanical object works, ideas about forces, non-animated objects, etc. a)What ideas is it consistent with? b)What ideas is it not consistent with? (here, identify all ideas you considered, even if you found your explanation consistent with all of them) 3.Can it predict the behavior of the system if something is changed in a specific way? If {identify a part of your explanation you presume to be accurate} and {describe the test you would run to check that part of the explanation} then {describe what you would expect the results to be}. To turn in: Write up your explanation and each judging criterion. Change in how you test, circumstances of the test, etc.

10. The big question about the crocodile dentist … Why weren’t you allowed to look inside?

11. What the crocodile reveals about the nature of science and inquiry Scientific knowledge is … generated through questions, investigations, observations, & explanations tentative, never fixed, never complete, & subject to revision with new theories or evidence judged & accepted by how well it explains and predicts natural phenomena developed through inference and indirect evidence

12. Teaching Proficiency 3, Nature of science and scientific inquiry Elementary (grade 2+) – Explicitly teach nature of science – “Black box” activities Middle School (grade 5+) – Explicitly teach nature of science – A physical black box – The Crocodile Dentist “Students’ opportunities to immerse themselves in these practices and to explore why they are central to science and engineering are critical to appreciating the skill of the expert and the nature of his or her enterprise.” NRC, A framework for K-12 Science Education, p. 47