ERIC Number: EJ1035499
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
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From the Horse's Mouth: Why Scientists' Views Are Crucial to Nature of Science Understanding
Hodson, Derek; Wong, Siu Ling
International Journal of Science Education, v36 n16 p2639-2665 2014
Written in response to criticism of our work by Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, this position paper reaffirms and reinforces our position about the need to broaden and enrich the scope of nature of science (NOS) oriented curricula by exposing students to the voices of practising scientists. While Abd-El-Khalick's motivation for promoting the so-called consensus view of NOS is rooted in issues of assessment (or "benchmarking", as he calls it), we argue that the major reason for teaching about NOS is its contribution to what Shen calls civic and cultural scientific literacy. We are critical of the consensus view for its philosophical naivety, failure to reflect contemporary scientific practice and potential for confusing students, and we re-state our view that it is important to expose students to a diversity of practice among the sub-disciplines of science. We argue that richer NOS understanding and a more authentic view of scientific practice can be achieved through direct and indirect contact with scientists at the cutting edge of research and development, which we characterise as learning about scientists, learning from scientists and learning with scientists.
Descriptors: Scientific Principles, Scientific Literacy, Scientists, Scientific Attitudes, Learning Strategies, Learning Theories, Definitions, Convergent Thinking, Observation, Inferences, Educational Theories, Cultural Context, Social Influences, Interdisciplinary Approach, Reader Response, Educational Philosophy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A