Integrating the process of science into your teaching

Anne E. EggerStanford UniversityCareer Prep Workshop30 July 2010

“I would have liked to learn more about what any given day at Jonathan [Payne]'s ‘excavation’ site in China entailed. Would he just stare at rocks for 12 hrs. a day or what else did he do?”

What do I mean by the process of science?

• We believe that students who understand how science works will better understand and remember scientific concepts

• We also believe we might be able to attract more students into science if they know what it is really like (or at least we won’t drive them away)

• Unfortunately, our traditional teaching methods and materials focus on the facts of science, not the process

• And yet, we know that students can learn a lot of facts and still hold many misconceptions about the process of science

• Effective teaching about the process necessarily involves explicitly addressing those misconceptions and giving students the time and background to develop new conceptions

Critical concepts that are unique to Earth sciences

•Geologic time/deep time

•Spatial thinking, spatial analysis

•Complexity of the Earth system

•Scientific basis for major societal issues: energy, climate change, water

Natalie Dee

Step one: Uncover misconceptions

What is wrong with this picture?

He’s Vulcan

He knows morethan anyone else

Scary “science station”

He betrays no emotion

Logic always prevails

Spock, Chief Science Officer, Enterprise

Data

an android

In “The Next Generation”, Spock is replaced by

Misconceptions in the media

“But while Raymond-Whish’s intimate acquaintance with cancer may harm her credibility as a dispassionate scientist, it may also propel her to help make startling discoveries where no one else has thought to look.”

“On Cancer’s Trail” Florence Williams, High Country News, May 26, 2008

“... Darwin... was hardly even a scientist in the sense that we understand the term - a highly trained specialist whose professional vocabulary is so arcane that he or she can only talk to other scientists.”

“Who Was More Important, Lincoln or Darwin?” Malcolm Jones, Newsweek, July 14, 2008

Misconceptions in textbooks

• There is one scientific method, and it involves experimentation.

• And you must know the question first.

Misconceptions from educational research

• “Everything is science.” Moss et al., 2001 - Interviews of five US high school students in an environmental science class

• “Technology is really good... so the computer can generate a good interpretation.” Ryder and Leach, 2000 - Paper survey of 731 science students across Europe + 19 interviews

• Conceptual models are not an important part of data interpretation. Ryder and Leach, 2000

• Controversy resolves when experiments prove a theory right. Ryder et al., 1999 - Interviews of 11 college students at Leeds involved in final year projects

• Scientists may not work alone, but it is unclear how they interact. Ryder et al., 1999

• Many more misconceptions in your handouts...

Step two: Teaching the process

Address misconceptionsBe explicit

• Example 1: Being explicit in a lecture (~200 people)

• Example 2: Being explicit in an intro lab (~45 people)

• Example 3: Being explicit in an advanced course (~12 people)

Example 1:lecture fromIntroduction to Earth Systems

Learning outcome:Students will be able to evaluate the information they encounter in the news

Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 28, 2005, Image courtesy NOAA

Let’s give it a try. Hurricanes and global warming articles in Science Daily.

Global warming and hurricanes

global SST = hurricane strength

Global warming and hurricanes

global SST ≠ hurricane strength

Global warming and hurricanes

SST = hurricane landfall(strength?)

Global warming and hurricanes

SST = hurricane frequency, strength

Global warming and hurricanes

SST = storm frequency (strength?)

Global warming and hurricanes

SST = hurricane frequency hurricane strength

Global warming and hurricanes

• Strong Storms Linked With Rising Sea Surface Temperatures

• Natural Climate Changes Can Intensify Hurricanes More Efficiently Than Global Warming

• Warmer Ocean Could Reduce Number Of Atlantic Hurricane Landfalls

• Global Warming Has Little Impact In Tropical Storm And Hurricane Numbers, NOAA Reports

• NASA Study Links Severe Storm Increases, Global Warming

• Hurricane Frequency Is Up But Not Their Strength, Say Researchers

What’s the deal?

How would you go about evaluating these apparent contradictions?

(Without becoming an expert in climate science/meteorology/hurricane forecasting.)

Science builds on itself

• Strong Storms Linked With Rising Sea Surface Temperatures

• Natural Climate Changes Can Intensify Hurricanes More Efficiently Than Global Warming

• Warmer Ocean Could Reduce Number Of Atlantic Hurricane Landfalls

• Global Warming Has Little Impact In Tropical Storm And Hurricane Numbers, NOAA Reports

• NASA Study Links Severe Storm Increases, Global Warming

• Hurricane Frequency Is Up But Not Their Strength, Say Researchers

March 16, 2006

December 13, 2007

January 25, 2008

May 20, 2008

September 23, 2009

December 28, 2008

Science in Action!

Scientific controversy creates progress

Scientists use multiple methods

• Strong Storms Linked With Rising Sea Surface Temperatures

• Natural Climate Changes Can Intensify Hurricanes More Efficiently Than Global Warming

• Warmer Ocean Could Reduce Number Of Atlantic Hurricane Landfalls

• Global Warming Has Little Impact In Tropical Storm And Hurricane Numbers, NOAA Reports

• NASA Study Links Severe Storm Increases, Global Warming

• Hurricane Frequency Is Up But Not Their Strength, Say Researchers

correlation

modeling

observation

modeling and simulation

statistical assessment of existing data

observation and correlation

Experimentation?

The most robust ideas in science...

•... are supported by multiple lines of evidence

•... are the product of scientific controversy, vetted and evaluated by the scientific community

•... have been developed and tested and refined over time

•... provide a foundation and framework for new scientific investigations

•... are still subject to modification, refinement

Example 2 from Dynamic Earth: Density, Isostasy, and Topography

Learning outcomes:Students will explain why the Earth has a bimodal distribution of topography.Students will describe and utilize the tools and techniques that geoscientists use to study the Earth.

Density ratio

Heig

ht

rati

o

Wood block measurements

Follow-up questions

•Using your equation, calculate the thickness of the crust in the Andes, assuming they are made largely of granite and have an average elevation of 5 km above sea level.

•Based on what you now know about crustal thickness and isostasy, sketch what you would expect the crust to look like in an east-west cross-section across South America. Include approximate crustal thicknesses.

In the geosciences, we...

•... use detailed description and observation more frequently than experimentation

•... use analogous materials that work on short timescales

•... take repeated measurements to reduce error

•... share data in order to develop large datasets

•... develop physical and mathematical models to simplify complex systems

•... apply those models to understand new areas

Example 3 from Research Preparation: Reading the Scientific Literature

Learning outcome:Students will develop strategies for reading and comprehending scientific journal articles.

Example assignment

In-class discussion

• Strategies for reading scientific journal articles

• Strategies for using the literature

• Using bibliographic tools like EndNote and RefWorks

Follow-up assignment

Integrating the process into your teaching*

1. Put the process in learning outcomes.

2. Be explicit - all the time.

3. Include readings* that emphasize the process.

4. Use real data.

5. Assess authentically.

What about content?

Resources

•Visionlearning http://www.visionlearning.com

•Readings about aspects of the process of science

•Can be combined with content-specific readings

•Teaching the Process of Science http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/process_of_science/index.html

•The how and why

•Activities, readings, and courses

Food for thought

•What misconceptions about the process of science (and the process of geoscience) did you personally hold? How were they addressed? How might you address those same misconceptions in your teaching/advising?

•What aspects of the process of science are most important to include at different levels, from introductory undergraduate to advanced graduate?