Science Framework, part 1 - Free Downloads (CA Dept of Education)

6Chapter 1Introduction tothe Frameworkdisciplines the minds of students; andthe benefits of this intellectual trainingare realized long after schooling, whenthe details of the science may be forgotten.Model Scientific AttitudesScience must be taught in a waythat is scholarly yet engaging. That is,an appropriate balance must be maintainedbetween the fun and serioussides of science. A physics teachermight have students build paper airplanesto illustrate the relationshipbetween lift and drag in airflow; but ifthe activity is not deeply rooted in thecontent of physics, then the fun oflaunching paper airplanes displaces theintended lesson. The fun of sciencemay be a way to help students rememberimportant ideas, but it cannot substitutefor effective instruction andsustained student effort.There are certain attitudes aboutscience and scientists that a teachermust foster in students. Scientists aredeeply knowledgeable about their fieldsof study but typically are willing toadmit that there is a great deal they donot know. In particular, they welcomenew ideas that are supported by evidence.In doing their research goodscientists do not attempt to prove thattheir own hypotheses are correct butthat they are incorrect. 11 Thoughsomewhat counterintuitive, this path isthe surest one to finding the truth.Classroom teachers must alwaysprovide rational explanations for phenomena,not occultic or magical ones.They need to be honest about whatthey do not know and be enthusiasticabout learning new things along withtheir students. They must convey tostudents the idea that there is much tolearn and that phenomena not currentlyunderstood may be understoodin the future. Knowledge in science iscumulative, passed from generation togeneration, and refined at every step.Provide Balanced InstructionSome of the knowledge of scienceis best learned by having students readabout the subject or hear about it fromthe teacher; other knowledge is bestlearned in laboratory or field studies.Direct instruction and investigativeactivities need to be mutually supportiveand synergistic. Instructional materialsneed to provide teachers with avariety of options for implementationthat are based on the science standards.For example, students might learnabout Ohm’s law, one of the guidingprinciples of physics, which statesthat electrical current decreases proportionatelyas resistance increases in anelectrical circuit operating under a conditionof constant voltage. In practice,the principle accounts for why a flashlightwith corroded electrical contactsdoes not give a bright beam, even withfresh batteries. It is a simple relationship,expressed as V=IR, and embodiedin high school Physics Standard 5.b.In a laboratory exercise, however, studentsmay obtain results that seem todisprove the linear relationship becausethe resistance of a circuit element varieswith temperature. The temperature ofthe components gradually increases asrepeated tests are performed, and thedata become skewed.In the foregoing example, it wasnot Ohm’s law that was wrong but anassumption about the stability of theexperimental apparatus. This assump-