This chapter summarizes the extensive literature related to NOS instruction, emphasizes research-... more This chapter summarizes the extensive literature related to NOS instruction, emphasizes research-based NOS instructional decision-making, and discusses challenges related to teaching aspects of nature of science. We discuss four instructional settings particulalry well-suited for supporting NOS instruction including the use of history of science, inquiry, socioscientific issues, and argumentation. We then examine literature regarding NOS learner readiness and NOS learning progressions to assist instructors in gauging when certain NOS topics will be most appropriate in instruction. The final section compares various settings for preparing preservice and in-service teachers to accurately understand the NOS, NOS pedagogy, and the importance of NOS teaching and learning. We end with considerations of challenges that remain with respect to NOS in the science curriculum.
The history and nature of science (HNOS) is a phrase used in science education that encompasses i... more The history and nature of science (HNOS) is a phrase used in science education that encompasses issues such as what science is, how science works, characteristics of scientists, and how scientific knowledge is developed and comes to be accepted by the scientific community.
Effective science teaching is highly complex and demands sophisticated decision-making. Few admin... more Effective science teaching is highly complex and demands sophisticated decision-making. Few administrators are in a position to understand the complexities and nuances of effective science teaching, and rarely are they able to provide the detailed feedback and ongoing support needed to help science teachers meet the vision set forth in science education reform documents. Thus, meaningful improvement in science teaching requires science teachers to accurately and continuously consider their own practice, thoroughly reflect on that practice, and implement strategies to move their practice forward. This article provides approaches useful for monitoring classroom teaching practices, self-assessing those practices, and strategies to improve practice. This article promotes Iowa Teaching Standards 1 and 7
Preparing science teachers to accurately and effectively teach the nature of science (NOS) requir... more Preparing science teachers to accurately and effectively teach the nature of science (NOS) requires more than instruction regarding accurate NOS content and effective NOS pedagogy. This chapter, reflecting several studies we have conducted, addresses the additional need to provide science teachers with strategies for navigating and overcoming common obstacles that interfere with efforts to accurately teach the NOS.
This chapter features discussion of the term “nature of science” (NOS) as it pertains to the ways... more This chapter features discussion of the term “nature of science” (NOS) as it pertains to the ways in which NOS might inform plans for science teaching and learning. Included are thoughts about how we know what we know about the operation of science, historical recommendations, and trends regarding the inclusion of NOS in science instruction, along with rationales to support the inclusion of NOS content in the science classroom. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of research-based challenges and recommendations regarding NOS instruction and some thoughts about the future of NOS instruction.
Many scholars have raised concerns about NOS tenets put forward to guide science education effort... more Many scholars have raised concerns about NOS tenets put forward to guide science education efforts. Despite the well-intentioned purpose of NOS tenets, like all statements of final form knowledge for schooling, they inadvertently encourage and support a low ceiling for teaching and learning, and are easily interpreted as declarative statements to know rather than deeply understand. This chapter argues that framing and teaching the NOS as questions more accurately reflects the contextual and nuanced character of the NOS, and is also a more pedagogically sound approach for promoting a deeper understanding of fundamental NOS issues, many that are neglected in popular lists of tenets. Two extensive examples are provided illustrating the teaching and learning of important NOS ideas via questions.
Science and technology are so intertwined that technoscience has been argued to more accurately r... more Science and technology are so intertwined that technoscience has been argued to more accurately reflect the progress of science and its impact on society, and most socioscientific issues require technoscientific reasoning. Education policy documents have long noted that the general public lacks sufficient understanding of science and technology necessary for informed decision-making regarding socioscientific/technological issues. The science–technology–society movement and scholarship addressing socioscientific issues in science education reflect efforts in the science education community to promote more informed decision-making regarding such issues. Now Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education has emerged as a major reform movement impacting science education. STEM education efforts emphasize literacy across the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but with rare exceptions, treat issues of technology superficially and uncritically. Informed decision-making regarding many personal and societal issues requires technological literacy beyond merely becoming an enthusiastic designer or skilled user of technology, but the science education community has given little attention to what such literacy entails. Here, we present results of an extensive review of the literature regarding the nature of technology (NOT) in order to identify key issues among scholars who study technology. We then provide predominant perspectives among those scholars and suggest which identified NOT issues are most essential to address as part of STEM education efforts that seek to promote informed personal and societal decision-making.
This chapter summarizes the extensive literature related to NOS instruction, emphasizes research-... more This chapter summarizes the extensive literature related to NOS instruction, emphasizes research-based NOS instructional decision-making, and discusses challenges related to teaching aspects of nature of science. We discuss four instructional settings particulalry well-suited for supporting NOS instruction including the use of history of science, inquiry, socioscientific issues, and argumentation. We then examine literature regarding NOS learner readiness and NOS learning progressions to assist instructors in gauging when certain NOS topics will be most appropriate in instruction. The final section compares various settings for preparing preservice and in-service teachers to accurately understand the NOS, NOS pedagogy, and the importance of NOS teaching and learning. We end with considerations of challenges that remain with respect to NOS in the science curriculum.
The history and nature of science (HNOS) is a phrase used in science education that encompasses i... more The history and nature of science (HNOS) is a phrase used in science education that encompasses issues such as what science is, how science works, characteristics of scientists, and how scientific knowledge is developed and comes to be accepted by the scientific community.
Effective science teaching is highly complex and demands sophisticated decision-making. Few admin... more Effective science teaching is highly complex and demands sophisticated decision-making. Few administrators are in a position to understand the complexities and nuances of effective science teaching, and rarely are they able to provide the detailed feedback and ongoing support needed to help science teachers meet the vision set forth in science education reform documents. Thus, meaningful improvement in science teaching requires science teachers to accurately and continuously consider their own practice, thoroughly reflect on that practice, and implement strategies to move their practice forward. This article provides approaches useful for monitoring classroom teaching practices, self-assessing those practices, and strategies to improve practice. This article promotes Iowa Teaching Standards 1 and 7
Preparing science teachers to accurately and effectively teach the nature of science (NOS) requir... more Preparing science teachers to accurately and effectively teach the nature of science (NOS) requires more than instruction regarding accurate NOS content and effective NOS pedagogy. This chapter, reflecting several studies we have conducted, addresses the additional need to provide science teachers with strategies for navigating and overcoming common obstacles that interfere with efforts to accurately teach the NOS.
This chapter features discussion of the term “nature of science” (NOS) as it pertains to the ways... more This chapter features discussion of the term “nature of science” (NOS) as it pertains to the ways in which NOS might inform plans for science teaching and learning. Included are thoughts about how we know what we know about the operation of science, historical recommendations, and trends regarding the inclusion of NOS in science instruction, along with rationales to support the inclusion of NOS content in the science classroom. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of research-based challenges and recommendations regarding NOS instruction and some thoughts about the future of NOS instruction.
Many scholars have raised concerns about NOS tenets put forward to guide science education effort... more Many scholars have raised concerns about NOS tenets put forward to guide science education efforts. Despite the well-intentioned purpose of NOS tenets, like all statements of final form knowledge for schooling, they inadvertently encourage and support a low ceiling for teaching and learning, and are easily interpreted as declarative statements to know rather than deeply understand. This chapter argues that framing and teaching the NOS as questions more accurately reflects the contextual and nuanced character of the NOS, and is also a more pedagogically sound approach for promoting a deeper understanding of fundamental NOS issues, many that are neglected in popular lists of tenets. Two extensive examples are provided illustrating the teaching and learning of important NOS ideas via questions.
Science and technology are so intertwined that technoscience has been argued to more accurately r... more Science and technology are so intertwined that technoscience has been argued to more accurately reflect the progress of science and its impact on society, and most socioscientific issues require technoscientific reasoning. Education policy documents have long noted that the general public lacks sufficient understanding of science and technology necessary for informed decision-making regarding socioscientific/technological issues. The science–technology–society movement and scholarship addressing socioscientific issues in science education reflect efforts in the science education community to promote more informed decision-making regarding such issues. Now Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education has emerged as a major reform movement impacting science education. STEM education efforts emphasize literacy across the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but with rare exceptions, treat issues of technology superficially and uncritically. Informed decision-making regarding many personal and societal issues requires technological literacy beyond merely becoming an enthusiastic designer or skilled user of technology, but the science education community has given little attention to what such literacy entails. Here, we present results of an extensive review of the literature regarding the nature of technology (NOT) in order to identify key issues among scholars who study technology. We then provide predominant perspectives among those scholars and suggest which identified NOT issues are most essential to address as part of STEM education efforts that seek to promote informed personal and societal decision-making.
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