Scientific Thinking Processes
Much of what we learn about science in school is delivered through readings,
lectures or
demonstrations. Scientists, however, create new knowledge by careful
use of the scientific thinking processes outlined below.
Underlying all the curriculum activities are the basic thought processes
that scientists use everyday. As leader and co-investigator, you'll be
introducing
and
practicing these with your youth group.
Photo by Marilyn Drabicki
The
activities
are designed
to
provide
a systematic
exploration of the topic
using the scientific thinking
processes.
Since there are no
"right" results, there can
be
no "failure."
a) Observing
Using all the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing to gain
information.
b) Communicating
Recording discoveries, sharing them, and listening to
others who may have observed things you missed or have different
ways of expressing their observations. Communication — whether
oral, written,
or graphic — increases everyone's awareness and gives a fuller
picture of the object or phenomenon.
c) Comparing
Observing two or more things side-by-side to find similarities and differences.
Some comparisons may be sensory, such as comparing how different things
feel, sound, smell, taste, look, behave, or react. Measurement is another
way of comparing things: you are comparing something to a set of standardized
units. You may weigh something (compare it to an ounce or a pound);
measure its length (compare its length to inches or centimeters); or
measure its holding capacity (compare it to the scale on a measuring
cup).
d) Organizing
Grouping or classifying the things you are studying into categories —
for example: leaves vs. twigs; red vs. green vs. blue. Another type
of organization is ordering or sequencing — for example: rank the rocks
from hardest to softest; twigs from longest to shortest.
e) Relating
Looking for relationships between variables involves trying out or checking
your ideas in a systematic way. It is the process by which concrete
and abstract ideas are woven together to test or explain phenomena.
Once you have an idea about how something works (a hypothesis), you
can experiment to test the hypothesis by comparing the effects of one
variable on another.
f) Inferring
Inferring is the process of realizing ideas that are not directly observable.
Based upon your findings in the above processes, you can begin to recognize
and predict general patterns and relationships, thus forming a more
comprehensive theory.
g) Applying
Applying knowledge involves using knowledge to solve problems — often in
creative and inventive ways. You can take the knowledge you gained
from your systematic explorations and apply it to new questions or
to problems that arise in everyday life.
The activities in Nature's Partners are designed to provide
a systematic exploration of the topic using the scientific thinking processes.
Since there are no "right" results anticipated, there can be
no "failure." You'll know your activities are successful
when investigators come up with their own questions and together you
start finding ways to answer them!
Implementing the Curriculum
Begin Module 1
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