Synthesis of Key Elements (SOKE)

In The Nature of Science and Perceptual Frameworks by Michaels and Bell, the authors uncovered a major misconception that several of our science student have- that science is concrete, objective and boring. As a secondary science teacher, I want to share the bewildering and fascinating aspects of science with my students, yet, now that I am employed, I feel I am performing a balancing act. On one side I carry the burden of teaching a SOL class and must insure that I shove all the information down my student’s throats and keep up with the pacing my district has provided for me, and on the other hand, is the woman that loves science and wants my students to experience discovery for themselves. It is very frustrating; however Michaels and Bell shed light on the tip of the iceberg of student misconception.

Students have not been taught what science really is, only the facts that other people have discovered. If I can tune my students in to the reality, that there are still infinite possibilities for them to create and discover new things and to let them experience that wonder, I will truly be teaching them something worth hearing.

The authors used several illustrations that can be used in the classroom to provide a means of changing ones perspective. For example, the cow image, for me it looked like a picture of the moon’s surface. After, the “framework” was added; I could see the cow and it made sense! For our students, it is not that science is boring or just facts to memorize; rather, they need a new perspective. They have a build op of tarnish on their glasses and we need to help them clean it off. We must provide them with the framework that was provided to us, prior to high stakes testing and SOL requirements. The same spark that lit our fire of inquiry is still out there, we only need to strike the match within our students.

Another example of the nature of science that the article discussed was how science changes. How it is a product of the culture, religion, and politics of its time. Because science is not concrete, but subjective, students have a hard time processing the information. Why learn it when it could be overturned in a pyridine shift in thirty years? To get our students less focused on the “right” answer and more intrigued with the process and possibilities, we, as teachers, should be focusing on open ended questions, where there is no correct answer. As a result, we can plant a seed of curiosity in our students, nurture it, and let it grow.

Overall, this article really helped me to see that it is not that our students are bored with the subject; they just need a little nudge in the right perspective. By using the appropriate activities and asking the right questions, we can get out students thinking and participating, while enjoying what they are learning and how they are learning it. And hopefully, I will defeat this challenge, and meld the two sides of my balancing act together, so that both can be satisfied.