SCE3260 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Scientific Method
10 Jun 2018
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SCE1260(-(Science(Education(in(Primary(Schools!
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WEEK(2(-(LECTURE!
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Science!is!about!asking!questions,!gathering!data,!forming!hypotheses,!testing!ideas,!
comparing!results,!looking!for!patterns!and!asking!for!peer!review.!!
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“Science(is(a(human(endeavour”!
It!is!a!process:!its!how!humans!explore!and!make!sense!of!the!world!around!us!!
It!is!knowledge!and!skills:!the!information!humans!gather!as!a!result!of!our!exploration!and!
testing!of!ideas.!!
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Key(Ideas(about(Science:(!
• Science!relies!on!evidence!from!the!natural!world!
• Evidence!is!examined!and!interpreted!using!logic!
• New!claims!are!evaluated!against!existing!evidence!
• Science!is!a!process!that!follows!certain!guidelines,!but!allows!for!creative!thinking!
and!problem!solving!!(**There!is!not!one!scientific!method!set!in!stone)!
• Scientists!work!within!their!society!and!its!culture!
• Perceived!value!of!different!groups’!contributions!to!science!changes!over!time.!!
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WEEK(2(-(TUTORIAL!
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Reflecting(on(an(Experiment:(!
1. Reporting:!describe!what!happened!during!the!activity!
2. Relating:!identify!how!this!activity!related!to!the!theme!of!science!education!!
3. Reconstructing:!if!you!could!do!this!activity!again,!what!would!you!do!different!!
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What(is(the(difference(between(an(observation(and(an(inference?(!
An!observation!is!something!you!detect!with!your!5!senses,!they!give!us!information!about!
the!world!around!us!whereas!an!inference!is!what!you!decide!about!an!observation,!they!
attempt!to!explain!or!interpret!the!observations!based!on!evidence!and/or!experience.!!
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Document Summary
Science is about asking questions, gathering data, forming hypotheses, testing ideas, comparing results, looking for patterns and asking for peer review. It is a process: its how humans explore and make sense of the world around us. It is knowledge and skills: the information humans gather as a result of our exploration and testing of ideas. Reflecting on an experiment: reporting: describe what happened during the activity, relating: identify how this activity related to the theme of science education, reconstructing: if you could do this activity again, what would you do different.
