Designing and evaluating nature of science activities for teacher education

Fanny Seroglou & Agustin Aduriz-Bravo

Aristotle University Universidad de

of Thessaloniki Buenos Aires

Greece Argentina

teacher educators

help and encourage

prospective and in-service teachers

traditional scientific

science literacy

education for all

teachers

become

acquainted with

have an

appreciation for

nature

of

science

GNOSIS knowledge

Guidelines for

Nature

Of

Science

Introduction in

Scientific literacy

three complementary dimensions

cognitive dimension

meta-cognitive dimension

emotional dimension

cognitive dimension

science as a set of models

the broader social contexts

nature ofscience contents

nature ofscience contexts

meta-cognitive dimension

what science is

how science changes

in history

how science relates

to society and culture

synthetic nature of

science as a product

nature of the evolution

and methodologies

of science

nature of the

interrelations of

science and society

emotional dimension

attitudes

values

nature of attitudes

expressed through science

nature of values

fostered by science

contributions of the meta-sciences

history of science

philosophy of science

sociology of science

cognitive history of science

scientific contentsandthe contexts oftheir emergence productively

informedby discussions of

the history ofscientific ideas

meta-cognitive philosophy of science

“how do we know

what we know?”

philosophical

“key-ideas” set in

historical events

warned by

sociological

contributions

against dogmatism

and elitism

emotional sociology of science

attitudes expressed

through science

and values fostered

by science

ideas from recent sociology of science and science studies

may illuminate

the contribution

of science

in the formation of educated people

GNOSISdimension NOS meta-science

cognitive nature of science contents

nature of science contextshistory

of science

meta-cognitive

synthetic nature of science

as a product

nature of the evolution and

methodologies of science

nature of the interrelations

of science and society

philosophy

of science

emotional nature of attitudes expressed

through science

nature of values fostered

by science

sociology

of science

the GNOSIS framework functions as

a set of structural guidelines to design

teacher education courses

an evaluation tool for NOS applications

two “parallel” examples

Thessaloniki Buenos Aires

GNOSIS structural guidelines

narratives for teaching NOS

GNOSIS : cognitive dimension

a historical review of the relations betweencreator and creation in science andtechnology

ethical issues arising from scientific creation

a variety of scientific contents(cloning, eugenics, euthanasia)

GNOSIS : meta-cognitive dimension

the kind of answers science is seeking concerning creation

the philosophical questions that intriguethis quest

the demands of society that favor different strands of scientific research

the way scientific results reform and reshapesocial and cultural structures

GNOSIS : emotional dimension

attitudes and values concerning…

responsibility in scientific creation

aims and motives for creating

“independence” of creation from creator

a shift of roles

teachers functioning as “audience”

of the communicated stories, they feel

detached and safely at a distance

from the target contents that are debated

narratives

resource for meaningful science teaching

films, legendary tales, poems,

newspaper articles

provide background and raise issues

touching, intriguing, memorable stories

in the past…

were communicated through story-telling

today…

are powerfully presented through films

applicationsa fiction film

Blade Runner

Replicants of theBlade Runner

watch fragments of the film discuss and debate

Thessaloniki

a Jewish legendGolem

The giant of Balvanera

legend reconstruction a poem by J. L. Borges

a newspaper clip

Buenos Aires

In Thessaloniki, after watching fragments of

the film, perspective teachers were asked to

discuss and debate about:

the scientific and the philosophical

questions raised in the film and the

interrelations between these two

nature of science contents

Can science help us solve problems of

our life that seem impossible to solve?

nature of science contexts

Is life a creation or a construct?

nature of the evolution and methodologies of science

What are the limits of science?

What parameters define those limits?

synthetic nature of science as a product

As scientific questions meet philosophical questions, what are the boarders of such an interaction?

nature of the interrelations ofscience and society

How should genetics develop and be dealt with in order to benefit contemporary and future societies?

nature of attitudes expressed through science

Should the aims of science

(and especially genetics) be

immortality, youth, race perfection etc.

or a better quality of life for all?

nature of values fostered by science

Should we take advantage of

the maximum of potentials of science

(and especially genetics)

and the scientific creations

driven only by profit?

GNOSIS knowledge

Guidelines for

Nature

Of

Science

Introduction in

Scientific literacy