The Many Reasons We Teach Science and What Everyone Should Know about How it Works

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Science as a Process
Science relies on empirical evidence. One hallmark of science is that no matter who is offering a conclusion—scientist or amateur—there must be evidence to back up the claim. Furthermore, that evidence must be “sharable,” in that the fleeting glimpse of something interesting may be compelling but it can’t be conclusive until others have had a chance to see it and evaluate it. The various sightings of “Bigfoot” come to mind here. There may be some huge secretive humanoid wandering about the remote reaches of the planet, but there is simply no conclusive evidence for such a creature. We may wish that Bigfoot exists but wishing does not make it true. Students must understand both the necessity for and nature of scientific evidence if they are to appreciate how scientific claims are made and evaluated.

Biography

William McComas is involved in many areas of science education research and policy development. He is widely published in the areas of the history and philosophy of scienceHis interests focus on the teacher education and curriculum issues associated with science education. Research and publication interests focus on effective laboratory instruction, science literacy issues, informal science learning in museums and field settings, the relationship of the history and philosophy of science and science instruction, models for the assessment of science learning and issues in biology education with particular focus on problems associated with evolution education. 

Selected References

McComas, W. F. (2008). The Nature of Science in Popular Books on the Subject: Lessons for Science Education. In Lee, Y. J. & Tan, A. L. (Eds.) (2008) Science education at the nexus of theory and practice. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. 

McComas, W. F. (2010). Educating Science Critics, Connoisseurs and Creators What Gifted Students Must Know about How Science Functions in Gifted Education Communicator.

McComas, W. F. (2004). Keys to Teaching Nature of Science in The Science Teacher