The Report Card appears weekly and is written by staff, administrators and partners of the Anglophone East
School District. This week’s column, written by Lawrence McGillivary, Science Mentor, takes a look at the
scientific method.
Observing the actions of a young child reaching for a raison for the first time, eyes wide with wonder and even wider with
the joy of a delicious new discovery, reminds us that we live in a world of endless curiosities and new experiences.
Watching that same child reaching confidently for a fat housefly and, amazingly, catching and placing it in its mouth is
equally reinforcing of what is often the nature of inquiry in our lives. This seeming haphazard approach builds
understanding by beginning with observations filtered through prior experiences, and arriving naturally at questioning (Is
this crawling black thing a moving raisin?). It is these questions that drive inquiry and engage students of all ages in the
learning process as well as that human need to explore the world around us.
Science (the Latin word scientia means ‘knowledge’) is a structured, disciplined approach to building knowledge or
understanding about the natural world and our universe. The fundamental nature of science lies in methodical
explorations that always begin with observations. Information brought to us through our senses and imaginings is used,
in turn, to create questions and predictions to be tested using a universally accepted process called the scientific method.
Too often, science is thought of, and taught, as a body of knowledge or ideas. This misguided impression can lead to
students moving through our school system without actually gaining the skills necessary to add to, interpret, or work with
what they are learning about their world. Imagine, for example, a student completing a community college program of
study in welding, without actually using and then demonstrating a high level of proficiency with a welder!
In order for the scientists’ work to be considered valid, experiments must follow a series of steps, allowing the work to be
repeatable and conclusions to pass the scrutiny of their peers. In general, these steps include: Observations leading to
Testable Questions which lead to a Hypothesis that is tested through an Experiment. The Experiment generates Data which
is Recorded and Analyzed. Conclusions are drawn from that analysis, and then shared or Reported to a peer community
for review and discussion. The whole process cycles as these conclusions always generate further questions and
explorations.
Grade 6 students at a local school, for example, recently had the opportunity to explore the phenomenon of static
electricity while practicing the scientific method. They began with observing how an air-filled balloon, when rubbed on a
person’s hair, was able to pick up small round pieces of paper from a tabletop. This simple observation was shaped into a
question that they could test using an experimental procedure. Their testable question “Do some types of paper stick
better to balloons than others?” was leading to the prediction that paper type is a factor or variable they could change,
measuring the effect of static by counting the pieces picked up by the balloon. Controlling all other possible variables that
might impact their experiment (time of day, size of paper piece, humidity, individual providing the hair rub, surface, hair
products and balloon pressure, to name a few), the students set about testing a variety of paper types in a series of
experimental trials by comparing those results to standard loose leaf as originally observed. As a class, the data from
completed trials was compiled, analyzed and enthusiastically discussed, as were the conclusions drawn from those results.
Beginning with classroom observations, these middle school students were successful in modeling the formal and
repeatable nature of science using a fun activity, as well as a practiced skillset. An equally successful integration of scientific
methodology into all of our students’ experiences across all grade levels will require a paradigm shift that places inquiry
(guided and unguided) and the ‘big ideas’ of science as a central focus within our classrooms. As all educators and parents
know, it is through structured and unstructured exploration that children best learn or develop the skills necessary to
retain and apply knowledge about the world around them. Perhaps even more importantly, students growing up in an
inquiry-based environment will continue to be enthusiastic lifelong learners.