Nature of Science
(NOS)
What is NOS about?
What is science?
How do scientists do their work?
What is the nature of scientific knowledge?
How does scientific knowledge develop?
Is science objective? (What is objectivity?)
How does science differ from other ways
of knowing?
Study of NOS
The study of NOS informed by:
Philosophy of Science
History of Science
Sociology of Science
Science Education
NOS Card Sort
1) Randomly select 8 different cards.
2) Trade cards to improve your hand (your hand
improves as the cards you hold better reflect your
views on science).
3) Find a partner and select 8 cards which best
represent your shared notion of science (each
person must contribute at least 2 cards).
4) Pairs unite to form groups of 4. Select 8 cards
which best represent your shared notion of science.
5) Rank order the 8 statements starting with the
most important.
6) Develop a statement (paragraph-length) drawing
from the work you’ve just done to describe what
science is.
Card Exchange Perspectives
Compare your statement to the varying NOS
perspectives.
Which perspectives influenced your group the most?
Compare & contrast the “Theoretical Emphasis” &
the “Empirical Emphasis”
Can elements of both be true? Are they mutually
exclusive?
Which perspective(s) do you disagree with most?
Are there elements of this perspective that are compelling?
What do we know about
NOS?
Science cannot be singularly (and definitively)
defined because it is interpreted in different
ways by different people.
Methods such as the card sort and NOS surveys
encourage students to think specifically about
their views on science.
Scientists, science educators & philosophers of
science have proposed some consensus views
on NOS.
Consensus Views on NOS
Empirically-based
Scientific knowledge is based on evidence.
Testable
Scientific ideas can be theoretically falsified
through evidentiary tests or predicted
observations.
Tentative, yet Reliable
Scientific ideas can change given new data or
new interpretations
Consensus NOS Views
Culturally-embedded
Scientists & scientific ideas are influenced
by the society from they arise.
Creative
Scientists employ creativity in posing
questions, collecting data, and interpreting
data. (What does this suggest about “The
Scientific Method?)
Consensus NOS Views
Theory/Law Distinction
Scientific theories are robust, empirically
supported explanations of natural
phenomena. Scientific laws are perceived
regularities regarding the natural world.
Therefore, theories never become laws.
Laws are typically more narrow in focus
than theories.
Provide examples from the
history of science to support…
Empirically-based
Testable
Tentative
Culturally-embedded
Creative
Tubes & Cubes
Discussion Questions
What are the differences between theories
and laws?
What is “the scientific method”?
Does “the scientific method” as presented
in middle school science accurately reflect
what scientists do?