Inquiry for Citizenship

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Inquiry for Citizenshipbeyond laboratory inquiry

• Frank Jenkins, PhD
• Secondary Science Education
• Centre for Mathematics Science and Technology
  Education (CMASTE)
• Centre for Research in Youth Science Teaching and
  Learning (CRYSTAL Alberta)
• University of Alberta
• Edmonton, Canada

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My History for Beyond Inquiry

• Then (laboratory inquiry)
• Processes displayed in laboratory problem solving
• Skills, processes, problem solving nature of
  science
• Create-test-use for kinds of NOS problem solving
• Processes required for each of create-test-use
• Falsification of hypotheses and predictions
• Now (beyond laboratory inquiry to media inquiry)
• (and then) Multi-perspective view pro and con
• Creating criteria list for evaluating claims to
  knowledge
• Testing/Using criteria for evaluating claims to
  knowledge

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Kinds of Laboratory Inquiry
s
C-I create inductively T-HI test
hypothesis T-HD test prediction U-D use
deductively
C - create T - test U - use
C-I T-HI T-HD U-D
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CTU NOS Perspectives

• create a concept
• inductive reasoning
• test verify hypothesis
• hypothetico-inductive
• test verify prediction
• hypothetico-deductive
• use a concept
• deductive reasoning
• test falsify an hypothesis or prediction

• The scientific purposes of laboratory work are
  classified as C, T or U.
• C ? T ? U is a progression for a conceptan
  increase in certainty/validity/trust.
• C ? T ? U ? T eventually leads to falsification
  of hypotheses or predictions.

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CTU Lab Reports Processes
Purpose Create (I) Test (H-I) Test (H-D) Use (D)
Problem general general specific specific
Hypothesis X test hypothesis test hypothesis X
Prediction X X test prediction X
Analysis create hypothesis general specific use hypothesis
Eval. 1 evidence evidence evidence evidence
Eval. 2 X hypothesis prediction hypothesis X
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Lab Unit Plan CTU Evid.Bases
Evidential Bases Test (HorP) (falsify) Create (I) Test(HorP) (verify) Use (D)
thought experiment Inv. 10.3
demonstrations Inv. 10.6
dry lab (lab exercise) Inv. 10.2
wet lab (in a laboratory) Inv. 10.1
field trip
computer probes Inv. 10.4
video/photo lab Inv. 10.5
computer video-analysis
simulation/animation Inv. 10.7
remote access
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Scientific (NOS) Language

• Watch your language!
• Based upon the evidence gathering here, ....
• According to the Bohr model of the atom, .
• The evidence suggests a correlation between .
• The prestigious journal, Science, reports that .

• Only using three samples we found that
• The reliability was high among the class members
  but .
• The certainty expressed in significant digits is
  .

Write like a scientist writing for a
peer-reviewed journal. Use nature of science
language.
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Scientific Language Exercise

• Take pure science notes
• in the left column
• Listen to a science lecture or read primary
  literature and take standard pure science notes
  in the left column and nature of science language
  notes in the right column.

• Take NOS notes
• in the right column
• Based upon personal peer-reviewed evidence and
  publications .
• Research published in JRST and in Science
  Education indicates that
• If and then .
• With a high certainty, .

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Scientific Attitudes (not attitudes towards
science)

• That which is left after all else is forgotten.
• critical-mindedness
• suspended judgment
• respect for evidence
• honesty objectivity
• willingness to change
• open-mindedness
• questioning attitude

• tolerance for uncertainty
• curiosity creativity
• appreciation for beauty, unity, and complexity
• perseverance
• Also see
• Technological attitudes
• Societal attitudes
• in STS monograph.

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(Adapted) Primary Literature

• Learning Science
• Students learn science by reading primary
  literature by adaptation of
• language conceptual level sentence structure
• examples analogies
• amount and level of mathematics
• length of article

• Learning About Science
• by adaptation of
• names for experimental designs, procedures,
  materials and skills
• the presentation of counter arguments
• quantitative expressions of (un)certainty
• reliability validity arguments

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Creating Testing My Claim

• Education and science primary research literature
• Daily Edmonton Journal including Sunday Reader
• Nutrition Action Health Newsletter by Centre for
  Science in Public Interest (a magazine)
• Climate Cover-up by James Hoggan (a book)
• Wingnuts by John Avlon (a book)
• The Best American Science Writing by Groopman
• What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (a book)
• The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan (a book)

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Contexts Inquiry for Citizenship

• Source of claims
• newspaper articles
• magazine articles
• lobbying literature
• radio and TV news
• primary research literature (peer-reviewed)
• textbook and classroom language/talk (yours?)

• Types of claims
• medical research
• MS liberation treatment
• alternative medicine
• candling aromatherapy
• environmental research
• Oil sands development
• claims of the paranormal
• water witching

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Health claims to evaluate

• health claims
• drug efficacy
• surgery efficacy
• alternative medicine
• naturopathic chiropractic
• aromatherapy acupuncture
• herbal or magnetic therapy
• faith-healing hair growth
• emergency wait-times
• surgery-wait-time deaths

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Environmental claims to evaluate

• environmental claims
• Athabasca River water
• global warming
• oil sands operation
• coal-burning plants
• coal-bed methane
• wind turbines
• high voltage power lines
• gasoline automobiles

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Political claims to be evaluated

• political claims
• corporate tax cuts create jobs (or not)
• private medicine is more efficient (or not)
• snow removal costs money (or not)
• higher pay invites more competent politicians (or
  not)
• tough punishment deters crime (or not)

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Paranormal claims to be evaluated

• paranormal claims
• alien abductions UFOs
• big-foot crop circles
• psycho-kinetic powers
• channeling mindreading
• fairies ghosts visions
• astrology ESP
• halo readings
• water/gold witching

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Education claims to be evaluated

• education claims
• implicit teaching of NoS is effective (or not)
• smaller class-sizes increases achievement (or
  not)
• depth of curriculum is better than breadth (or
  not)
• 60 min periods are better than 80 min periods (or
  not)
• inquiry-based learning increases achievement (or
  not)

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Nutrition Action byCentre for Science in the
Public Interest

• Quick Studies
• Mg and Sudden Death
• 88 000 women
• 26 years
• correlational study
• Omega-3s Miss Mark
• randomly assigned
• 4,800 subjects (60-80 a)
• 1 of 4 margarines 3.5 a
• no significant difference

• Dont Just Walk
• 260 middle aged
• four groups (1 control)
• 9 months
• quotes other studies
• Protein Carbs
• eight country study
• 800 adults lost weight
• then given either protein or carbs

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onHealth by Consumer Reports

• Lowering Blood Pressure
• 3 pages no research cited
• natural medicines evidence is meager
• Need for Vaccines (1 p)
• Marvin M. Lipman, MD, Consumer Unions chief
  medical advisor since 67
• Strength Circulation
• small study journal cited

• Work Out Your Cold (0.1 p)
• 1002 adults 3 months
• 5 vs. 1- days of workout
• British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Supplements Cataracts
• Archives of Ophthalmology
• 11, 545 male doctors 50 a
• vitamin C, E or placebo 8 a

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Climate Cover-Up book (Hoggan) --evaluating
claims to knowledge

• relevant credentials?
• practicing researcher?
• legitimate peer-review?
• paid expert opinion?
• respected journal?
• source hyper-vigilance?
• national science academy?
• evidence-based science?
• selected evidence?
• fact checking?

• scientific attitudes?
• scientific integrity?
• big-money lobbying?
• ethical PR firm?
• against misinformation
• petition vs. survey?
• problem of balance?
• economic interest?
• tolerance for uncertainty?
• manipulated media?

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Inquiry Concepts for Citizenship--evaluating
claims to knowledge

• anecdotal evidence?
• correlational study?
• cause effect study?
• animal or clinical trial?
• placebo placebo effect?
• double blind design?
• sample size?
• random sample?
• term of study?

• controls control group?
• peer-reviewed (refereed)?
• prestigious journal?
• funding agency?
• replication needed?
• expressed (un)certainty?
• scientific attitude(s)?
• multi-perspective view, pro and con?

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Testing claims to knowledge

• General criteria
• independent tests?
• substantive debate?
• trust for authority?
• alternative hypotheses?
• qualitative and/or quantitative evidence?
• chain of argument?
• parsimony/Occams razor?

• mere contemplation?
• mere argumentation?
• descriptive power?
• explanatory power?
• predictive power?
• testable falsifiable?
• carefully designed and controlled experiments?
• . . .

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Evaluating health claims Qs

• 1. funding agency?
• 2. relevant credentials?
• 3. legitimate peer-review?
• 4. respected journal?
• 5. anecdotal, correlational or cause--effect
  study?
• 6. animal or clinical trial?
• 7. double-blind study?
• 8. placebo placebo effect?

• 9. evidence-based science?
• 10. population for sample?
• 11. random sample?
• 12. sample size?
• 13. term of study?
• 14. replication needed?
• 15. (un)certainty expressed?
• 16. statistically significant?
• 17. in whose interest? ethics?

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Evaluating environmental claimsQs

• 1. funding agency?
• 2. relevant credentials?
• 3. legitimate peer-review?
• 4. respected journal?
• 5. anecdotal, correlational or cause--effect
  study?
• 9. evidence-based science?
• 10. population for sample?
• 13. term of study?

• 14. replication needed?
• 15. (un)certainty expressed?
• 16. statistically significant?
• 17. in whose interest? ethics?
• 18. number of samples?
• 19. number of variables?
• 20. number of sample sites?
• 21. seasonal sampling?
• 21. up-down stream tests?

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Perspectives on an issue

• Scientific
• Technological
• Economic
• Environmental
• Political
• Legal
• Ethical
• Social
• Militaristic

• Aesthetic
• Mystical
• Emotional
• This can be an exercise involving using newspaper
  clippings and the create-test-use inquiry cycle,
  where students create and test the list of
  perspectives.

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CTU Exercises for Beyond Inquiry

• Evaluating Claims to K
• gather distribute media clippings
• create criteria list (from one or more clippings)
• test criteria list (from multiple clippings)
• use criteria list to analyze evaluate claims to
  K

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CTU Exercises for Beyond Inquiry

• Evaluating STSE views
• gather distribute media clippings
• create perspectives list (from one clipping)
• test perspectives list (from multiple clippings)
• use perspectives list to analyze evaluate
  socio-scientific (STSE) views

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Carl Sagan on School Science

• Carl Sagan
• The whole idea of democratic application of
  skepticism is that everyone should have the
  essential tools to effectively and constructively
  evaluate claims to knowledge.
• Demon Haunted World, p. 76

• These tools are hardly ever mentioned in the
  schools, even in the presentation of science.
  DHW, p. 77 ?
• Personal statement
• We have allowed pure science knowledge to
  dominate other kinds of knowledge. This expresses
  our current (not past, and hopefully not future)
  valuing within curriculum assessment.

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Thank you

• Hand-off to you
• How do we create, test use inquiry-based (NOS)
  science education in the classroom laboratory.
• How do we create, test and use inquiry (NOS)
  tools for citizenship.
• Consider the potential and persevere with your
  experience, knowledge and problem solving
  approach.

• Acknowledgements
• my fellow authors school and university
  colleagues
• my students my family
• others who have written and worked on this
  endeavour
• www.CMASTE.ca under Outreach and Science Educ.
• www.CRYSTALAlberta.ca under Science Reasoning
  Text
• fjenkins_at_ualberta.net