Interactive Teaching of Key Social Science Concepts

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Interactive Teaching of Key Social Science
Concepts

• Leanne C. Powner
• University of Michigan
• APSA TLC, 18-20 Feb 2006

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Science in the Social Sciences The Perils of
Unobservables

• When we cant observe our variables directly, we
  must look for observable effects.
• Power?
• Political culture?
• Globalization?
• Some have few directly observable effects.

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Simulating Unobservables

• Dollar-store objects in opaque fabric bags can
  simulate unobservables.
• Ask students to theorize about the object without
  touching the bag.
• Allow students to explore the object without
  opening the bag and ask them to characterize the
  object as much as possible.
• What is it? What is it used for? What is it made
  of? What does it look like?

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The Scientific Method

• In the process of characterizing their objects,
  students will complete the major steps of the
  scientific process
• Hypothesize
• Collect data
• Test hypotheses
• Revise hypotheses in light of conclusions
• Role of the group recorder

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What Can Emerge?

• Carefully selected objects can provoke
  discussions of
• Falsifiability
• Parsimony
• The role of assumptions
• Support on CD
• Complete lesson plan
• Instructor guide
• Student group handout

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The Scientific Method in Action Shakespeares
Hamlet

• Hamlet tests his hypothesis about the cause of
  his fathers death.
• Theory
• Hypothesis Act II, end of scene 2
• Test and Data Collection Act III, scene 2
• Analysis
• Evaluation theory confirmed

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Measurement Comparing Apples and Oranges

• Ask students to compare several pieces of fruit.
• Organize resulting dimensions into types of
  scales
• Nominal
• Ordinal
• Interval

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From Measurement to Causality

• Select several fruit of the same color (red,
  yellow, etc.).
• Establish measurements for these fruits on 3-4
  dimensions (variables).
• Include color as a dimension.
• Basic principle you cant explain a variable
  with a constant, and vice versa.
• Can yellow cause medium levels of sweetness, or
  3.4 oz, if yellow also causes low sweetness
  and/or 2.6 oz?

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Information Literacy Moving Beyond Google

• American Library Associations Association of
  College and Research Librarians
• Law and Political Science Section Information
  Literacy Research Guidelines

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The ACRLs Standards

• The information literate PS student
• Determines the nature and extent of needed
  information.
• Accesses needed information effectively and
  efficiently.
• Evaluates information and its sources
  critically.
• Uses information effectively to accomplish
  specific purposes.
• Understands ethical use of information legal and
  social issues related to information access and
  retrieval.

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What Sources Do I Need?

• Students are presented with hypothetical
  arguments and asked what kind of source would
  provide useful information.
• Encourages strategic searching what kind of
  information do I want? Where is a likely place to
  find this?
• Places to look other than a blanket Google search

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Research Library Scavenger Hunt

• Whats available? Where do I get it?
• Asks students to locate particular useful sources
• Electronic sources, including databases
• Primary sources
• Secondary sources
• Citation
• Introduction to library layout, call numbers

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Exploring Primary Sources

• What do I do with it?
• Students rarely have experience with using
  primary sources
• Introduces a range of primary sources (memoirs,
  documents, etc.) and potential problems/biases in
  them
• Asks students to examine primary sources from the
  National Security Archive and comment on source
  angles

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Facts and Evidence

• What do I do with it? part 2
• or, why every piece of information you
  gathered does not belong in your term paper.
• Presents students with potential paper arguments
  and asks them to select which piece of
  information is not useful as evidence for that
  argument

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Support on CD

• Instructor Support
• ACRL/LPSS Guidelines
• Instructor Guide
• Classroom-Ready Worksheets
• Research Library Scavenger Hunt
• What Source Do I Need?
• Exploring Primary Sources
• Facts and Evidence