The natures of scientific thinking

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Abstract:

One aspect of the nature of science is that it is characterised by particular modes of thinking. Science is commonly seen as a rational process that uses logical arguments to develop explanatory schemes and theories. Philosophers of science have proposed models for how science proceeds, and science education aspires to find intellectually honest accounts of ‘the scientific method’ that are suitable for presenting as target knowledge in the school curriculum. There are a number of recognised challenges here, such as the abstract nature of philosophical models; inconsistencies between the different models available; the intellectual readiness of young people to engage in logical argument. However the focus on what has been called ‘the context of justification’, important as it is, needs to be balanced by consideration of ‘the context of discovery’: without which there would not be any scientific knowledge claims requiring logical argument from evidence to support them. Science education is often perceived by students as being about learning well-established facts, rather than being about exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the creative products of imaginative minds. Theories, models, teaching analogies and figurative metaphors presented by teachers may all be understood as intended to have the same – realist – ontological status. This not only ignores the creative origin of the models and theories taught in science, and so the value of students’ own imaginative suggestions, but leads to many students acquiring an undifferentiated menagerie of ideas that obscures the logical grounds for accepting well-established models and theories. This chapter considers the nature of creative thought in the scientific process, and in learning science; and argues that science teaching needs to be more explicit about the nature and status of different ideas presented in the classroom to help students fully appreciate both the creative and rational aspects of science.

Keywords:

• Teaching nature of science 
• Authentic science in the curriculum
• Scientific thinking
• Creativity in science
• Creativity in science learning 

Contents:

An authentic nature of science for science education
Teaching NOS to support learning of the science
The problem of teaching without making modelling explicit
The problem of student learning in science
Illogical thinking
Scientific thinking
Logical thinking
The logic of scientific discovery
Decision making in the scientific process
Is the scientific paper a fraud?
The role of creativity in science
The nature of the creative process
The role of creativity in learning science
Creativity and learning about NOS
Creating scientific conceptions
Building upon the learner’s creativity
Courting the handmaiden

A reviewer’s take on the chapter:

“…Keith Taber argues for an emphasis on creative aspects of science in order to improve science education. He takes the students’ inadequate conceptions on the nature of science, more specifically on the nature of scientific models, as a starting point. Taber observes that in science models are used as thinking tools and that in teaching models are used to make the unfamiliar familiar. In contrast, students tend to view models as realistic representations of the world. In order to emphasize the creative aspects of science and science learning, Taber argues that science teachers should make the nature of scientific and teaching models explicit. In addition, the diverse alternative conceptions about science topics that students have are a valuable resource for creativity in science education.”

Esther M. van Dijk – review of Advances in Nature of Science Research: Concepts and Methodologies in the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group Newsletter, May 2012:

The author's manuscript version may be downloaded here.