Unit 1.2: Science and engineering practices

Karen Viskupic, Boise State University

Initial Publication Date: September 20, 2024

Summary

In this module, students discuss what is and is not science and are introduced to the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) of the NGSS. Students participate in a jigsaw activity in which they practice mapping the SEP from case studies onto the SEP web diagram of Nyman and St. Clair (2016) to discover the non-linear and varying ways in which science can happen.

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Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

  1. Distinguish between science and non-science practices and behaviors
  2. Describe the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) of the NGSS
  3. Describe the limitations of the traditional linear scientific method model

Context for Use

This activity is intended for use at the beginning of an introductory Earth Science course for college-level students. The activity could be used with any class size, and can be completed in approximately 75 minutes of class time, plus additional time for pre-class and homework assignments.

Students will need to either have a computer or tablet with internet access or will need to have a printout of the Visionlearning reading assignments for the jigsaw activity.

Description and Teaching Materials

Teaching Materials:

  • Pre-class assignment (same as homework from Unit 1.1) Unit 1.1 Homework (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.7MB Sep10 24)
  • Slides to guide class activities: Unit 1.2 Slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 400kB Jan23 24)
  • SEP handout (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 461kB Jan23 24) for student reference
  • Student handout for in-class SEP jigsaw activity (see description of activity below)
    • Version 1 (longer)
    • Version 2 (shorter):
      • Version 2 experimentation
        • Version 2 Jigsaw: experimentation (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.9MB Sep10 24)
      • Version 2 description
        • Version 2 Jigsaw: description (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.9MB Sep10 24)
        •  
      • Version 2 comparison
        • Version 2 Jigsaw: comparison (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.9MB Sep10 24) 
      • Version 2 modeling
        • Version 2 Jigsaw: modeling (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.9MB Sep10 24)
      • Generic Version 2 student handout with tables for all four articles 
  • Homework assignment about asking scientific questions: Homework assignment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.7MB Sep10 24)

Pre-class Assignment (same as Unit 1.1 Homework):

All students read the Visionlearning article about the practice of science and answer reflection questions about the reading.

In class:

Part 1: Discussion of homework reading (5-10 min)

  • Instructor leads a whole class discussion about the homework reading, prompted by the questions:
    • What does the real practice of science look like?
    • How have you learned about or experienced the practice of science in other contexts (classes, jobs, etc.)?
  • The goal of this discussion is to elicit student thoughts about the traditional linear scientific method model and the process/practice of science described in the homework reading.

Part 2: Introduction to the Science and Engineering Practices (10 min)

  • Instructor introduces the SEP web of Nyman and St. Clair (2016) as a model for summarizing the things scientists do to answer questions about the natural world. In the homework reading, students read about experimentation, description, comparison, and modeling, so these words are mapped onto the SEP web to help students connect what they read to the new SEP terms (modeling is a direct match to the SEP, but experimentation, description, and comparison might be part of planning and carrying out investigations or could be analyzing and interpreting data)
  • Each SEP is described on the slides, and a student handout provides a summary and a place for students to take notes or record examples as they are encountered throughout the class
  • Instructor should encourage students to ask questions and can ask for examples of each SEP as they are described. For example, "Has anyone used this practice before?"

Part 3: SEP jigsaw (55-60 min)

  • In the first part of the jigsaw, students are placed in groups of 4. Each group reads (not completely) one of the Visionlearning research methods articles about a method that was introduced in the homework reading: Experimentation, Description, Comparison, Modeling
    • The instructor should provide a brief orientation to the articles, pointing out the sections that are important for the activity (key concepts, description of research method, and research method "in practice").
    • Students answer questions about the research method (what is it, what scientists were trying to figure out in the "in practice" example), and then use the NGSS tagging to map the practices used in the "in practice" example onto the SEP web of Nyman and St. Clair (2016).
      • There are two options for the first part of the jigsaw:
        • Version 1 (longer): For students with strong reading skills, or in classes with more time, students are asked to read the "in practice" section of an article, describe in steps what the scientist did, and identify the science and engineering practices that were used. (Use Version 1 of the student handout)
        • Version 2 (shorter): For students who may struggle to identify the steps described in the articles, alternate versions of the student handout (one for each research method article) are provided, where relevant text from each article is included in the handout and students are asked to identify what science and engineering practice is being described. (Use Version 2 of the student handout)
  • In the second part of the jigsaw, students are rearranged in new groups of 4, with one person from each research method group. The second part of the jigsaw activity is the same in both Version 1 and Version 2 of the student handout.
    • Students first describe the research method they read about and then share the SEP map from the "in practice" example described in their article.
    • Students make observations about the SEP maps with prompts such as, "Did all the scientists use the same SEP? Did they use all the practices or only some of them?," and answer a few reflection questions about the practice of science.
    • The jigsaw ends with a whole class discussion about the practice of science and the limitations of the linear model of the scientific method.
  • Note that this activity could be modified in many ways. For example, it could be worked through together as a class, the first part of the jigsaw could be run as described and then the second part could be done together as a class, or students could be asked to complete all or part of the first part of the jigsaw as pre-class work.

Homework Assignment:

Students review the slides from class about what science is and is not and are referred to the Understanding Science 101 website, where the ideas came from, specifically the Science Checklist, Science in Disguise, and Science Has Limits web pages. These readings should help students to distinguish questions that science can answer from questions that science cannot answer.

Students are prompted to think about either an outdoor place that interests them or a natural phenomenon and to write two questions about that place or phenomena, one that can be answered with science practices and one that cannot be answered by science practices.

Teaching Notes and Tips

Part 1:

This discussion could be lengthened or shortened depending on available time. For example, students could be asked to make a poster or diagram about the process of science.

Part 2:

This presentation could be replaced with a more student-centered activity if class time allows. For example, students might review the Understanding Science 101 resources in class and make summary posters about what science is, what science is not, and how scientists behave. Similarly, students could be introduced to the SEP and then split into groups, with each group responsible for learning about a single SEP and then presenting what they learned to the class.

Part 3:

Instructors could use one of the methods articles (modeling, description, comparison, experimentation) as an example and work through the NGSS tagging and mapping onto the SEP web as a class and then have students work through the remaining three as part of the jigsaw activity. The Practice of Science article from the pre-class reading also has an example (ozone hole) that could be worked through together as a class before the jigsaw activity.

Homework:

Instructors might consider creating a Google form that students can use to submit their science and non-science questions instead of having students submit them through a course management system. This would make it easier to sort through the two types of questions.

Supplemental materials:

The Science Misconceptions page on the Understanding Science website has a lot of great information. Instructors may want to spend time exploring this page in class or assign an additional or alternate homework activity. For example, ask students to review the Science Misconceptions page and then ask them to reflect on which misconceptions they hold, or what they found most interesting or enlightening.


Assessment

LO1: Distinguish between science and non-science practices and behaviors

  • Formative assessment through class discussion

LO2: Describe the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) of the NGSS

  • Question 5 in the jigsaw activity (only assesses description of one SEP)

LO3: Describe the limitations of the traditional linear scientific method model

  • Formative assessment through the jigsaw activity written responses and whole class discussion

References and Resources

Carpi, A., & Egger, A.E. (2008). Comparison in Scientific Research, Visionlearning, Vol. POS-2 (1). https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/Comparison-in-Scientific-Research/152

Carpi, A., & Egger, A.E. (2008). Experimentation in Scientific Research, Visionlearning, Vol. POS-2 (1). https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/Experimentation-in-Scientific-Research/150

Carpi, A., & Egger, A.E. (2008). The Practice of Science, Visionlearning, Vol. POS-2 (1). https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/The-Practice-of-Science/148

Egger, A.E., & Carpi, A. (2008) Description in Scientific Research, Visionlearning, Vol. POS-2 (1). https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/Description-in-Scientific-Research/151

Egger, A.E., & Carpi, A. (2008) Modeling in Scientific Research, Visionlearning, Vol. POS-2 (1). https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/Modeling-in-Scientific-Research/153

Nyman, M., & St. Clair, T. (2016). A Geometric model to teach nature of science, science practices, and metacognition. Journal of College Science Teaching, 45(5)