The Role and Character of the Nature of Science in Science Education

Abstract

This chapter has explored the dynamic arena of the nature of science by examining both its history and ways that the nature of science has informed and should guide science teaching. We have taken the position that a pragmatic consensus exists regarding some of the most important elements regarding the process of science, but have demonstrated that constructive debate exists. Research and discussion continues regarding the relationship between what teachers believe about the nature of science and what they then communicate to students. We assert that teachers must have experiences where they explore the social studies of science and contemplate the methods by which that content may be shared with students. This is the core purpose for developing this book, a book of rationales and strategies. It is vital that the science education community provide an accurate view of how science operates to students and by inference to their teachers. What follows in the accompanying chapters are tested strategies for doing just that. Whether these plans find a home in teacher education programs, in school classrooms, or simply in the minds of interested individuals, we are confident that science education will be a richer discipline and our students will be more adequately prepared for their lives as citizens when they are afforded a fuller understanding of the nature of this thing called science.