2/25/2021 Doing science authentically

Search this site

Home For schools Teaching materials and methods Science and STEM
Science continuum archive

Doing science authentically

This focus idea is explored through:

Contrasting student and scientific views

Critical teaching ideas
Teaching activities

Contrasting student and scientific views

Student everyday experiences

Many students think that to do science you need to be in a science

laboratory doing experiments and using specialised equipment.

Research: Gott, Duggan & Roberts (2003)

When students are doing experiments there may be many unintended outcomes. These may arise from:

students bringing ideas to the lesson that may be unanticipated

the scientific problem to be investigated being interpreted in different ways
the ways in which students undertake the activity varying between different students (sometimes to the
point where what students do is not the activity intended).

A td t’ l i th h th d t th h
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx
b i il 1/8
2/25/2021 Doing science authentically
As a consequence, students’ conclusions may vary even though the data they have may be similar.
Students very often see little connection between experiments and fieldwork – generally ‘fieldwork’ is not
perceived to be ‘doing real science’ in their view. The experience of most students is of doing experiments in the
formal setting of school classrooms where they have limited opportunities to develop connections with their life
experiences. Students often do not acknowledge that doing fieldwork is an equally legitimate way to
investigate scientifically.

A related issue is that students frequently have difficulty distinguishing between observations and inferences.
For example, consider a piece of chocolate. ‘The chocolate tastes sweet’ and ‘the chocolate is brown’ are
observations. An inference goes beyond the observations, usually blending observations with existing
knowledge and experience with, in this case, chocolate. For example, many students would ‘look at’ chocolate
and say that ‘it is sweet’; since they have not yet tasted it, this is an inference based on their previous
experiences and existing knowledge (and one that they will almost always describe as an observation).

Research: Osborne & Freyburg (1985), Haslam & Gunstone (1996)

Scientific view
An important part of doing science is observing natural situations and carefully and systematically recording
those observations (data). Scientists then look for patterns in this systematically recorded data and create
explanations for the patterns. Sometimes these patterns come from drawing inferences about the data.
Looking for these patterns increases the chances of being able to predict what might happen next time.
Sometimes this is easier to do in a laboratory and sometimes it is easier to do in the field (in the natural
context).

Observations are descriptive statements about natural phenomena that are directly accessible to the senses
(or an extension of the senses) and about which several observers can reach consensus with relative ease. For
example, ‘chocolate is brown’ or ‘chocolate is sweet’.

Inferences are statements about phenomena that are not directly accessible to the senses, for example,
‘chocolate is sweet because of the cocoa it contains’. This would be an inference as the cocoa in the chocolate
is not directly accessible to the senses.

Explanations are constructed from the examination of evidence collected during repeated observations. An
analysis of the data may reveal patterns from which logical inferences can be formed and tested. Explanations
provide us with descriptions of phenomena that help us to better understand why or how they may occur.
Explanations that allow us to predict when phenomena will occur are more powerful and valuable than
explanations that are solely descriptive.

Systematic observations can be communicated to others so that they, in turn, can make their own observations
about the same phenomena. In this way the first set of observations can be either verified or not, and, with
repeated attempts to verify these observations, patterns emerge that can help people to predict what might
happen in the future
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 2/8
2/25/2021 Doing science authentically
happen in the future.

Critical teaching ideas

Science is an attempt to explain our natural environment and make predictions about it.
Observing the natural environment and recording data carefully and systematically is an important
process of science.
Scientists use observations to draw inferences.
Scientists make systematic observations in order to identify patterns, draw inferences and create
explanations.

Explore the relationships between ideas about observation and fieldwork in the Concept Development
Maps – Scientific Investigations and Scientific World View.

Students should be supported to appreciate that when collecting evidence it is important that accurate
observations are made and that some thought is given to how these observations are recorded and
communicated to others. The notion of observation is an important one and needs be distinguished from an
inference.

Many of the focus ideas in the Science Continuum F-10 can be viewed through this lens of observations and
inferences.

The following table is useful for helping students gain some understanding of what scientists think about and
what they do.

What scientists think What scientists do

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 3/8
2/25/2021 Doing science authentically

What scientists think What scientists do

How to do things Use equipment

Where to find out about things Measure things
How to argue they are right Make things fair
How to record, what to record Try things out
What information is needed, how Investigate
and where to find out, who to talk Record things
to, what to read
Draw graphs, pictures and
What the information says diagrams
Whether they believe the Use a computer
information
Look at results
What they need to know
Write reports
What is the problem, how to solve it
Ask questions
What patterns in the results can be
seen Make things
What conclusions they can draw Test things
What to measure, what to use

Research: Lederman (2006), Skamp (2004)

Teaching activities
Each of these activities uses some specific science ideas. Using these activities in the context of this focus idea
involves two broad learning agendas for students – the content itself and the science process(es) the example
illustrates.

Bring out students’ existing ideas

The purpose of this activity is to help students start to discriminate between observations and inferences they
draw about observations.

Firstly, have the students look at (but not touch) a single piece of chocolate that is unwrapped and
unidentifiable as a common brand (i.e. it does not have recognisable commercial trademarks or a
characteristic shape). Assure the students that you know the object is composed of chocolate. Next, ask the
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 4/8
2/25/2021 Doing science authentically

students to respond to the question: ‘What observations can you make about this piece of chocolate?’ Collect
and record their responses on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper for all the class to see.

Now, show the students a list of prepared statements describing the piece of chocolate that include some
observations and some that are not; for example:

The chocolate:

is brown
was made in Australia
is hard
smells sweet
melts easily.

Assist the students to decide which of the statements are observations and which are not (are inferences).

Finally, ask the students to reconsider the original class list of responses recorded on the whiteboard with the
aim of deciding which of the statements are inferences and which are observations.

Collecting evidence
Students could observe some natural (fieldwork) situations such as:

a plant growing or seeds germinating

the movement or the changing face of the moon over many days
the times of sunset and sunrise over a period of weeks or months
changes that occur in chrysalids they have collected.

Discuss with students what they think will be good ways to record their observations and how many they should
make. When the students have recorded sufficient observations have them identify patterns which may exist in
the data. Students can then use the patterns they identify to make predictions about what they might observe
next time with a similar event. Students should be encouraged to explain why they made these predictions.

Clarifying and consolidating ideas for communication to others

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 5/8
2/25/2021 Doing science authentically

In fieldwork such as that undertaken in the activities above, observing very carefully is important. For example,
there are many valuable teaching opportunities that can originate from fieldwork such as collecting
caterpillars from the local environment.

When collecting caterpillars, students can pick leaves from the host plant (i.e. leaves that the caterpillars are
known to eat). Students can also collect leaves from different plants, so that they can provide the caterpillars
with a mix of leaves when they construct a habitat for them in the classroom. Consider using a digital camera
to record the size of several different leaves of each type.

When the students return to the classroom, they can put the mixed leaves in with the caterpillars for 1-2 days
and then record the size of the same leaves again. Students can be encouraged to answer the following
questions:

. What changes in the size of the leaves do they observe?

. How could they measure this change?
. Have they noticed a change in size of both sorts of leaves?
. What do they predict will happen if they feed the caterpillars exclusively on each type of plant?

Students should then be supported to tell their parents about what they have done, with a focus on their
parents being able to repeat the activity at home. Students should appreciate that subjecting your work to the
scrutiny of others is an important part of verifying your work.

Open discussion via a shared experience

Considering how and what to measure is another important part of scientific work. When engaging in activities
like the one above, it is important that students engage in discussion about what will be measured and when
measurements will be made (for example the size and type of leaves and how often to measure them), and then
how to best record these measurements.

Practise using and building the perceived usefulness of scientific models/ explanations
How will students know if they have made sufficient observations or recorded enough measurements? The
answers to these questions will lie in whether students have enough data to identify patterns in the
measurements which helps the students in predicting the likely outcomes of future observations. For example,
based on observations of their daily food intake will the class mice have enough to eat and drink over the
weekend?

In conducting science investigations such as those above, there are other examples you could explore in the
focus ideas Properties of natural and processed materials or
Floating and sinking.
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 6/8
2/25/2021
g g Doing science authentically

Last Update: 05 September 2018 Back to top

This section:
Science continuum archive
Science concept development maps

Science continuum glossary

For parents
Early childhood
Schools
TAFE and training
The Department

Select Language

Help in your language

Accessibility
Privacy
Copyright
Disclaimer

Contact us
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 7/8
2/25/2021 Doing science authentically

Report a website issue

State Government of Victoria, Australia © 2019

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout

Victoria and pay respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples.

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/scienceauth.aspx 8/8