Creating opportunities for science learning requires an understanding of the kinds of knowledge, skills, and attitudes students should be expected to develop. Often, these outcomes are measured using structured observations, like exit interviews and surveys or tracking and timing.
These six strands of science learning include sparking interest and excitement, understanding scientific knowledge, engaging in scientific reasoning, reflecting on the nature of science, and increasing comfort with the tools and practices of the scientific enterprise.
1. Exciting and Enthusiastic
Children are often described as “natural scientists.” Their curiosity and desire to make the world a more predictable place is an excellent basis for scientific inquiry. But, children need guidance and structure to turn their natural activities into rich scientific learning experiences.
Science learning outcomes can help provide that guidance and structure. A well-written learning outcome is clear and specific, uses active language (see Bloom’s Taxonomy resource for a list of valuable verbs), and ensures that student and instructor goals in the course are aligned. Learning outcomes can also guide course and program design, identify gaps or overlap in course offerings, and clarify instructional, programmatic, and institutional priorities.
A learning outcome should describe a skill, knowledge, or value that students will develop as a result of taking the course. It should be challenging but not impossible to attain, and it should be attainable within the time frame specified in the system.
For example, a learning outcome might include an expectation that students will be able to construct models of a physical phenomenon using materials from their surroundings and explain how the model works. Alternatively, an outcome might require students to submit responses to exam questions or homework problems that demonstrate the ability to compare and synthesize information on a given topic from a variety of sources. These types of assessments allow for the identification of students who are actively engaging with their learning and who have a well-developed sense of how scientific knowledge is developed and acquired.
2. Understanding Scientific Knowledge
One of the critical goals of science education is for students to develop an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. This understanding can help students make informed decisions about the increasingly scientifically-based personal and societal issues that are being raised, and it can enable them to make connections between various science disciplines and their interrelationships.
This understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge can be developed through a variety of activities, including observing and recording observations in the natural world, using data to form hypotheses about future events, testing those predictions, and discussing and analyzing results. The development of this understanding can also be fostered through discussion and representation, including drawing and writing, as well as by providing children with multiple opportunities to engage in these activities over time.
A student’s ability to understand the nature of scientific knowledge can also be facilitated by asking them to compare their understanding of new topics with other kinds of experience. This can be accomplished by having them submit answers to exams or papers that require them to assess their level of comprehension and also by asking them to include a reflective paragraph in which they describe a topic that they recently encountered, offer an evaluation of their understanding, and indicate areas where they might want to pursue additional information.
It is essential to recognize that the contributors to scientific knowledge are diverse and that science has historically been a culturally-based activity. This understanding of the diversity of contributions can be incorporated into classrooms that are concerned about equity by promoting discussions of how discoveries and insights can come from people in many cultures, including those who might not traditionally be considered scientists.
3. Engaging in Scientific Reasoning
In addition to engaging students, critical thinking can help them develop a more rigorous scientific understanding. Providing students with opportunities to notice something new and attempt to fit it into their base of formal knowledge can encourage them to think about the evidence supporting major scientific theories, for example (such as plate tectonics or relativity).
Asking students to construct a hypothesis or model and then use it to support their conclusion can teach them how to evaluate the quality of the research they are reviewing. Getting students to rework an experiment or reevaluate the results of an observation that didn’t go as expected can show them that it is okay to backtrack, just like natural scientists do.
Finally, encouraging students to critique the arguments of their peers can help them learn to respect different viewpoints. Asking them to cite their reasoning as they criticize the ideas of others can give students practice distinguishing facts, reasonable judgment based on research findings, and speculation in an argument.
While critical thinking can help move students in the direction of scientific reasoning, it’s important to remember that the Scientific Process is what really ties this style of thinking together. Instilling a sense of wonder about the scientific world around them is what inspires many scientists and can be one of the best ways to make students eager to engage in this higher-level thinking.
4. Reflecting on the Nature of Science
To learn science well, students must have a deep foundation of usable knowledge and understand facts in the context of a conceptual framework. They must also be able to connect science concepts with the real world. To build an understanding of Disciplinary Core Ideas, Crosscutting Concepts, and the nature of scientific inquiry, teachers need to provide opportunities for students to engage in three-dimensional learning experiences that focus on building process skills, deepening content knowledge, and connecting scientific concepts with their everyday lives.
For example, students can be asked to demonstrate that they have maintained awareness of new developments in the sciences by submitting a list of articles or programs they have read and watched over a semester. Or, they can be asked to predict severe weather based on a standard weather map and then compare their predictions with actual weather data from that location.
By providing opportunities for this type of connected learning, students can begin to see that science is not a collection of facts to be memorized. Instead, they can view it as a way to make sense of the world and its many challenges—including natural disasters, the spread of diseases, and environmental degradation. These connections can help students understand that scientific knowledge has the potential to change how people think about and interact with their environment, transforming the way they live their lives.
5. Identifying with the Scientific Enterprise
Students need to understand the scientific process in order to be able to make sense of new knowledge. They need to learn about how scientific discoveries are made and the way that scientists conduct research, as well as about the underlying theories that explain the findings of scientific inquiry.
Understanding the scientific enterprise also requires that students be able to identify with it, i.e., that they feel connected to the scientific community and that they have a role to play in it. Teachers can promote this connection by making science learning activities more real-world in nature and by encouraging student epistemic agency (Reiser et al., 2021).
In addition, it is essential for students to know that their participation in science contributes to a larger goal of solving human problems and addressing environmental hazards and natural disasters. These goals can be emphasized by providing opportunities for students to use science to solve real-world problems, such as developing methods for purifying water and increasing crop production, identifying ways to protect the environment, and reducing the risks of natural disasters. These activities should be designed to help students develop a deep foundation of usable knowledge, a deep understanding of the concepts involved, and a rich experience with phenomena that the concepts help explain. They should also encourage students to actively draw out and work with the preexisting ideas that they bring into these activities by creating classroom tasks that ask them to compare their initial conceptions with scientific concepts.
6. Increased Comfort with the Tools and Practices of the Scientific Community
Students are more connected to their learning if they see how it can be applied in their lives and if they feel familiar with the nature of scientific knowledge. This learning outcome is addressed through discussion and representation activities, which are often a part of science learning experiences. Discussion enables students to share their observations and ideas and helps them develop new vocabulary words for describing their experiences. In addition, students may be asked to write a reflective paragraph comparing scientific knowledge with other kinds of information in school assignments and assessments.
The final learning outcome identified in the teacher and student interviews is a change in attitudes about science and science. Teachers and Science Squad members often reported that students gained a new view of science as something tangible that can be fun, exciting, and varied. In turn, this new view of science and scientists can help counter stereotypes about science careers or education that students sometimes hold.
Teachers benefited in a similar way from the Science Squad presentations, especially when they were allowed to participate as learners alongside their students. Many teachers described a number of emotional benefits, including feeling validated for their work, enjoying the collegial interaction with Science Squad presenters, and experiencing a break from their usual classroom routines. They also credited Science Squad presenters with helping them learn more about science by seeing firsthand the techniques involved in their research.
