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Learning Showcase 2014 International Institute for Innovative Instruction

11-14-2014

Teaching Science as Critical Thinking Teaching Science as Critical Thinking

Isidoro Talavera Franklin University, isidoro.talavera@franklin.edu

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Part of the Science and Mathematics Education Commons

Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Talavera, Isidoro, "Teaching Science as Critical Thinking" (2014). Learning Showcase 2014. 27. https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2014/27

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Dr. Isidoro Talavera, Professor and Lead Faculty, Philosophy

TEACHING SCIENCE AS CRITICAL THINKING

Department of Humanities & Communication Arts, Franklin University

Inductive Argument

EmpiricismDeductive Argument

Rationalism

Probability & Statistics

Parts (How?)

Math

Whole (Why?)

Informal Logic

Formal Logic

Justification of truthScientific

Knowledge

Justified true belief

Truth

Correspondence with the physical

world

Valid argumentfor the truth of a claim

Matters of fact

Relations of ideas

Belief

Uncertainty Certainty

Skeptical attitude

Scientific Means & Methods

Argument Argument

“…[S]cience education helps students indirectly by pushing them to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate all kinds of phenomena, scientific, pseudoscientic, and other” (Lee, p. 136). Accordingly, the means and methods employed in science are defined and determined by “…any procedure [of analysis and evaluation] that serves systematically to eliminate reasonable grounds for doubt…” (Schick and Vaughn, p. 173).

Without a skeptical attitude, natural human biases and limitations would inevitably lead a

person to hang on to a preferred hypothesis and ignore or resist all other alternatives. This could lead to a gradual hardening of beliefs that would

seriously impede scientific inquiry and the attainment of scientific knowledge.

To teach science as critical thinking is to foment a skeptical attitude in our students so that

they do not relinquish their mental capacity to engage the

world critically viaanalysis and evaluation. CONCEPTUAL MAP: ACQUISITION OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

BIBLOGRAPHY

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