To me, scientific literacy is the knowledge and the ability to use scientific concepts and processes. That includes (but is not necessarily limited to) the ability to ask questions that can be answered empirically, identify variables that can be isolated, make predictions about the effect of relationships between variables, design experiments to test these predictions, communicate the results of those experiments, and critique others work.
What are the roles of media and representations in scientific literacy?
Science is often working to understand or investigate aspects of our world that are complex and hard to observe with our own senses. Using media and different representations in classrooms, like computational or physical modeling, offers and avenue to explore the fundamentals of these aspects. Whether it is through games, as described in the reading for this week, or a simple diagram, using different media and representations gives students access to complex topics and ideas in ways that are relatable and engaging. When used appropriately, they can also make clear the connections between the concepts that students are learning intuitively and the specific language used throughout the scientific community. This is an important aspect of scientific literacy.
What role will modeling play in your classroom?As I have said before, it is hard to project how significant a role modeling will have in my classroom. I think a lot of that answer depends on the context of my school and classroom, wherever that will be. I can say, however, that modeling will be a part of my classroom to whatever extent I am able to build it in. Through the readings and discussion in this course, I have come to see how we can use this approach to not only teach students important information in more meaningful ways, but also to help them understand that science is not just a body of information. It is a set of practices, a way of thinking, that is constantly evolving as it uncovers new information. It is interactive and dynamic. That is not something that can be learned through definitions and memorization. It has to be put into practice. Asking students to develop, compare, and critique models as a way of predicting and testing is an engaging way to help them understand that difference.
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