I think the rational side of science should be something we aim to get
across in teaching sciences at all levels - to complement our teaching of
the creative and human aspects of sciences.

As with teaching concepts themselves, teaching the processes of science
will benefit from a constructivist approach that takes into account
learners curent levels, and consists of teaching using manageable steps and
sufficient scaffolding to help studnets take ideas on board.

Of course, neo-Piagetians would warn of the limited structrues for
understanding logic available to younger learners - and from first hand
experience I would suggest many 16-19 year olds may surprise in how limited
their use of rigorous logic is!

Keith

--On 13 March 2003 11:17 +0000 pvalev <pvalev@...> wrote:

> Perhaps the most dangerous situation in a deductive science is one in
> which conclusions are derived from a set of inconsistent premises
> (all the premises in the set cannot be true simultaneously). One can
> VALIDLY derive ANY conclusion from an incosistency. Logicians often
> give examples of the sort:
>
> Logic is difficult.
> Logic is easy.
> Therefore crocodiles can fly.
>
> The argument is valid so far as no circumstances can be imagined in
> which both premises are true and the conclusion false.
> If deriving from an inconsistency is taught (not explicitly of
> course) the effect is remarkable - the affected people not only stop
> applying logic - they don't even see why logic SHOULD be applied. For
> instance, there are perhaps 20-30 versions of the second law of
> thermodynamics, some traditional others exotic. Try to suggest to a
> thermodynamicist that perhaps the EQUIVALENCY of the versions should
> somehow be PROVED - I bet the reaction would be hostile.
> Let me be more concrete. Consider the versions:
>
> No process is possible in which the sole result is the absorption of
> heat from a reservoir and its complete conversion into work.
>
> A system cannot absorb heat from a reservoir, completely convert it
> into work and return to its initial state.
>
> The former version is a corollary of the latter but not vice versa.
> The difference is extremely important but thermodynamicists have no
> receptor for that.
>
> In the above case there is still some hope that sooner or later
> the logical subordination will be established. Things look much more
> desperate when other versions are considered, e.g.
>
> Every process occuring in nature proceeds in the sense in which the
> sum of the entropies of all bodies taking part in the process is
> increased. (Planck)
>
> In every open neighborhood of every state s there are states that
> cannot be reached adiabatically from s. (Caratheodory)
>
> How many second laws are there? Why is their equivalency never
> checked? Why should the confusion be taught? Does anybody care?
>
> Pentcho Valev
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>
> About this list:
>
> Purpose: an international forum for discussing aspects of learning in
> science, and for circulating news about publications, projects, etc.,
> related to this theme.
>
> Membership: open to teachers at any level, researchers into learning in
> science and related fields, and any others interested in the topic.
>
> This list gives you the choice of receiving e-mails individually, or as a
> single daily digest of all messages circulated that day.
>
> homepage:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/
> bookmarks to other sites:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links
> bibliography on learning in science
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/files/
>
> This list is a moderated discussion group (ie postings are vetted for
> relevance to the group theme).
>
> Moderator: Dr. Keith Taber, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
> http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
>
>
> to join an un-moderated general science education discussion list, please
> visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.




Dr. Keith S. Taber
University of Cambridge Faculty of Education
Homerton Site
Hills Road
Cambridge CB2 2PH

kst24@...

http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html


Physics Tutor
Secondary PGCE Partnership Course

Secondary Science Tutor
KS2/3 PGCE Partnership Course

Associate Editor
Chemical Education: Research & Practice in Europe

Chair
Chemical Education Research Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry


to join an electronic discussion list on learning in science please visit
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts


to access links to information about learning in science please visit
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links


to access links to web-sites for resources of interest to science teachers
please visit
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/links