Critical Appraisal Of Physical Science As A Human Enterprise

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1402096267
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.66/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Critical Appraisal of Physical Science as a Human Enterprise written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-02-07 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is generally believed that doing science means accumulating empirical data with no or little reference to the interpretation of the data based on the scientist’s th- retical framework or presuppositions. Holton (1969a) has deplored the widely accepted myth (experimenticism) according to which progress in science is presented as the inexorable result of the pursuit of logically sound conclusions from un- biguous experimental data. Surprisingly, some of the leading scientists themselves (Millikan is a good example) have contributed to perpetuate the myth with respect to modern science being essentially empirical, that is carefully tested experim- tal facts (free of a priori conceptions), leading to inductive generalizations. Based on the existing knowledge in a field of research a scientist formulates the guiding assumptions (Laudan et al. , 1988), presuppositions (Holton, 1978, 1998) and “hard core” (Lakatos, 1970) of the research program that constitutes the imperative of presuppositions, which is not abandoned in the face of anomalous data. Laudan and his group consider the following paraphrase of Kant by Lakatos as an important guideline: philosophy of science without history of science is empty. Starting in the 1960s, this “historical school” has attempted to redraw and replace the positivist or logical empiricist image of science that dominated for the first half of the twentieth century. Among other aspects, one that looms large in these studies is that of “guiding assumptions” and has considerable implications for the main thesis of this monograph (Chapter 2).

Author : Myint Swe Khine
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9400741685
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Critical Analysis of Science Textbooks written by Myint Swe Khine and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-26 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The critical analysis of science textbooks is vital in improving teaching and learning at all levels in the subject, and this volume sets out a range of academic perspectives on how that analysis should be done. Each chapter focuses on an aspect of science textbook appraisal, with coverage of everything from theoretical and philosophical underpinnings, methodological issues, and conceptual frameworks for critical analysis, to practical techniques for evaluation. Contributions from many of the most distinguished scholars in the field give this collection its sure-footed contemporary relevance, reflecting the international standards of UNESCO as well as leading research organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (whose Project 2061 is an influential waypoint in developing protocols for textbook analysis). Thus the book shows how to gauge aspects of textbooks such as their treatment of controversial issues, graphical depictions, scientific historiography, vocabulary usage, accuracy, and readability. The content also covers broader social themes such as the portrayal of women and minorities. "Despite newer, more active pedagogies, textbooks continue to have a strong presence in classrooms and to embody students’ socio-historical inheritance in science. Despite their ubiquitous presence, they have received relatively little on-going empirical study. It is imperative that we understand how textbooks influence science learning. This book presents a welcome and much needed analysis." Tina A. Grotzer Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA The present book provides a much needed survey of the current state of research into science textbooks, and offers a wide range of perspectives to inform the 'science' of writing better science textbooks. Keith S Taber University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136508651
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.53/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book From 'Science in the Making' to Understanding the Nature of Science written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-02-06 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Nature of Science is highly topical among science teacher educators and researchers. Increasingly, it is a mandated topic in state curriculum documents. This book draws together recent research on Nature of Science studies within a historical and philosophical framework suitable for students and teacher educators. Traditional science curricula and textbooks present science as a finished product. Taking a different approach, this book provides a glimpse of “science in the making” — scientific practice imbued with arguments, controversies, and competition among rival theories and explanations. Teaching about “science in the making” is a rich source of motivating students to engage creatively with the science curriculum. Readers are introduced to “science in the making” through discussion and analysis of a wide range of historical episodes from the early 19th century to early 21st century. Recent cutting-edge research is presented to provide insight into the dynamics of scientific progress. More than 90 studies from major science education journals, related to nature of science are reviewed. A theoretical framework, field tested with in-service science teachers, is developed for moving from ‘science in the making’ to understanding the Nature of Science.

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319677268
Total Pages : 237 pages
Book Rating : 4.62/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Evolving Nature of Objectivity in the History of Science and its Implications for Science Education written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-10-26 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the evolving nature of objectivity in the history of science and its implications for science education. It is generally considered that objectivity, certainty, truth, universality, the scientific method and the accumulation of experimental data characterize both science and science education. Such universal values associated with science may be challenged while studying controversies in their original historical context. The scientific enterprise is not characterized by objectivity or the scientific method, but rather controversies, alternative interpretations of data, ambiguity, and uncertainty. Although objectivity is not synonymous with truth or certainty, it has eclipsed other epistemic virtues and to be objective is often used as a synonym for scientific. Recent scholarship in history and philosophy of science has shown that it is not the experimental data (Baconian orgy of quantification) but rather the diversity / plurality in a scientific discipline that contributes toward understanding objectivity. History of science shows that objectivity and subjectivity can be considered as the two poles of a continuum and this dualism leads to a conflict in understanding the evolving nature of objectivity. The history of objectivity is nothing less than the history of science itself and the evolving and varying forms of objectivity does not mean that one replaced the other in a sequence but rather each form supplements the others. This book is remarkable for its insistence that the philosophy of science, and in particular that discipline’s analysis of objectivity as the supposed hallmark of the scientific method, is of direct value to teachers of science. Meticulously, yet in a most readable way, Mansoor Niaz looks at the way objectivity has been dealt with over the years in influential educational journals and in textbooks; it’s fascinating how certain perspectives fade, while basic questions show no sign of going away. There are few books that take both philosophy and education seriously – this one does! Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University, chemist, writer and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136941959
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.55/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Innovating Science Teacher Education written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-09-13 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How teachers view the nature of scientific knowledge is crucial to their understanding of science content and how it can be taught. This book presents an overview of the dynamics of scientific progress and its relationship to the history and philosophy of science, and then explores their methodological and educational implications and develops innovative strategies based on actual classroom practice for teaching topics such the nature of science, conceptual change, constructivism, qualitative-quantitative research, and the role of controversies, presuppositions, speculations, hypotheses, and predictions. Field-tested in science education courses, this book is designed to involve readers in critically thinking about the history and philosophy of science and to engage science educators in learning how to progressively introduce various aspects of ‘science-in-the-making’ in their classrooms, to promote discussions highlighting controversial historical episodes included in the science curriculum, and to expose their students to the controversies and encourage them to support, defend or critique the different interpretations. Innovating Science Teacher Education offers guidelines to go beyond traditional textbooks, curricula, and teaching methods and innovate with respect to science teacher education and classroom teaching.

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9400743963
Total Pages : 51 pages
Book Rating : 4.60/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Reconstruction of Wave-Particle Duality and its Implications for General Chemistry Textbooks written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-04-26 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It goes without saying that atomic structure, including its dual wave-particle nature, cannot be demonstrated in the classroom. Thus, for most science teachers, especially those in physics and chemistry, the textbook is their key resource and their students’ core source of information. Science education historiography recognizes the role played by the history and philosophy of science in developing the content of our textbooks, and with this in mind, the authors analyze more than 120 general chemistry textbooks published in the USA, based on criteria derived from a historical reconstruction of wave-particle duality. They come to some revealing conclusions, including the fact that very few textbooks discussed issues such as the suggestion, by both Einstein and de Broglie, and before conclusive experimental evidence was available, that wave-particle duality existed. Other large-scale omissions included de Broglie’s prescription for observing this duality, and the importance of the Davisson-Germer experiments, as well as the struggle to interpret the experimental data they were collecting. Also untouched was the background to the role played by Schrödinger in developing de Broglie’s ideas. The authors argue that rectifying these deficiencies will arouse students’ curiosity by giving them the opportunity to engage creatively with the content of science curricula. They also assert that it isn’t just the experimental data in science that matters, but the theoretical insights and unwonted inspirations, too. In addition, the controversies and discrepancies in the theoretical and experimental record are key drivers in understanding the development of science as we know it today.

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319320408
Total Pages : 58 pages
Book Rating : 4.03/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Students’ Understanding of Research Methodology in the Context of Dynamics of Scientific Progress written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-20 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses how to improve high school students’ understanding of research methodology based on alternative interpretations of data, role of controversies, creativity and the scientific method, in the context of the oil drop experiment. These aspects form an important part of the nature of science (NOS). The study reported in this volume is is based on a reflective, explicit and activity-based approach to teaching nature of science (NOS) that can facilitate high school students’ understanding of how scientists elaborate theoretical frameworks, design experiments, report data that leads to controversies and finally with the collaboration of the scientific community a consensus is reached. Most students changed their perspective and drew concept maps in which they emphasized the creative, accumulative, controversial nature of science and the scientific method.

Author : Mansoor Niaz
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3319010867
Total Pages : 58 pages
Book Rating : 4.61/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Facilitating Conceptual Change in Students’ Understanding of the Periodic Table written by Mansoor Niaz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-07-16 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about how students are taught the periodic table. It reviews aspects of the periodic table’s development, using the history and philosophy of science. The teaching method presented in this book is ideal for teaching the subject in high school and at introductory university level. Chemistry students taught in this new, experimental way are compared with those taught in the traditional way and the author describes how tests found more conceptual responses from the experimental group than the control group. The historical aspects of importance to this teaching method are: the role of the Karlsruhe Congress of 1860; the accommodation of the chemical elements in the periodic table; prediction of elements that were discovered later; corrections of atomic weights; periodicity in the periodic table as a function of the atomic theory; and the accommodation of argon. The experimental group of students participated in various activities, including: discussion of various aspects related to the history and philosophy of science; construction of concept maps and their evaluation by the students; PowerPoint presentations; and interviews with volunteer students.

Author : Michael R. Matthews
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9400776543
Total Pages : 2487 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching written by Michael R. Matthews and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-03 with total page 2487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This inaugural handbook documents the distinctive research field that utilizes history and philosophy in investigation of theoretical, curricular and pedagogical issues in the teaching of science and mathematics. It is contributed to by 130 researchers from 30 countries; it provides a logically structured, fully referenced guide to the ways in which science and mathematics education is, informed by the history and philosophy of these disciplines, as well as by the philosophy of education more generally. The first handbook to cover the field, it lays down a much-needed marker of progress to date and provides a platform for informed and coherent future analysis and research of the subject. The publication comes at a time of heightened worldwide concern over the standard of science and mathematics education, attended by fierce debate over how best to reform curricula and enliven student engagement in the subjects. There is a growing recognition among educators and policy makers that the learning of science must dovetail with learning about science; this handbook is uniquely positioned as a locus for the discussion. The handbook features sections on pedagogical, theoretical, national, and biographical research, setting the literature of each tradition in its historical context. It reminds readers at a crucial juncture that there has been a long and rich tradition of historical and philosophical engagements with science and mathematics teaching, and that lessons can be learnt from these engagements for the resolution of current theoretical, curricular and pedagogical questions that face teachers and administrators. Science educators will be grateful for this unique, encyclopaedic handbook, Gerald Holton, Physics Department, Harvard University This handbook gathers the fruits of over thirty years’ research by a growing international and cosmopolitan community Fabio Bevilacqua, Physics Department, University of Pavia

Author : Dana Jalobeanu
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3319310690
Total Pages : 2267 pages
Book Rating : 4.95/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences written by Dana Jalobeanu and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-08-27 with total page 2267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Encyclopedia offers a fresh, integrated and creative perspective on the formation and foundations of philosophy and science in European modernity. Combining careful contextual reconstruction with arguments from traditional philosophy, the book examines methodological dimensions, breaks down traditional oppositions such as rationalism vs. empiricism, calls attention to gender issues, to ‘insiders and outsiders’, minor figures in philosophy, and underground movements, among many other topics. In addition, and in line with important recent transformations in the fields of history of science and early modern philosophy, the volume recognizes the specificity and significance of early modern science and discusses important developments including issues of historiography (such as historical epistemology), the interplay between the material culture and modes of knowledge, expert knowledge and craft knowledge. This book stands at the crossroads of different disciplines and combines their approaches – particularly the history of science, the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of science, and intellectual and cultural history. It brings together over 100 philosophers, historians of science, historians of mathematics, and medicine offering a comprehensive view of early modern philosophy and the sciences. It combines and discusses recent results from two very active fields: early modern philosophy and the history of (early modern) science. Editorial Board EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Dana Jalobeanu University of Bucharest, Romania Charles T. Wolfe Ghent University, Belgium ASSOCIATE EDITORS Delphine Bellis University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Zvi Biener University of Cincinnati, OH, USA Angus Gowland University College London, UK Ruth Hagengruber University of Paderborn, Germany Hiro Hirai Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Martin Lenz University of Groningen, The Netherlands Gideon Manning CalTech, Pasadena, CA, USA Silvia Manzo University of La Plata, Argentina Enrico Pasini University of Turin, Italy Cesare Pastorino TU Berlin, Germany Lucian Petrescu Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium Justin E. H. Smith University de Paris Diderot, France Marius Stan Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA Koen Vermeir CNRS-SPHERE + Université de Paris, France Kirsten Walsh University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada