Teaching the Scientific Method in the Active Learning Classroom

Bibliographic Data

ID12376965
AuthorsLeanne C Powner (University of Michigan, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume39
Issue03
Pages521-524
Publication date2006-07-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePS Political Science & Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1049-0965 • E-ISSN: 1537-5935
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1049096506060756
OpenAlexW2150559848
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited1

Undergraduate classroom presentations of the scientific method in the social sciences usually involve a lecture on the nature of the scientific enterprise: the discovery of the “truth” (if such a thing even exists) about the relationship between some set of concepts, events, or phenomena by means of generating falsifiable hypotheses and testing them against data. The tendency of faculty, however understandable, to convert the presentation into an abstract discussion of the philosophy of science often obscures the basic issues for students. I present here a simple, active learning classroom exercise which sensitizes students to the difficulties of hypothesizing about and testing unobservable phenomena by appealing to students' intuitive understanding of the nature of knowledge and reality. I first describe the purposes and objectives of the activity in more detail, then discuss implementing this specific activity. Suggestions for activity adaptation and development by other instructors follow, and a brief discussion of sources and resources concludes

Active learning (machine learning · Adaptation (eye · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Falsifiability · Mathematics education · Presentation (obstetrics · Set (abstract data type · Simple (philosophy · Unobservable · Computer Science · Engineering · Innovative Teaching Methods · Psychology · Statistics Education and Methodologies · Artificial Intelligence

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