Introduction to STS

• SCIENCE

  • a systematized body of knowledge
  • knowledge gained through observation and experimentation
  • a human activity
  • a social enterprise
  • leads to formation of new concepts, methods and principles, theories, and laws
• TECHNOLOGY

  • results of scientific inquiry
  • an application of knowledge
  • a social enterprise
  • material products; hardware produced
• Sustainable Technologies

  • Solar energy
  • Geothermal energy
  • Wind power
  • Hydropower
• Disadvantages of Some Technologies

  • Threats to survival
  • Ethical Dilemmas
  • Disparities in human well-being
  • Social and cultural conflicts
• The nature of science

  • Science is a way of explaining and describing the natural world.

  • Scientific investigations use a variety of tools.

  • Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence.

  • Scientific knowledge is open to revision
• The three domains of science

  • Science as a body of knowledge

  -Definitions

  -Facts

  -Concepts

  -Theories

  -Laws
• The three domains of science

  • Science as a process

  (Examples of Science Process Skills)

  Observing

  Comparing

  Classifying

  Measuring

  Estimating

  Experimenting

  Hypothesizing

  Predicting

  Analyzing

  Concluding

  Communicating
• The three domains of science

  • Science as a way of knowing about nature

  Science is based on evidence.

  Scientific knowledge can last overtime.

  Background knowledge influences how people view data / information.
• The key NOS Tenets

  • Tentativeness

  All scientific knowledge is subject to change in light of new evidence and new ways of thinking.

  (That does not mean that we shouldn’t have confidence in

  scientific knowledge, rather that it may change in the future.)
• The key NOS Tenets

  Observation and inference

  Observation involves gathering information using the five senses

  while inferences are explanations based on observation and

  prior knowledge.
• The science Basic process skills

  1. OBSERVING

  This is the most basic skill in science, made by using the five senses.

  (Instruments such as microscopes, camera, sensors and recorders to

  extend the range of our senses and to improve the accuracy of our

  observations)
• The science Basic process skills

  2. COMPARING

  This is the skill of identifying the similarities and differences between

  two or more objects, concepts or processes

  Physical properties (e.g. hardness, strength, ability to float or sink, etc.) Phenomena (e.g. cycles of plants, cycles of animals, etc.)
• The science Basic process skills

  3. CLASSIFYING

  the skill of grouping objects or events based on their common

  characteristics; also includes ordering of events and object

  (using classification charts, tables, flow charts and diagrams)

  (binary or multi-stage)
• The science Basic process skills

  4. MEASURING

  • Quantifying the observations the skill of knowing the functions

  and limitations of various apparatus and ability to select

  and handle them appropriately for various tasks
• The science Basic process skills

  5. INFERRING

  -the skill of interpreting or explaining observations or pieces of data or

  information.

  This is done when we draw a conclusion from an experiment

  -Given the relevant data or diagrams, we can make inferences

  about it
• The science Basic process skills

  6. FORMULATING HYPOTHESIS

  -the skill of making a general explanation for a related set of observations or events

  -a hypothesis needs to be tested in order to be proved or disproved
• The science Basic process skills

  7. ANALYZING

  -the skill of identifying the parts of objects, information or processes

  and the patterns and relationships between these parts

  -breaking down of information into parts
• The science Basic process skills

  8. PREDICTING

  -the skill of assessing the likelihood of an outcome based on prior knowledge of how things usually turn out
• The science Basic process skills

  9. EVALUATING

  • the skill of assessing the reasonableness, accuracy and

  quality of information, processes or ideas

  • the skill of assessing the quality and

  feasibility of objects
• The science Basic process skills

  10. COMMUNICATING

  • the skill of transmitting and receiving information presented in

  various forms – verbal, pictorial, tabular or graphical

  • the skill of sharing ideas and explaining information
• Steps of the Scientific Method

  • Define or state the problem.

  Develop a question or a problem based from the

  observed event or natural phenomenon.

  • Formulate hypotheses.

  Design a temporary working explanation or a

  tentative solutions to the problem.

  • Collect data

  Data could be qualitative or quantitative.
• Steps of the Scientific Method

  • Test the hypotheses

  Perform experimentations and make further observations

  to test the reliability and validity of a hypothesis.

  Experiment – a set of observations carried out under controlled conditions

  – a scientific test in which a person performs a

  series of actions and carefully observe their

  effects

  • Formulate a generalization or a conclusion

  Conclusion is a statement whether the hypothesis

  under test is accepted or rejected.
• Hypothesis – temporary working explanation or tentative solution to a

  problem

  If experimental evidences continue to support the hypothesis, it becomes a theory.

  As more evidences comes in that is consistent with the a given theory, the explanation may become irrefutable and is called a law.