Chapter 2 Discussion Questions

Our text book spoke a lot about your "scientific self" in this chapter. I think the term “scientific self” means how a person sees themself as a scientist. This would pertain to a person’s opinion of science, whether they like it or not, and how they perform tasks scientifically. A person’s past experiences and history with science plays a big role in their “scientific self”.

I definitely think my previous science teachers’ attitudes about science have had an influence on my opinion of science in the past. I had a horrible science teacher in the sixth grade, and because of this teacher I did really bad in science that year. It also effected my views of science for the following years as well. This teacher was rude, boring, and she didn’t get excited about science. She never felt the need to motivate our class, so it was a very boring class for us. Thankfully I had great science teachers in high school, so my views on science have gotten a little bit better.

My drawing of a scientist shows that I think scientists are very knowledgeable people who do a lot of experiments. I know that scientists wear lab coats and do a lot of experiments with liquid in test tubes and beakers, so that was why I chose to draw them in the picture.

When it comes to women scientists, the only two that I can think of are Marie Curie, who was a chemist and Jane Goodall, who worked with chimpanzees.

I have many opportunities to explore nature every day. The easiest way to explore nature is simply when I walk around campus every day. I’m able to observe the trees, animals, the snow on the ground, as well as the mountains across the river

My Sketch of a Typical Scientist

I used Google Drawing to draw my scientist!

This is my sketch of what I think a typical scientist would look like. I used google drawing because it was what seemed easiest to me, since I use a Mac computer and do not have the "paint" program. I usually see scientists wearing white lab coats and goggles, so I was sure to include those. I also added a test tube and a beaker into the drawing because those are common items that scientists use. Once I finished my drawing, I noticed one thing: I made my scientist a man. I think this is interesting because when most people think of a scientist, they probably think of a man, rather than a woman. I don't understand why women aren't more involved in the field of science. But then again, there are some very famous women scientists, such as Marie Curie. I hope you liked my drawing!

Chapter 1 Discussion Questions

Science is known as a process, a set of ideas, and a way of thinking. Science as a way of thinking includes a desire to find evidence to support statements, as well as an open-mindedness and willingness to change one's mind when confronted with new evidence. An example of someone exhibiting a scientific way of thinking would be having different groups of students working on an experiment. During the experiment each group would receive and analyze information, and at the end of the experiment each group would compare their conclusions with one another.

A time when I had a significant misconception about the way things worked was when I drove for the first time. I thought that I was supposed to drive with both feet, but my way of thinking was changed when I was taught in drivers ed that it’s dangerous to drive with both feet.

It’s important for students to not only recite what they have learned, but to also demonstrate what they have learned in a new context because we learn science by doing science. So if a student is having trouble with something they just learned, they might have a better chance of grasping a concept by actually demonstrating it. So rather than learning by just seeing something, its important to learn by doing something as well.

Technology always helps me a lot when I learn. One way in which technology has helped me learn is by using power points. I think I learn better from power points rather than just by copying down notes off the board because power points are colorful and more exciting than regular notes. So when taking notes from a power point, I am able to pay closer attention and learn more.