85-122 Freshman Seminar: The Psychology of Scientific Thinking
9 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Science education in the United States is coming under increasing scrutiny due, in part, to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requirement that all states assess science achievement in elementary, middle, and high school. This means that we have to determine the most effective instructional methods for increasing science achievement. This will have to be based, in part, on a deep understanding of both the nature of scientific thinking, and the processes involved in cognitive development that affect the learning of science. The goals of this course are that you learn about three interrelated topics: Cognitive development: the study of children's thought processes What it means to "do science". How the answers to these two questions can help to improve science instruction. The course will be run as a seminar, with active student participation. At the outset, we will use a standard undergraduate textbook. Then the readings will shift to selected readings on the topic of scientific thinking. Finally, we will examine some of the literature on science education a very "hot' topic these days, but we will focus on the light rather than the heat. The first several class meetings will be lectures (although informal, since the class size will be small). During the semester we will move increasingly to a discussion format, and by the end of the course, you and your fellow students will lead some of the discussions. The goal in this pedagogical shift is to give you some exposure to the kinds of things that you can expect as you move into increasingly advanced courses during your years at CMU. But fear not! The course is designed on the assumption that you come to it knowing just a little about science, and even less about cognitive development.
Prerequisites: none listed
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