Focusing on the Science in Science Explanations

October 7, 2013

To make science education reform a reality, we would benefit from a clearer vision of what scientific explanation really is, and does. Sometimes a curriculum or a teacher will use the term "explanation" as a synonym for a student's clarification of reasoning or argument. UW-Madison education professor Melissa Braaten points out that the reference to the scientific "how" or "why" is sometimes lost as the conversation shifts emphasis away from the science, and toward supporting students' argument construction. Braaten says teachers need support for learning how to engage in ambitious science teaching practices. But as a field, science education researchers are just beginning to understand those supports for teacher learning. More information is available here.