The Working Scientifically term is the most useful term in our entire junior science course in helping students succeed in their senior science subjects in Year 11 and 12.
All science subjects have their syllabus split into two areas:
Knowledge and understanding – refers to the conventional content that is split up into modules (four modules in Preliminary course and four in HSC course)
Working scientifically – refers to faculties that are also part of science that is not just knowledge. For example, experimental skills.
The NESA syllabus describes ‘working scientifically’ as core to conducting experiments in science. We believe this definition may accidently promote the wrong perspective from students, who see it as secondary to what science is about. We would expand this definition from ‘skills used in experiments’ to ‘thinking used in all applications of science,’ that is, more like ‘thinking scientifically’
To understand the philosophy of science is not just to memorise terminology such as hypothesis or validity. It is to understand the ways that investigations combined with reasoning, produces knowledge, which allows one to be a faster learner.
To learn about how science is presented is not to just memorise the subheadings in a report such as method and discussion. It is to understand how to present a substantive point of view, backed up with evidence, such as graphs and tables. A student who can do this does not struggle with written exam responses, or solving long questions filled with diagrams.
All science classrooms must juggle this delicate balance teaching knowledge and understanding AND working scientifically. The former appears larger and more concrete and steals all the attention. The latter is smaller only because it is universal, there is not a lot of content because it doesn’t change in Stage 5 vs Stage 6, or between Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Many students will not have the chance to properly study working scientifically and will have a universal weakness in every topic compared to a student who has.
Three-part structure of working scientifically term:
1. Scientific Thinking in Investigations (Week 1-3)
2. Scientific Thinking in Biology, Chemistry and Physics (Week 4-6)
3. Exam-specific skills (Week 7-9)