The Nature of Science as a Model for Teaching for Conceptualization

Many teachers of methods courses for future secondary science teachers probably share my observation that high marks in conventional college science courses do not always indicate a good grasp of how science has developed as a human enterprise. In spite of efforts of curriculum developers and vast expenditures of public funds to improve science teaching in our secondary schools, the typical science background of a beginning teacher consists of a body of content with traditional disciplinary boundaries created by departments that view science in terms of their own specialized subject matter. Little emphasis is given to a broad view of science as a human enterprise, and typical novice teachers go out to teach the subject matter they recognize as physics, chemistry, biology or earth science. The broader objectives of science are frequently overlooked