Strands of Scientific Proficiency

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Instructional Strategies

The National Research Council has developed four strands of scientific proficiency that highlight the goals for students learning science. Although they are all intertwined, the science proficiencies all emphasize a different aspect of learning. In Physics 111, the four strands of scientific proficiency are taken into account for each and every lesson. At the end of the course, students are asked to reflect upon their learning experiences in terms of the scientific proficiencies. What they come up with demonstrates that the proficiencies are indeed interconnected, and they are all present in Physics 111.

1. Know, use, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world Strand 1 - Student Reflections

2. Generate and evaluate scientific evidence and explanations Strand 2 - Student Reflections

3. Understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge Strand 3 - Student Reflections

4. Participate productively in scientific practices and discourse Strand 4 - Student Reflections

“Every scientific proficiency set forth in the National Research Council's document advocating reform of science education was emphasized and practiced in Physics 111. By doing so, this class will have undoubtedly created proficient science teachers of the future.” -(Physics 111 student, Fall 2011)

“Every topic we have studied in this course has been modeled around the four scientific proficiencies and they have been integrated seamlessly together into our lessons and activities.” -(Physics 111 student, Fall 2011)

“Each one of the four standards was utilized in each lesson and I found that there are lots of ways to integrate them into any lesson about any topic.” -(Physics 111 student, Fall 2011)

“Overall, I believe this course modeled the four profieciences brilliantly. Every lesson was organized well and designed to improve our scientific knowledge on the world. I am looking forward to using what I learned in this course, in my own classroom one day.” (Physics 111 student, Fall 2011)