A high-school science teacher, Mr. Reidy, wants to increase his students' skills at coordinating theory with evidence. He wonders if he should provide them with traditional scientific tasks, or allow them to engage in informal reasoning. What should you tell him?
A) Scientific reasoning is influenced by years of schooling that can involve either of the two methods.
B) Neither of the methods has been proven effective for increasing scientific reasoning.
C) Traditional scientific tasks are the only problems that improve scientific reasoning.
D) Informal reasoning tasks are the only problems that improve scientific reasoning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Both traditional scientific tasks and informal reasoning can be effective in increasing scientific reasoning skills, and the choice between the two methods may depend on various factors, such as the level and background of the students, the specific scientific concepts or skills being taught, and the teaching goals and strategies of the teacher. However, research suggests that scientific reasoning skills can be influenced by years of formal schooling and instruction, as well as individual factors such as cognitive abilities and motivation. Therefore, providing a mix of traditional and informal tasks, appropriately scaffolded and contextualized, can promote students' development of scientific reasoning skills.

A High-School Science Teacher, Mr