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"Science Controversies,
On-Line Partnerships in Education" (SCOPE), supported by a grant
from the National Science Foundation (NSF), investigates use of computer
and Internet resources to aid research and learning around unresolved
scientific questions. The principal investigators are Marcia Linn, (PI,
University of California-Berkeley), Phil Bell (co-PI, University of Washington),
and Pamela Hines (co-PI, Science, AAAS). Scope funding began in October
1998. We believe that the exploration of a scientific controversy can
help students to develop an understanding of "science in the making"
and the existing intersection between science, technology, and society.
The dynamic and recorded nature of the SCOPE Web site allows students
to see how researchers' ideas, questions, and conclusions evolve over
time. When necessary, additional material developed by SCOPE team members
bridges the knowledge gap between research scientists and middle-school
students. The SCOPE Web site helps students to understand the following:
- The dynamics of
a scientific controversy
- The nature of the
scientific process
- The role of scientific
knowledge in shaping policy decisions
A
collaborative partnership
The
SCOPE development team is very multidisciplinary. The team includes experts
in K-12 education policy and research, experts in science writing and
publishing, scientists with relevant domain expertise, and experts in
Web site development.
The targeted membership
or readership for SCOPE materials is multidisciplinary as well. Targeted
audiences include middle-school students and their teachers, scientists
involved with the subject, members of the general public interested in
the topic, and policy-makers.
Project
structure
SCOPE
has focused on selected scientific controversies, such as amphibian growth
and development, malaria dynamics and control, and the safety of genetically
modified food (GMF). This presentation focuses on the malaria and GMF
projects only. For each topic, we explored different ways to present information
and promote interactions between participants. School teachers direct
classroom projects that use the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment
(WISE) combined with material posted at the SCOPE Web site. WISE is an
on-line science learning environment for students in grades 4 to 12 that
provides the necessary tools and environment for a scientific debate.
Students can interact by expressing their opinions and ideas. They can
also use the SCOPE Web site to examine scientific evidence related to
a topic. The arguments developed to support their positions are presented
during a classroom debate.
For teachers, SCOPE
gives support by designing and providing controversy curriculum sequences
for use in their classrooms. For science and policy-maker audiences, SCOPE
supports multidisciplinary exploration, interaction, and collaboration,
along with an opportunity for scientists to learn about the public's understanding
of science.
Background
research
The
SCOPE/WISE project incorporates 15 years of classroom experience. Research
involved projects directed by Marcia Linn at University of California-Berkeley,
who has been studying the use of computers as learning tools in middle-school
education. For details, see Linn's projects "Knowledge Integration
Environment" (KIE) and "Web-based Inquiry Science Environment"
(WISE) (links available from www.kie.berkeley.edu/people/projects.html).
KIE engages students in exploration of scientific evidence through the
Web, and WISE uses a Web-based learning environment and curriculum library
to capitalize on the synergies between Internet connectivity and integrated
science instruction. Other experience, if not research, relied on the
experience of SCIENCE magazine's editors working with research scientists
as authors and readers, developing content suited to particular audiences,
and exercising skills in science writing and editing.
Project
Content
"Argument
maps" support inquiry and make thinking visible. Students use "sense-maker"
argument maps to visually represent their arguments. Argument maps can
help reveal students' conceptual thinking, assumptions, and ethical priorities.
Students use "sense-maker" argument maps to visually represent
their arguments. Argument maps can help reveal students' conceptual thinking,
assumptions, and ethically priorities. Students coordinate evidence with
policy positions using written explanations.
The SCOPE Web site
has sections highlighting aspects of interest for various visitors, including:
- Middle school students
- K-12 teachers
- Research scientists
- The general public
- SCOPE team project
developers
The SCOPE Web site
has different topics:
- Amphibian population
growth and development
- Malaria dynamics
and control
- Genetically modified
food
For each of these
topics, we have experimented with different sorts of resources. Not all
of these resources were developed for all of the topical sections. The
variety of resources we have developed include:
- Scientist-written
commentaries on recent research
- Curriculum projects
designed by SCOPE for use in middle and high school classrooms
- E-mail lists: Discussions,
questions, opinions, and other comments about the issues of malaria
- Curriculum projects
designed by SCOPE for use in middle and high school classrooms
- Membership open
to anyone interested in participating
- Reports on scientific
conferences
- A virtual panel
discussion that highlights scientists' divergent opinions
- Scientists as columnists,
tracking interesting new literature
- Reviews of selected
Web sites
- A database of reference
items
- Database of SCOPE
membership
About the controversy:
Malaria infects 300-500 million people each year and kills several million
of them. What approaches can be used to combat this disease?
About the controversy:
The appearance of genetically modified foods (GMF) in the marketplace
has resulted in a firestorm of public debate and scientific discussion.
A variety of ecological and human health concerns come with the new advances
made possible by genetic modification.
Analysis
of results of the SCOPE project
SCOPE's
evaluative research, which is still in progress, involves following the
responses of participating students, teachers, and research scientists.
Students' knowledge of the scientific issues under discussion in a particular
project, and their insight into the process of how science happens, are
evaluated at several points through their participation. Pre- and post-tests
highlight how their knowledge changes. Classroom observations by SCOPE
team members and also by teachers evaluate how well the student is able
to integrate the knowledge, and the extent to which different sorts of
students become actively engaged in this sort of science class (as compared
to the more traditional science class). Participation in structured e-mail
or classroom debates challenges the student to pose and substantiate an
opinion. The effectiveness of these debates, and the extent to which the
students' statements reflect current scientific understanding, are assessed
by the teachers. The teachers' involvement is observed by SCOPE team members,
both in the classroom setting and in teacher workshops. Refinements to
the various curriculum units are made by the SCOPE team on the basis of
feedback and experiences from how the projects take shape in the classroom
setting. Scientists' participation in the forums is assessed by measuring
Web site interaction statistics, by telephone interviews with selected
scientists, and by observing the sort of interaction that occurs through
the e-mail list server.
Usefulness
of SCOPE for other projects
The
SCOPE resources have been spontaneously adopted by various other groups
not actively involved in SCOPE's classroom activities. For example, a
scientific journal reprinted a selection of the scientist-written commentaries;
a private book-club used the site as a basis for their discussion; and
a professor used the site to direct his undergraduate students through
the debate on GMF.
Assessing
student learning -- 7th grade students
Problem
3: What advice or warnings would you give a friend who is planning to
travel in a country where malaria is wide spread?
Pre-test response:
"I would warn him not to share any food with people, and not to get
too close to others in a crowded place. They might cough on you."
Post-test response:
"Take malaria medication before you go. Wear long sleeves and lots
of bug repellant, and don't go outside when it is dusk and lots of mosquitos
are around."
Problem 4: A country
is planning a law that would fine people for letting buckets or puddles
of water stand around their property. Would this law slow the spread of
malaria?
Pre-test response:
"No because why would a bucket of water have anything to do with
malaria? It's not like the water is poisonous."
Post-test response:
"Definitely, this would be good law, since mosquitos lay their eggs
in still water. Why would anyone want to have mosquitos that carry malaria
breeding right in their backyards?"
Web
site visits for SCOPE-Malaria (blue) and SCOPE-GMF (red)
--
Number of hits vs. time in months
GMF
Forum
Some questions, opinions, and comments
Anne
asks: Why would they need genetically modified foods? Can't people just
settle down for a change? What are the political and cultural issues that
have arisen due to genetically modified foods?
Sara asks: "Why
is it better to have genetically modified food than the way it is already?"
"Many criticisms
of genetic engineering (GE) come from a fundamentalist breed of environmentalism
that is more of a religion. GE is treated as some sort of heretical act.
Replace the words Nature, planet, and natural with God, soul, and moral.
You will see an age-old formula emerge."
Judy asks: "What
are the governmental regulation of GM crops and what are the possible
ecological risks?"
"I appreciate
your thoughts. Before I respond to some of your criticisms, let me note
a development that takes the air out of some of my argument. In the piece,
I expressed concern that unscientific criticisms of GM food are typically
given more weight than they may deserve."
"The general
public should be provided with more balanced information regarding the
advantages and disadvantages of growing genetically modified crops. What
is missing in the public debate is a differentiated discussion on which
kinds of genetically [modified] crops that could be acceptable for the
general public."
"Dear GMF news
group: As a scientistI am very interestd to be on your mailing list getting
new info on GM. Our institute has just started working with evaluation
of GM maize and soy-bean -- effects when used as feed ingredients to fish,
with special focus on A.salmon [sic]."
"The more I think
about this, the stranger it seems that GM technology is seen by the media
and the public as a single monolithic "good" or "bad"
thing. I'm not suggesting that technology is totally value-free, but it
seems to like how technologies are USED and APPLIED makes a bigger difference
for what they ultimately mean in a lot of cases."
Lessons
learned
SCOPE is
a work in progress. Since the project was launched, we have gained considerable
skill in operating as a partnership that crosses great geographical and
domain-expertise distances. Our recommendation on this point is that frequent,
free-flowing, and regular communication between partners is critical.
E-mail, list serves, teleconference calls, and face-to-face meetings all
promote success of the project. Observations about how the SCOPE site
works include the acknowledgment that there is no magic elixir for promoting
spontaneous discussion among members and readers who are not otherwise
part of a shared community. Readers like to know who they are talking
to when they post a comment. It seems to take a year or more before this
sense of community begins to take shape among the readers on a particular
topic. Soliciting content from scientists becomes easier over time with
a given topic, as the scientists begin to see others posting materials
on that topic. A guided partnership between teachers and the SCOPE team
is the most effective way to involve teachers in the curriculum development.
Continued active editorial support for each topic requires additional
spin-off teams.
Budget
$1,840,000 over
3 years
Authors
Marcia Lachtermacher-Triunfol and Pamela J. Hines
SCOPE
Team members
Science Magazine, AAAS: Pamela J. Hines, Marcia L. Triunfol, Jesse Smith,
Valda Vinson, Cay Butler, Pat Fisher
University of California,
Berkeley: Marcia C. Linn, James Slotta, Sherry Seethaler, Brian Levey,
Doug Clark, Doug Kirkpatrick
University of Washington:
Philip Bell, Duncan Parks, Kalyn Shea Owens, Allen Oslen, Bruce Havelock,
Denice Fisher-Fortier, Glen Stevenson, Nicole Shimizu
Contact
Pamela J. Hines, Ph.D.
Senior Editor
Science/AAAS
1200 New York Ave. NW
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 326-6509
Fax: (202) 289-3649
phines@aaas.org
Web
Site
http://scope.educ.washington.edu/forum
:
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Created: 6/4/2002
Last updated: 8/17/2002
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov
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