This unit may be used for MIDDLE, JUNIOR, or HIGH SCHOOL students,
preferably those in EARTH, PHYSICS or CHEMISTRY,
HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, or GEOGRAPHY classes. Activities 1, 2, 3 and 4, are suitable for all grades,
activity 5 is best for advance Junior High or Senior High.
SUBTOPIC:
Differentiating Dynamics
OBJECTIVES:
The students will:
- propose alternative strategies for the solution to a problem
- use a model or drawing to visualize the solution to a problem
- recognize alternative factors to be considered when examining possible solutions to a problem
- recognize that among scientists there are different interpretations of data
- relate cultural, religious, and political factors to scientific progress
Background Information
In social studies, as in science, it is essential that we recognize and distinguish between what we see and how we interpret what we see. There is a fundamental difference between describing an event and explaining its cause–in science, it’s delineating the dynamics from the kinematics. Yet, students constantly confuse the two.
In order to arrive at a single consistent explanation assumptions and points of view must be concise. This exercise will illustrate the importance of frame of reference to the students’ views.
First, a series of optical illusions will be discussed, then the causes of parallax will be used to illustrate a changing frame of reference. This will be applied to the problem of explaining the motions of celestial bodies like the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Historically, it made little difference, scientifically, whether sight lines were drawn from a geocentric or heliocentric point of view.
A further example in archeology may be illustrated by the varying interpretations given of artifacts, depending on the orientation and assumptions of the investigator. Students need to develop clear understandings of historical and scientific events from more than one perspective. One of the most important benefits of this approach is that students learn tolerance of attitudes and customs different from their own.
Bibliography
Crowe, Michael J. Theories of the World from Antiquity to the Copernican Revolution. New York: Dover, 1990.
Hanson, Norwood R. Patterns of Discovery: An Inquiry into the Conceptual Foundations of Science. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge UP, 1958.
Lewis, C.S. The Discarded Image. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge UP, 1964.
“Perception.” Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 21. Danbury: Grolier, 1985.
Ramsey. Modern Earth Science. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976. 30.
Rutherford, James, et al. Harvard Project Physics. Unit 2. “Motion in the Heavens.” New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1981. 148-170.