Science: Introduction

Science is an area that has great applications for peace and also has excellent potential for using peace education methodologies.  Experiments, whether they are the chemistry explosions that we associate with science classes or ones that are more mundane in appearance provide an excellent manner for students to engage in constructing their own meaning from what they are learning, rather than being told what they should understand.  Additionally, experiments allow students to learn about the importance of invention, discovery and resarch.  All of these themes are important for growth and progress and to the improvement of living conditions for the world's population.  Of course, all growth and invention has its drawbacks, which is why it is key for students to also discuss the ethical implications of science.  For more on ethics within the science classroom, see below.

Finding Cost-effective Experiments

How can teachers create rewarding experiments for their students that do not cause fiscal problems? A concern for many teachers regarding scientific experiments is that they are costly, both in money and resources.  It is beyond the scope of this program to provide information here as to experiments that will work for every topic within every science subject.  Our aim is to provide examples of a few affordable experiments that will help get your creative juices flowing and provide some examples of how other teachers have navigated the lack of resources. 

Chemistry

In Chemistry students learn about acids and bases and how to test the acidity of a particular item.  Traditionally students are taught to use pH paper to determine this.  However, students can conduct an experiment using cabbage juice, baking soda and vinegar that demonstrates levels of pH (Krampf, #217).  First, red cabbage needs to blended or pureed or smashed in some fashion to take out its juices.  As students add baking soda (a base) the juice turns green and foamy.  As students add vinegar, an acid, the juice becomes pink and foamy.  Once students see the colors that are associated with acids and bases they can test any other substances which they may have access to. This experiment can also be useful in biology and ecology classes and can allow students to tackle more complex experiments where they need to the know the Ph of a substance. 

Physics

In physics students study the behavior of light.  The following experiment looks at diffraction fringe, which is one of light's properties (Krampf, #258).  To conduct the experiment the teacher only needs a bright light.  The students will sit a few feet away from the light and put their hand in front of their face, starting an inch away from their eye.  The will see the light through the gaps between their fingers.  As they slowly move their hand away from their face they will see dark stripes inside the gaps.  If students struggle to see the darkness, they simply need to move their fingers around.  These lines are known as diffraction fringe since the light diffracts as it moves through the gaps in your fingers.  As it spreads, the waves meet each other and cancel each other out, causing the darkness.  This information is based on the work of Thomas Young and can be found in most physics textbooks.  He contributed to our knowledge of the behavior of light, which we now believe is made of photons, which behave sometimes like particles and sometimes like waves. 

Biology/Ecology

In Biology and/or Ecology students need to understand plants, their structure and how they survive.  The following experiment looks at plants and why they need water (Krampf, #274).  To conduct the experiment a bush or tree is needed, as well as a plastic bag and some string. Students will cover a branch with the plastic bag, ensuring that there are leaving inside.  The bag is fastened, as tightly as possible, over the branch.  Students should then check the bag as frequently as possible (about every hour, if possible).  As time passes the bag will have water in it.  This water is the result of a process known as transpiration.  Through holes in the leaf the plant is able to "breathe" and let out water.  Students can compare this process to what they know about their own bodies and how nutrients are delivered.  To add a different element to the experiment students can compare different plants and how much water they let out.

For Younger Students

For younger students who are starting to look at experimentation and science in general, the following is a fun experiment (Krampf, #242).  While the students are chatting the teacher can drop various objects and notice if the students hear them.  Most experiments show that no one will look unless something important is dropped, such as coins.  Students can then discuss the differences between hearing and listening.  They can also create their own hypothesis about what other items might cause people to look up.  They can try this in other crowded settings, such as other classrooms or places in the community. 

Ethics

Just like math courses, science courses also need to provide students with a forum to discuss ethics and not simply the how and why of scientific principles (Seltzer, n.d.).  There are numerous scientific themes in which students can learn both the traditional scientific aspects as well as how to apply this knowledge in the real world in an ethical manner.  If the goal of scientific education is to encourage students to become scientists or to teach students how to think like scientists then students also need to understand what the ethical implications of scientific actions.  Students can learn about the science behind the atomic bomb and then about its ethnical implications or students can learn about technological progress and its relation to mineral extraction and how these processes relate to conflict in many areas of the world.  Students can also learn how global warming works, scientifically, and, as importantly, talk about what that means for solutions to the problem. Or in biology students can learn about how race/ethnic classifications have very little genetic basis and discuss how this relates to racism and the use of steroetypes in their society.

Another concern with the traditional teaching of science is that it also teachers that a logical, methodology based manner to approaching problems is always the best.  Science is defined as the use of the scientific method ( a set of processes which always must be followed to arrive at a solution/answer) to solve problems or unanswered questions about the world.  However, this type of logic can be limiting.  Therefore, much like math, students need to approach real-life problems in science classes.  Once they have arrived at a scientific conclusion or answer they can use this information to make decisions based on navigating ethics and values.  Some good topic ideas for these sorts of discussions are the chemistry behind the atomic bomb, which can lead students to a discussion of the use of the bomb and the responsibility of scientists, the impacts of cars on local plant life (which can first be an experiment for students) and then what implications this has for human behavior or the transmission of malaria and how this implicates governments or other actors.  

Science is also cultural, and students can explore how different cultures approach science. An excellent way to explore this topic is by studying indigenous ways of knowing. Studying indigenous science and comparing it to Western science allows students to see that there are different epistemologies in the world, and all of them are valid. For example, students could compare Western taxonomy in a particular region with the indigenous way of naming and describing the natural world.

As discussed in the mathematics section, sometimes there is a gender bias towards boys in pursuing scientific studies. Teachers should be aware of this, and be equally encouraging to students of all genders.

References

Krampf, R. (n.d.). #217 Cabbage Indicator. In Science Experiment of the Week . Retrieved from

     http://nicholasacademy.com/scienceexperiment217cabbageindicator.html

Krampf, R. (n.d.). #242 Five Cents. In Science Experiment of the Week . Retrieved from

    http://nicholasacademy.com/scienceexperiment242fivecents.html

Krampf, R. (n.d.). #258 Dark Lines. In Science Experiment of the Week . Retrieved from

     http://nicholasacademy.com/scienceexperiment258darklines.html 

Krampf, R. (n.d.). #274 Water The Plants. In Science Experiment of the Week . Retrieved from

     http://nicholasacademy.com/scienceexperiment274watertheplants.html     

Seltzer, R. W. (n.d.). How to Plan for Peace--A Model. Retrieved from http://www.samizdat.com/

     planforpeace.html