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Hi there, I am looking for anyone who has done the New Society activity to teach NOS which was detailed in the may 2008 issue of the JCST. (attached) I am thinking of doing it this coming semester for my non-majors biology lecture,(my class size is 150-200) but am a bit nervous since it is a big/long activity that if it goes wrong could be disastrous while i am establishing my class. the reviews (2) attached to the article reflect my concerns but i am really looking for someone who has done this or something similar to help me scaffold it. Thank you Heather

Attachments

Favorite Demonstration: Experiencing the Nature of Science—An Interactive, Beginning-of-Semester Activity (Journal Article)

Hi Heather,
I would love to hear from an instructor who has tried this as well. I remember reading this article a while back and having similar concerns. I have the opposite problem as you in that my classes are very small; so I am concerned that there needs to be a critical mass in order for the chosen 'scientists' to have a large enough sample population to observe. I was thinking that a discussion of some famous scientists and how they problem-solved in order to make their renown discoveries would be a great way to ease into this demo/experiment. For example bringing up how Dr. John Snow investigated and solved how people contracted Cholera in London in 1854 would be a great story with which to start. The article mentions the race to discover the structure of DNA led by the winners Watson and Crick and the 'loser' Linus Pauling. Also, the article mentioned the famous Blue Baby Operation and how from trial and error it was discovered that children had a greater chance for survival if the operation were performed on toddlers instead of babies. I can see some great discussions taking place after the 'New Society Demo'. Since argumentation is an important scientific and engineering practice, debates could be set up on some current issues like global warming or some of the other issues mentioned in the article.
Let's hear from anyone who has tried this demo. Anyone want to be the 'guinea pig'?
Carolyn

I did this yesterday in my class (second lecture) and it worked very well. A full review is now posted with the article. Thanks!