Here's what I think they do: 1) Get curious about something. 2) Play with it a while. 3) Ask a good question. 4) Design an experiment. 5) Do the experiment. 6) Answer the question.
This isn't something unique about scientists. Put something odd in a kids hand and they'll do this again and again, until they're satisfied. The institution of 'science' has honed this, concentrated it, funded it, and socialized it.
This isn't something unique about scientists. Put something odd in a kids hand and they'll do this again and again, until they're satisfied. The institution of 'science' has honed this, concentrated it, funded it, and socialized it.
But school does not teach it. In fact, in my view, it kills it. Almost, perversely, on purpose. Why?
Notice my italicized "good?" So, what is a good question? You can teach this.
ReplyDeleteIn class, I make a big show about finding a piece of metal stuck to the side of my filing cabinet. The kids usually volunteer, "It's a magnet!"
"Not so fast," I say. "Could it be anything else? What kind of questions can I ask about it?" And they always say, "Is it a magnet?"
That's a bad question. To answer it, you have to really ask some tiny little questions, like "Can I lift it off the cabinet? Can I feel the pull if I hold it really close? Does it feel sticky?"
Those questions are good ones. You can answer them with an experiment. Try to lift it off. Hold it close and see what happens. Feel the bottom. These are experiments.
A good question is one that can be answered with an experiment. They build evidence to let you answer the question you really want to know.
People do this at lightening speed with everyday phenomena. If you slow them down enough, they can see what they're doing and start to get the knack of assembling questions into a research project.