Discussion and Science Learning

Synonyms

Dialogue; Discussion; Exploratory; Interthinking; Science education; Science learning; Talk

Learning about science involves asking questions about the world around us and collecting evidence that will help to answer them and then asking further questions. Establishing a theory in science involves people systematically testing their own and other people’s ideas to develop robust explanations which fit the evidence. In science, there is never really definitive proof as we might find in mathematics but a gradual working towards a more robust scientific point of view that can explain observations, data, or other evidence. Science learning begins as children question things naturally and draw conclusions from their lived experience. So, a child kicks a ball and notes that it slows as it rolls along the grass and then stops. A reasonable hypothesis for this observation is that the energy put into kicking the ball has been used up. A ball rolling down a hill does not need as much...