Scientific Argumentation In Pre-service Biology Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper discusses the design of an instructional unit examining scientific argumentation with prospective biology teachers. Linguistics and philosophy of science have turned to argumentation as a relevant skill; its importance in science classes has also been highlighted by scholars. We define school scientific argumentation and analyse its components. We present the unit, directed to pre-service biology teachers, which includes different strategies; among them, we propose guided reading, analogies, debates, and discussion on historical episodes. We describe the activities, examining the nature-of-science topics addressed. The sequence relates to secondary science teaching; this may increase the meaningfulness of the nature of science in teacher education.