Making Science Accessible

Science is made accessible by allowing learners to connect new ideas to those they already have. Effective instruction should provide opportunities for students to evaluate scientific evidence according to their own personal understanding, to articulate their own theories and explanations, and participate actively in science learning.

WISE software supports students in such understanding by emphasizing explanations and prompting for personal connections. We choose accessible topics and use models that students understand.

An Example from the "Genetically Modified Foods in Perspective" Curriculum

Questions and evidence in the project are designed to challenge students' prior ideas. For example, students learn about the use of certain GM ingredients in common foodstuffs and about the lack of labels to indicate that those ingredients are GM. This challenges students' common position that "people can just eat what they want and so they can choose not to eat GM food."

Click on the picture to see the video: How can we make science accessible?

Source material from the Computer as Learning Partner video