Productive Uncertainty in Science Education

Eve Manz is an associate professor of science education at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. She has received the 2019 NARST Early Career Research Award and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Collaborators on the book include elementary teachers and coaches and doctoral researchers with expertise in language, classroom culture, and secondary school science teaching.

• ContentsPreface  ix1.  The Power of Uncertainty in Classroom Science  1Uncertainty Is Inherent to Scientists' and Engineers' Work  4Uncertainty Supports Students' Learning  5Challenges to Incorporating Uncertainty in Science Learning  9Our Approach to Incorporating Productive Uncertainty in Science Investigations  11How the Book Will Help You Understand and Take Up This Approach  14Summary and Getting Started  152.  Uncertainty in Science Investigations  17What Are Science Investigations?  17The Investigations Framework  20How Students Experience and Express Uncertainty  31The Meeting Points of the Investigations Framework and Students' Uncertainty  33Summary  363.  Conditions That Foster Productive Uncertainty  42Moving Beyond an All-or-Nothing Approach: Principles for Working With Uncertainty in Investigations  42Teacher Practice in a Moment of Uncertainty  50Teacher Dispositions  51Putting It Together: Returning to the Maple Seed  56Summary  604.  Developing a Caring and Collective Classroom Culture  61With Annabel StolerUncertainty in Action  62Classroom Culture  65Classroom Norms That Support a Caring and Collective Classroom Culture  69Introducing, Using, and Refining Norms to Support a Caring and Collective Classroom Culture  73Summary  795.  Helping Children Plan and Conduct Science Investigations  81With Annabel StolerUncertainty in Action  82Opportunities and Challenges in Planning and Conducting Investigations  84Supporting Students Planning Science Investigations  87Classroom Examples of Planning Investigations  94Supporting Students Conducting Investigations  100Summary  1046.  Working With Observations and Data  106Uncertainty in Action  107Opportunities and Challenges in Working With Observations and Data  110Supporting Students Working With Observations, Measurements, and Data  113Classroom Examples of Supporting Observations and Data  120Making Claims in Light of Variability in Data  128Summary  1297.  Making Sense of Evidence From Investigations  130Uncertainty in Action  131Opportunities and Challenges in Making Sense of Investigations  133Supporting Students Making Sense of Evidence From an Investigation  136A Classroom Example  147Summary  1568.  Explanations and Resources for Explanation  158Uncertainty in Action  158Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Explanations  162Supporting Students Developing Explanations of Phenomena  166A Classroom Example: Explanation in the Conservation of Matter Investigation  177Summary  1849.  Putting the Pieces Together  186Learn to See and Value Uncertainty  186Adapt an Investigation for Uncertainty  188Learn With and From Students  194Acknowledgments  197References  199Index  203About the Author  209