The best way to transform students' scientific thinking is by transforming their science writing. Writing is thinking and with the Science Writing Heuristic Approach you'll move from rote procedures to the kind of writing that real scientists do. Your students will learn to negotiate meaning from the results of their work and to argue for their ideas - posing questions, gathering data, generating evidence to support claims, and comparing to current scientific understandings.
The SWH Approach is framed by three fundamental ideas:
First, all learning is about negotiation.
Second, as learning is about negotiation leading to understanding of ideas, then a necessary condition for engagement in the learning process is that we negotiate ideas, not people. By adopting these two fundamental principles, teachers generate dynamic and safe learning environments for all learners.
Third, there is no science without language. Science is investigated and shared through talking, writing, and reading.
