EDEF 860: Advanced Learning Sciences
  • Home
  • Syllabus
    • General Info
    • Calendar
    • Objectives
    • Graduate Student Expectaions
    • About the Instructor
  • Introduction
    • Welcome & "Big Picture"
    • Tour of the Course
  • Act 1
    • Act 1 Introduction
    • 1. Science & Learning >
      • Part 1 Introduction
      • Rationalism versus Empiricism
      • Theories
      • Science as a Way of Knowing
      • Scientific Method
      • Basic vs Applied Research
      • Learning & Instruction
    • 2. Beginnings >
      • Part 2 Introduction
      • Beginning of Modern Learning Science
    • 3. Behaviorism >
      • Part 3 Introduction
      • E.L. Thordike
      • Ivan Pavlov & Classical Conditioning
      • John B. Watson
      • E.R. Guthrie
      • B.F. Skinner
      • Applied Behaviorism
    • Act 1 Practice
  • Act 2
    • Act 2 Introduction
    • Behaviorism versus Cognitvism
    • Gestalt
    • Tolman
    • Information Processing >
      • Information Processing Models
      • Long-Term Memory
      • Cognitive Load
    • Gagne's Conditions for Learning
    • Social Cognitive Theory
    • Act 2 Practice
  • Act 3
    • Act 3 Intro
    • Constructivism
    • Educational Neuroscience
    • Instructional Technology
    • Act 3 Practice
  • Projects
    • Act 1 Project
    • Act 2 Project
    • Act 3 Project
  • D2L
  • Resources
    • Notes
    • How to Prepare for a Course Exam
    • Variables
    • Writing/APA Resources


Science as a Way of Knowing


1.4 Describe how science represents a “way of knowing,” and differentiate between science and other ways of knowing.

The following important scene from a very important movie is used to illustrate different ways of knowing:

Hopefully you recognize this scene from one of the greatest movies ever created: Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Examples from this scene will be used to help describe different ways of knowing. 

​
Way of Knowing
Description
Sensing
Anything we perceive with our senses (including seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, or smelling). Our observations.

​VILLAGER #1: We have found a witch…might we burn her?
CROWD: Burn her! Burn!
BEDEVERE: How do you know she is a witch?
VILLAGER #2: She looks like one.

Sharing
Information
​with Others
Storytelling, gossiping, Facebooking, word-of-mouth… these are all ways of sharing information with others.

BEDEVERE: What makes you think she is a witch?
VILLAGER #3: Well, she turned me into a newt.
BEDEVERE: A newt?
VILLAGER #3: I got better.
VILLAGER #1: A witch!
CROWD: A witch! A witch! A witch! Witch! Witch!

Being Told Something by an Expert
Opinions from experts, or people we THINK are experts, is a powerful way of knowing.

WITCH: I'm not a witch. I'm not a witch.
BEDEVERE: But you are dressed as one.



Logical Reasoning
Logical reasoning allows us to create a new kind of knowledge for ourselves. Logical reasoning is based on the application of logic to a series or chain of related assumptions, leading to new conclusions.

BEDEVERE: Tell me, what do you do with witches?
CROWD:  Burn them!

BEDEVERE: And what do you burn, apart from witches?
CROWD:  More witches! - Wood!

BEDEVERE: So why do witches burn?
VILLAGER #1:  'Cause they're made of wood?

BEDEVERE: - Good!
BEDEVERE: How do we tell if she is made of wood?
VILLAGER #2:  Build a bridge out of her.

BEDEVERE: But can you not also make bridges out of stone?
VILLAGER #2:  Oh, yeah.

BEDEVERE: ​Does wood sink in water?
CROWD:  No, it floats. - Throw her into the pond!

Science
Science can mean many things, but a common element of science is the “scientific method”. This way of knowing is an empirical (observational) approach that involves a combination of sensing, logic, predictions, and testing.

VILLAGER #1: If... she... weighs the same as a duck.. she's made of wood.
BEDEVERE: And therefore?
VILLAGER #1: A witch!
CROWD: A witch! A witch! A witch!
BEDEVERE: We shall use my largest scales!

There is a general, common approach (method) to learning about the natural world through science. The following page provides more specific information about this method:
Scientific Method

Questions?  Email Greg Sherman.
  • Home
  • Syllabus
    • General Info
    • Calendar
    • Objectives
    • Graduate Student Expectaions
    • About the Instructor
  • Introduction
    • Welcome & "Big Picture"
    • Tour of the Course
  • Act 1
    • Act 1 Introduction
    • 1. Science & Learning >
      • Part 1 Introduction
      • Rationalism versus Empiricism
      • Theories
      • Science as a Way of Knowing
      • Scientific Method
      • Basic vs Applied Research
      • Learning & Instruction
    • 2. Beginnings >
      • Part 2 Introduction
      • Beginning of Modern Learning Science
    • 3. Behaviorism >
      • Part 3 Introduction
      • E.L. Thordike
      • Ivan Pavlov & Classical Conditioning
      • John B. Watson
      • E.R. Guthrie
      • B.F. Skinner
      • Applied Behaviorism
    • Act 1 Practice
  • Act 2
    • Act 2 Introduction
    • Behaviorism versus Cognitvism
    • Gestalt
    • Tolman
    • Information Processing >
      • Information Processing Models
      • Long-Term Memory
      • Cognitive Load
    • Gagne's Conditions for Learning
    • Social Cognitive Theory
    • Act 2 Practice
  • Act 3
    • Act 3 Intro
    • Constructivism
    • Educational Neuroscience
    • Instructional Technology
    • Act 3 Practice
  • Projects
    • Act 1 Project
    • Act 2 Project
    • Act 3 Project
  • D2L
  • Resources
    • Notes
    • How to Prepare for a Course Exam
    • Variables
    • Writing/APA Resources