2022 Volume 62 Issue 3 Pages 631-641
We expect that pupils can review and improve their own thoughts. The purpose of this study is to develop a science teaching method for elementary school that enables pupils to become sensitive to the “uncertainty” over the process of scientific inquiry by critically viewing the thought of themselves and others, and to verify the effectiveness of this method through actual lessons. The method gives a special lesson on “uncertainty,” then has pupils critically pointing out the “uncertainties” in other students’ thoughts during the discussion. Grade four pupils in the experimental class were taught using this method in the science unit of “how matter warms.” The ways in which their consciousness and thoughts of “uncertainty” changed after the lesson were analyzed and compared with those of the control class. The results showed that the method developed in this study improved the pupils’ consciousness for critically and skeptically thinking others’ thoughts, and thus pupils become sensitive to “uncertainty.” Results further suggested that the method develops pupils’ metacognitive abilities (as critical thinking toward the process of thinking), as well as their abilities of thinking scientifically to solve problems.
