Teaching Strategies

by TeachAbroad Team

When introducing the scientific method, I don't use science experiments right away as this sometimes do not spark much interest from the class. I tell my students that we often use the scientific method in everyday life and it is not a foreign concept that we use only in Science class. I would give a short description of each step: problem identification, formulation of hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, observation and analysis, and conclusion. I then provide them with a situation and ask them how they would solve or conclude it using the scientific method.

Example: a record store has been losing profit.
Problem: Why is the local record store losing profit?
Hypothesis: People would rather buy pirated CD's and share files online.
Testing the Hypothesis: Ask friends about their preferences in buying records, what they think of the products at the record store.
Observation and Analysis: Determine which consumer practices led to lesser visits to the local record store.
Conclusion: People hardly visit the local record store because they can now download from the internet for free any song that they like.

There are many more everyday life situations that you can use for this exercise. The goal is for students to familiarize themselves with the scientific habit of mind. After that you may move on to applying this in a class demonstration of a science experiment.

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