The course is designed to develop the distinction between evidence and inference as a conceptual framework in the context of mastering a few science concepts. Since precollege science teachers are increasingly held responsible for teaching to the Standards, examples are explicitly drawn from the Standards and conclusions are linked to the Standards. The first three weeks of the course explore the distinction between evidence and inference using a few common exemplars, e.g., the heliocentric view of the solar system and the nature of floating and sinking. The method of teaching is based on the constructionist approach developed by the Epistemology and Learning Group at the MIT Media Lab (http://lcs.www.media.mit.edu/groups/el/), among others. This approach is characterized in the following way: (1) the intended outcome must be clearly understood by the students; (2) achieving the outcome must require the students to act; and (3) students must be able to tell whether their actions are taking them closer to or further from the intended outcome. This approach provides feedback from the task, not from the teacher. For example, students asked to develop a procedure to measure the volume of an object must be able to determine the volume by some other process so that they can determine if the method they devise agrees. They also use a variety of objects upon which to test their proposed solution to the problem.
