Why Is It Important?
A good working understanding of the relationship between theory and evidence is fundamental to critical thinking. Scientists are not the only ones who develop theories. Theory making and theory testing are fundamental activities that all people undertake.
The following are some reasons why it is important for students to have opportunities to generate, test, and defend theories of their own:
Success in all of the major academic disciplines, including mathematics, the sciences, social sciences, and many of the humanities, depends in large part on a student's ability to develop theoretical understanding of subject matter. Knowledge of facts and rote procedures is only the beginning.
The ability to analyze and interpret quantitative data, and to develop evidence-based theories based on data, is an increasingly important skill in the workplace.
The ability to work back and forth between theory and evidence is a fundamental skill of citizenship in a democratic society. The workings of our democratic institutions, including our legal system, free press, and democratic elections, all depend on this skill.
How Can You Make It Happen?
There is no recipe for teaching students about the relationship between theory and evidence. It is not something that can be taught on any given day, as theories are born out of observations and the questions about these observations. Theory making and theory testing are interdisciplinary processes that should never be taught independently of content. Students should be actively engaged in the exploration of content by treating subject matter facts as evidence.
Theories must be based on evidence, and so a classroom culture that encourages and supports careful observation, active wondering, measurement, and data collection on a regular basis is crucial in encouraging students to develop theories of their own. Perhaps most importantly, theories must be open to dispute; therefore, a culture of thoughtful discourse, and skepticism, is required.
Developing a theory often starts with an observation of an interesting phenomenon. For example, a child notices that the level of water in the fish tank has gone down. Why? Did someone remove the water? Did the fish drink it? Does the tank have a leak?
Students collect facts through careful observation and then develop a theory. They test their theory by collecting additional evidence. If the tank leaks, there should be water on the floor or around the base. Is there any? Does the water level go down in a tank of the same size without any fish? What about the rate at which the level goes down? Does it go down at the same rate every day? Where could the water possibly go if the level goes down and there's no leak and the fish didn't drink it? Could it go into the air? Is there a way to test that theory?
Further observations may help support or confirm these theories. If the evidence supports the theory, students then can determine whether they have gathered a sufficient amount of evidence. If the evidence does not support the theory, students develop a new theory based on the new evidence. An investigation like this can go on for several days, even weeks. In time you may want to formalize the process of theory making for students, possibly in the form of a flow chart.
