Constructing EXPLANATIONS and Designing SOLUTIONS
"Scientific theories are developed to provide explanations aimed at illuminating the nature of particular phenomena, predicting future events, or making inferences about past events."
Introduction to Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
The goal of science is to construct explanations for the causes of phenomena. Students are expected to construct their own explanations, as well as apply standard explanations they learn about from their teachers or reading. The Framework states the following about explanation:
“The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanatory accounts of the world. A theory becomes accepted when it has multiple lines of empirical evidence and greater explanatory power of phenomena than previous theories.”
An explanation includes a claim that relates how a variable or variables relate to another variable or a set of variables. A claim is often made in response to a question and in the process of answering the question, scientists often design investigations to generate data.
The goal of engineering is to solve problems. Designing solutions to problems is a systematic process that involves defining the problem, then generating, testing, and improving solutions. This practice is described in the Framework as follows.
Asking students to demonstrate their own understanding of the implications of a scientific idea by developing their own explanations of phenomena, whether based on observations they have made or models they have developed, engages them in an essential part of the process by which conceptual change can occur.
In engineering, the goal is a design rather than an explanation. The process of developing a design is iterative and systematic, as is the process of developing an explanation or a theory in science. Engineers’ activities, however, have elements that are distinct from those of scientists. These elements include specifying constraints and criteria for desired qualities of the solution, developing a design plan, producing and testing models or prototypes, selecting among alternative design features to optimize the achievement of design criteria, and refining design ideas based on the performance of a prototype or simulation. (NRC Framework, 2012, p. 68-69)
Key Features
Address a question about a specific phenomena.
How or why account of the phenomenon that draws on a model or generalized principle that use DCIs
Based on evidence. Either to explain evidence or use evidence as support.
What it is NOT
Facts or definitions: Explanations must provide a causal or mechanistic account that explains why the phenomenon occurs
Descriptions of processes or data. Not a conclusion!
Evidence of a claim without a how or why account:
K-12 Progressions for Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
SEP_CE.pdfInstructional Strategies for Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Source: Instructional Science Leadership
Discuss key features of explanations in science: explanatory account, science ideas and evidence. An explanatory account describes how or why a phenomenon occurs. Science ideas are key concepts or principles students apply to make sense of a specific phenomenon (e.g. example). Evidence is scientific data such as measurements and observations.
Create a poster with the key features for a scientific explanation, such as that it shown how or why something occurs.
Revise explanation questions in curriculum or lessons to ensure that students need to answer with more than a simple “yes” or “no”; rather, they require an explanatory account.
Provide examples of strong and weak examples (e.g. describes a phenomenon instead of explaining it). Critique the examples as a class.
Provide students with scaffolds such as sentence starters, questions or graphic organizers that highlight the key features. For example, a graphic organizer could include three sections labeled: 1) Your explanation – the how or why?, 2) Big science ideas that support your explanation, 3) Evidence that supports your explanation
Ask students to highlight the key features of an explanation (explanatory account, science ideas and evidence) in their own or a peer’s writing.
Ask students to give feedback to each other about written explanations. Provide sentence starters to students to help them make specific statements about the explanations. Examples of sentences starters can include “I have a question about your evidence…”, “I am not sure that your writing explains why _____ occurs. Can you explain that to me?, or “How can we use our big science ideas to help explain _____?”
Learn more about Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Bozeman Science Video - Practice 6 - Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Wonder of Science Organizer: Constructing Explanations - Google Draw or PDF
Science Practices Continuum - Tool for guiding and evaluating science-practice based instruction
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