Practicing Scientific Argumentation Through Social Media

Abstract

The use of social media in and outside the classroom is increasing in the number of popular applications as well as pervasiveness in our culture. Teachers utilize social media to engage students, connect with experts, and expand their own professional learning. This chapter provides educators with information about the use of social media to support STEM practices. Social media can be used to engage students in active learning and problem-solving through student-posted claims and effective online questioning. Using social media supports the scientific practice of engaging in argument from evidence, as well as emulates how scientists collaborate on their own research and share research findings. Best practices and lessons learned are shared in this chapter, including a case study from a secondary science classroom and suggestions for the use of social media for educator professional learning.

Design guidelines for formal learning spaces: A narrative review

“…Students in TRCs scored 4.2-26.3% higher in mathematics and 13.8-19.2% higher in reading than students in traditional classrooms. Craig-Hare et al (2009) asserted that TRC programmes can ultimately improve student achievement with two basic safeguards (Craig-Hare et al, 2009). First, the learning space should be reformed to enable teachers and students to easily access technologies and resources.…”

Inoculating students against science-based manipulation strategies in social media: debunking the concept of ‘water with conductivity extract’

“…A recently published book entitled Social Media in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (Information Resources Management Association, 2018) is focused mostly on using social media as a learning tool (e.g. for collaborative learning) in non-science subjects such as language education; it includes a chapter on practicing scientific argumentation through social media (Craig-Hare et al, 2018), which is focused mainly on social media as communication platforms and emphasises that students must be prepared to engage in sciencebased online interactions in a proficient way. Nevertheless, the authors note the need for the students to understand the mechanisms of scientific argumentation online.…”