Blog Assignment #1: How Science Works

Megan Thees, Katrina Yu, Gretchen Janes

Part 1: Take a photo of your group diagram on the whiteboard and post the answers to the following questions:

• How did you start the scientific process? What are the similarities? What are the differences?
• We all started with making observations or researching what we would like to study
• Similarities
• Make observations/research
• Ask questions
• Create a hypothesis
• Form and carry out scientific experiments
• Analyze data
• Discuss whether hypothesis was supported 
• Yes and no options 
• Differences
• Gretchen had research after questions 
• Megan said form ideas about observations 
• Karina noted to make adjustments and form a new hypothesis 
• Megan added if the hypothesis was still not supported after repeating the experiment, to make changes and explain possible errors 
• Are the diagrams similar to each other? What are the major differences? What steps are only included on 1-2 of the student’s diagrams. Do you agree that this is a valid or important step?
• Our diagrams were similar and contained similar steps, the biggest difference would be in which order we determined to be best. 
• Is there one diagram that stands out as being the most “correct” in terms of describing how you understand the scientific process?
• All of our diagrams were pretty similar 
• Megan's diagram 

• Karina’s Diagram

• Gretchen’s Diagram

• Was there anything that surprised you when looking at the diagrams drawn by your lab mates?
• Something that surprised me when looking at my lab mates’ diagrams was how we each expressed closer/finer detail in different areas of the scientific process. I think it was surprising to see which areas seemed to stand out to different people and it shows how they approach this process. 

Part 2: Try to reflect on your diagram and make at least one change based on your experience in lab today. Take another photo of your group diagram on the whiteboard with edits.

Answer the following questions:

• What change(s) did you decide to make and why?
• We added peer review after data analysis because we learned that peer review is important for self-correction and for receiving and giving feedback from a fresh pair of eyes or someone who’s reading your paper from a different perspective.
• Did this lab today help you see how to approach your research project for the quarter?
• Yes. It was helpful to think back on past research projects we have done and to also look at other people's projects to see what worked well and what needed improvements. This lab provided additional inspiration for ideas in our own research project, and was also useful to help see the big picture of the research project. 
• What did you learn about the scientific process/how science works that you did not know or realize before?
• That it is important to have peers review your research at many steps along the way, and also that while the diagrams everyone created were very similar, different parts were more in depth.