Methodological Conditions for Learning Biology Through Writing and Arguing: University Students Perspectives

MOLINA, MARÍA ELENA; CARLINO, PAULA

Journal of Science Education

Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales

Año: 2016 vol. 17 p. 19 - 22

0124-5481

During recent years, research has tried to establish the role that argumentation andwriting play in learning different disciplines. This attempt has been particularlyrelevant in the field of Science Education. Therefore, this work presents preliminaryresults of a research aimed to identify and characterize the methodological conditionsfor learning Biology by means of arguing and writing at university. This researchhas been carried out since 2012 in an introductory Biology course belonging to the?Ciclo Básico Común? of the University of Buenos Aires. Focusing on the analysisof interviews, we try to establish how students in one Biology course perceive theactivities of argumentation and writing proposed by their professors. In this regard,we find that, in this class, students appreciate five conditions under which writingand arguing would function as epistemic tools for learning Biology. In this vein, thesystematic work with writing and arguing help students think differently about thesubject and, consequently, this allows them to participate and use the disciplinaryconcepts in practical matters and real life situations.