The value of both talking and writing for learning to argue in science

Science is often seen by students to be a body of incontrovertible facts. If, however, we emphasise the methods in which scientific ideas and explanations are exchanged, challenged and negotiated, students may come to understand the rich and dynamic patterns of science, and thus find it more engaging. The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach tries to do just this by scaffolding students in using different forms of language to engage in inquiry leading to the generation and defence of a science dispute. This paper may be of particular interest to ISE practitioners who are involved in supporting students to engage in debates and other forms of communication requiring the skills of argumentation.

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