Scientific Literacy
How to think and read like a scientist
What does being
scientifically literate
mean?
It means being able to:
Explain phenomena scientifically
Including recognising, offer and evaluate explanations for a range of
natural and technological phenomena
Evaluate and design scientific enquiry
Suggest ways of investigating questions which are asked scientifically,
design experiments in a very scientific way and evaluate whether the
experiments are fair, and lead to valid conclusions
Interpret data and evidence scientifically
Analyse and evaluate data, claims and arguments in a variety of
representations and draw appropriate scientific conclusions.
2
What does being
scientifically literate
mean?
Types of scientific knowledge:
 Knowledge of the content of science
eg Biology, Chemistry, Physics
 Procedural knowledge
This means knowledge about how scientists come up with theories,
test them through collecting data and check whether the data is
reliable.
 Epistemic knowledge
This means understanding how Science can have an impact on the
Earth, the environment and the populations (human or other living
things)
3
Here are some examples to discuss. All are related to
the growth of mobile phone use.
Content
knowledge
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Procedural
knowledge
Epistemic
knowledge
Mobile phones use electromagnetic waves (microwaves)
Scientists are carrying out studies on how microwaves affect the brain.
Cheap mobile phones have provided huge opportunities in developing
countries.
Scientists need to collect data on the number of brain tumours found in
regular users of mobile phones compared to non users.
Mobile phones can be a distraction to learning in schools.
Microwaves can have a heating effect on living cells.
How well did you do?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Content
knowledge
Procedural
knowledge
Epistemic
knowledge
1
2
3
6
4
5
Mobile phones use electromagnetic waves (microwaves)
Scientists are carrying out studies on how microwaves affect the brain.
Cheap mobile phones have provided huge opportunities in developing
countries.
Scientists need to collect data on the number of brain tumours found in
regular users of mobile phones compared to non users.
Mobile phones can be a distraction to learning in schools.
Microwaves can have a heating effect on living cells.
Content Procedural Epistemic
knowledge knowledge knowledge
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide.
Rising sea levels are threatening habitats.
Measurements suggest that average global
temperatures are rising.
Some people argue that the data on global
temperature change is unreliable.
Fission of uranium produces products that are
radioactive.
Nuclear waste needs to be stored securely,
otherwise it could harm the environment.
Just 5% of the Earth’s population (the USA)
consumes 24% of the energy used on Earth.
Exposure to radiation causes ionisation which
can lead to DNA damage in living cells.
Scientists calculate that the known reserves of
coal on Earth will last about 110 years at the
present rate of consumption.
In 2008 China was the country that produced
the most carbon dioxide
Content Procedural Epistemic
knowledge knowledge knowledge
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide.


Rising sea levels are threatening habitats.
Measurements suggest that average global
temperatures are rising.

Some people argue that the data on global
temperature change is unreliable.

Fission of uranium produces products that are
radioactive.

Nuclear waste needs to be stored securely,
otherwise it could harm the environment.

Just 5% of the Earth’s population (the USA)
consumes 24% of the energy used on Earth.

Exposure to radiation causes ionisation which
can lead to DNA damage in living cells.
Scientists calculate that the known reserves of
coal on Earth will last about 110 years at the
present rate of consumption.
In 2008 China was the country that produced
the most carbon dioxide



Now read this text. Try to identify examples of the three types of knowledge that
relate to it.
The graph shows the pattern of electricity demand in the UK for the months of
January and July 2009. The peak demand was 58.9 GW at 6 pm on a cold January day
whilst trough demand was 22.3 GW on a warm Saturday night in July. Engineers
working for the distribution network can monitor how demand changes daily, weekly
and annually and plan how best to meet it. As well as obvious factors like day of the
week and temperature, other factors such as popular TV programmes and big sports
events can have a big effect on demand for electricity.
A nuclear fission reactor takes a long time to start up. It is most efficient to run a
nuclear reactor constantly. The same is true of older coal power stations. Gas and
hydroelectric power stations can be switched on and off more quickly and are best
used at times when demand changes rapidly. Solar and tidal power is fairly
predictable but not constant, whilst wind power is hard to predict. Matching supply
and demand is a very important part of supplying the UK with electricity.
Content knowledge – how does this link to my
knowledge of other areas of science?
Procedural knowledge – how does this link to
how scientists use data to come up with new
ideas?
Supply and
demand
Epistemic knowledge – how does this link to the
impact of science on the world?
Data – how could the data given in the text be
used to calculate new information? How could I
check its reliability?