Typically in text books on a subject the presentation is by way of exposition. The reader in effect has an experience analogous to that of a person reading a story. There is the writer transmitting information and there is a reader receiving it. Is there a place for the presentation of scientific ideas by way of a written or imagined or actual dialogue? Does dialogue add drama? Can dialogue be used to reveal contending ideas? Does written dialogue have a place in scientific education?
In Discourse in Two New Sciences, Galileo (1638) used dialogue between Salviati and Simplicio to explain how the acceleration of gravity is not proportional to the mass of the objects, so you would be in good company if you used dialogue. Of course, putting the perspective of Pope Urban VIII into the words of the simpleton Simplicio turned out to be disastrous for Galileo, so maybe not. :-)
I’m only partially kidding because I imagine any dialogue about science going one of two ways. First, you could make both characters sound well-informed with considerable evidence and logical thinking behind their ideas. But this might confuse a lay audience because presumably you know the side with scientific truth. An audience of novices might not get it. Alternatively, you portray the ‘wrong’ side as simpletons, and that is demeaning to people who may not fully understand the science yet. So I personally would not recommend using dialogue in either way.
More broadly, I can see value in using stories to illustrate scientific principles. I agree that storytelling can add drama and make for a more compelling experience for learners. I actually wrote a chapter about using storytelling for teaching science (link below) and it reviews some of the evidence supporting this approach.
Interesting question, Robert!
Kevin
Grobman, K. H. (2015). Antsy Students Impatient to Leave Class & Faculty Captive in NPR Driveway Moments? Enhancing Science Classes with Personal Stories ... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287335966
Very much welcomed. The intent is usually to make an ambiguous idea simplified.
Dialogue is a classical method of philosophy and has a high status in the history of science. The dialogue represents the dialectical method. The aim: From argument and counter-argument to bring the truth to light. This is what Plato's dialogues stand for. As a method of thinking and as a literary form the dialogue has penetrated much of the spiritual life, but it is not everyone's thing today.
por su puesto que si, dado que el ser humano es un ser simbólico donde la asignación de símbolos a cada una de sus actividades, otorgando significado a cada el acto de intercambio que se da en un diálogo tiene un inmenso contenido de significados que subyacen en el, es oportuno recordar que Martin Heidegger al referirse a la palabra indica que el lenguaje es casa del ser, así desde cada intercambio emerge un ser, en tal caso refiriendo al mismo autor en el diálogo entre un ente que se fija en otro como objeto útil para un fin, para interactuar en una conversación, se dan los elementos que permiten al acceso a niveles ontológicos.
it is akind of academic thinking together. using dialogue to present scientific views, everyone engages critically but constructively with each other’s ideas;•
everyone offers the relevant information they have;•everyone’s ideas are treated as worthy of consideration;partners ask each other questions and answer them, ask for reasons and give them. though this kind of engagement and participation, the message is conveyed.
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Hello, Robert. Dialogue in scientific research is found primarily in qualitative or mixed-methods approaches, 'mixed' meaning both quantitative findings coupled with qualitative narratives. I enjoy reading mixed-methods research because it acts as a buffer against researcher bias; instead of analysis of quantitative data based solely on a researcher's perspective, a much clearer interpretation of statistics can be achieved with qualitative information. While this may seem obvious to most, for some it's not.
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