Page 139 - Cultural Studies of Science Education
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116                                          M.P. Mueller and D.L. Zeidler

            et al. 2002) have argued that nature of science should be taught explicitly, moral–ethical
            sensitivity  also  needs  to  be  explicitly  developed.  Science  education  researchers
            argue that it is difficult for students to develop understandings of NOS without a
            teacher  who  serves  as  a  cultural-mediator.  Most  science  teachers  do  not  derive
            historical and philosophical awareness and understandings of science without some
            careful  guidance  of  how  to  interpret  and  analyze  NOS  within  school  science.
            Science teachers need to serve as a value-mediator in terms of promoting ethical/
            moral reasoning and character development. How might teachers and their students
            play out their roles in this intriguing conversation?



            Functional Scientific Literacy


            SSI serves to promote scientific awareness and understanding. What follows is the
            science of zebrafish and GloFish. We make a purposeful distinction between the
            ornamental GloFish and the wild-type zebrafish because recent scientific reports
            (e.g., Cortemeglia and Beitinger 2005) are noted exceptions to the aforementioned
            conclusion that there is no difference between the wild-type zebrafish and the trans-
            genic ornamental GloFish. The zebrafish is named for the horizontal stripes on the
            side of its body. In the wild, the zebrafish can grow as large as 6 cm but generally
            in captivity it only reaches lengths of 3–4 cm. The zebrafish diet consists of zoo-
            plankton, insects, and phytoplankton. It reproduces in 3–4 months and may live for
            more than 5 years. The zebrafish is also considered a model organism for studies of
            vertebrate development and gene function. It is one of the few animals to visit space
            as a traveler aboard US space shuttles. The zebrafish is used extensively in science
            research. More recently, the zebrafish has been genetically modified to glow green
            to detect estrogen in rivers and lakes; they have been modified with see-through
            bodies which help researchers find individual blood stem cells and cancer cells in
            the living adult (White et al. 2007). With some background knowledge on the wild
            type  zebrafish,  students  will  better  analyze  emerging  controversies  around  the
            GloFish.



            GloFish Science Inquiry


            The introduction of nonnative species in US ecosystems is an increasing problem
            that  some  scientists  (Cortemeglia  and  Beitinger  2005)  say,  results  from  aquaria
            releases by fish hobbyists and others. In schools, summer break often coincides
            with  few  available  caretakers  for  classroom  fish  pets.  Sometimes  these  pets  are
            given away but teachers or their students who are not aware of the consequences
            such actions may have on native animals, plants, and habitats may also release them
            into  the  wild.  When  fish  are  released  in  places  where  they  are  not  native,  they
            can have a negative impact through competition, habitat alteration, hybridization,
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