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,