What Role Should Big Ideas Play in Science Curricula?

This paper tells the story of the development of a science unit from a unique epistemological perspective—termed “realist constructivism.” The teacher in the realist constructivist approach is not expected to relinquish his or her expert status. Instead, that person adopts a stance, described in recent writings by one of the researchers as a “sage on the side” role that is mid-way between the traditional “sage on the stage” role and that of the inquiry-oriented “guide on the side” (Prawat, 2003). As this metaphor suggests, teachers in this approach play a more direct role than they do in the typical constructivist-oriented approach in science, social studies, and other disciplines. Reflecting this role, the approach can best be described as an “ideas first/inquiry second” variant on active teaching and learning. Data from implementation studies are presented that support this novel approach to science curricula development.