CER is a powerful framework used in science education to help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills. It stands for Claim, Evidence, Reasoning, and it’s a way to structure scientific arguments or explanations.
Here’s how it works:
Claim: This is a statement or answer to a scientific question. It’s what you think or what you’ve found out. For example, “Plants grow faster in sunlight.”
Evidence: These are the facts, data, or observations that support your claim. It’s important that evidence is gathered through experiments, observations, or research. For the above claim, evidence could be, “In a two-week experiment, plants in sunlight grew three inches, while those in the dark grew only one inch.”
Reasoning: This links your evidence to your claim. It’s the scientific principle or understanding that explains why your evidence supports your claim. For our example, the reasoning might be, “Photosynthesis, which is necessary for plant growth, requires sunlight. The plants in the sunlight had more opportunity for photosynthesis, hence they grew more.”
Why Use CER?
- Develops Critical Thinking: CER helps students think more deeply about how they draw conclusions from data.
- Improves Communication: Students learn how to construct and articulate logical, evidence-based arguments.
- Encourages Scientific Inquiry: CER mirrors the process scientists use, fostering a better understanding of scientific methods.
