Episode 10 | Discrepant Events, A Way to Engage the Scientific Mind

After a description of a few demonstrations regarding the nature and behavior of water, each that have a “surprising” finish, we discuss how these sort of surprises constitute “discrepant” events. This then leads to a discussion of the “Why” do these events occur, what are the chemical and physical properties at work. We explore how discrepancies can constitute opportunities to cause “perturbation” or a space in the learner to come to a new understanding. We wander off on a minor tangent that generates, for us, a way to more fully investigate these properties. These perturbative events generate within the learner a state of “cognitive disequilibrium” which can then be capitalized upon by a guiding hand to create new knowledge within the learner. We include some talk on the reasons behind the structure Dr. Steve chose to get the learners to the place he was aiming.