When I think about science, the first thing comes to mind is the scientific method.

Scientific Method

1. Observation–this includes using all of our senses

2. Question–what is of interest to you?

3. Hypothesis–this must be an educated guess based on your observations

4. Prediction–you want to predict what you think the answer to your question will be.

5. Experiment–you will need to conduct the same experiment, with controls and variables, at least three times to gather accurate results

6. Analysis–you will analyze your data that you collected in your experiment.

7. Decision–you will decide if your hypothesis and prediction was correct.

So, when does a hypothesis become a theory? After several tests and plenty of facts to back it, a hypothesis becomes a theory. Is a theory always right? No it isn’t. Just like people have different opinions about particular ideas, people can develop different theories on the same topic/idea. The bottom line is, there must be facts to back a theory. Is a theory persuasive? It sure can be–you have to keep your guard up and really think about what you believe–a lot of research can be needed on a particular topic/idea to develop your own thoughts and beliefs. Furthermore, when a theory is developed, the theorist should want to make it believable by the way it is presented and the proven information that is provided. Likewise, there are several educational theories of how a learner processes knowledge. Does that mean that I must believe every one of those theories? Absolutely not, and I don’t believe them all. As a student in the Educational field, I have observed several learning communities and I have developed my own beliefs about education. I can back them with observation, but I have researched diverse theories and I can agree with the theories that support my discoveries.

So now to the question, is education a science? Yes it is. I believe education is a form of experiment everyday. I know when I was completing my student teaching; I had two students in my class that seemed to have difficulty with various skills that I addressed. Therefore immediately I made a hypothesis, based on my observations, as to what the lack of understanding could be a result of. From then, I began a variety of experiments to find out what way the two students processed the information the best. From then, I analyzed my tests and I very quickly came up with a conclusion of how instruction had to be directed for these students to have a successful learning experience. Therefore, education is an ongoing scientific experiment with unlimited possibilities. The human race is constantly changing and evolving; thus, the world of education is continuing to transform to accommodate the community of learners. Because of the ongoing change, we couldn’t possibly ever know everything about education and that’s why it is a science–educators observe and collect facts to understand how to facilitate information to the diverse learners so each of them have an equal opportunity at a quality education.