Thoughts on Science

In class last week, we had the opportunity to explore science.  We had some insightful and thought-provoking discussions about science; particularly about theories and laws, as well as science versus technology.  To make our discussions and ideas "useful," we were given cylindrical models containing rope; making observations and inferences about how the model works.
For me, having the opportunity to investigate, explore, make observations and some inferences about the model, was in essence how science works.  My partner and I were handed the model without being given any real instruction by the professor, and were simply driven by our own curiosity to figure out how the object worked and also what function the object would serve.  In my opinion, that's the cool thing about science; curiosity and a desire to learn.  Being motivated by curiosity is the foundation of science, and then one's observations build upon that desire to learn.  As Prof. Kruse mentioned, and I completely agree, our past experiences bring also bring so much to our observations.  Essentially, my partner and I were observing the "same" object and what happened when we pulled one rope, etc., but we were also forming different observations and building off one another's own inferences.  Collaboration was key.  The idea that scientists communicate and share ideas was somewhat enlightening for me.  I'm not sure why, but I was resigned to thinking that science was more of a solitary process.
I guess I could go on and on about how I think science works, but I believe that as a future teacher I need to first instill that sense of curiosity in my students.  I think having a tangible object like we did class and being able to make observations and inferences, and also being able to collaborate- to bounce ideas off one another- makes science so much more approachable and fun.