Don’t miss out on this article on grad students in science learning to communicate, with its splendid examples of “speaking science” in different contexts: How to Talk to Real People. It’s short and very relevant to TOK’s connection between ways of knowing (language) and areas of knowledge (science). Used in class, it could open discussion on inviting questions: In what contexts is “jargon” effective in communication? Conversely, when is it ineffective or even calculated to be confusing? Does it matter whether scientists can communicate with lay people? If it does, why? Though the questions are simple, the possible answers can direct attention toward a lot of complexity not just in academic communication but in media and politics.
Anyone following scientific issues of significance to our technological development, our health or our environment will want to explore questions with students regarding how the public gains its understanding of science — and the wide open possibilities for confusion or deliberate disinformation if scientists can’t communicate comprehensibly to the rest of us.
