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Time: 20 hours
Level: Intermediate
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 Introduction Resource- This unit provides an account of the major developments in the planning and delivery of the school science curriculum in the UK in a succinct and approachable way. The unit was written in 2003 and although...
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- 1 Unit overview Resource
- In this unit we'll be concerned with what type of science forms the basis of science education, and for what purpose. You'll explore these issues by reading the text that follows and by tackling the activities...
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- 2 What is science? Resource
- In all subjects – and science no less so than others – definitions are problematic. At one level, science is a body of knowledge about the natural world. But this begs the question: what is peculiar about...
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| | 3 Problems of teaching the Nature of Science
- 3.1 Introduction Resource
- In reality, most mainstream science curricula relegate explicit teaching about the nature of science to the margins – a situation almost universally condemned by science educators. Donnelly (2001) describes...
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| | 4 Who is science education for?
- 4 Who is science education for? Resource
- Our focus so far on defining the nature of science raises an equally problematic question – why teach the nature of science? That begs a yet more fundamental question about the purpose of science education...
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| | 5 Education for democracy?
- 5 Education for democracy? Resource
- We are surrounded by, and interact increasingly with, scientific and technological products – for example, electronic miracles such as DVDs, mobile phones or microwave ovens; what is debatable is the extent...
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| | 6 The public understanding of science
- 6 The public understanding of science Resource
- The phrase ‘the public understanding of science’ touches on many of the arguments highlighted up to now. In its simplest form, this is the level of scientific knowledge and understanding displayed by lay...
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| | 7 A way ahead? – Beyond 2000
- 7.1 Introduction Resource
- I now want to take forward the notion of a science curriculum for public understanding, identifying problems and opportunities. Our guide in what follows is the Beyond 2000 document, which emerged from...
- 7.2 Assessing the quality of data Resource
- Ryder points out that Cumbrian sheep farmers were required to have their sheep periodically checked by on-the-spot measurement for radioactive contamination. Here's one farmer's response to the experience...
- 7.3 Multiple interpretations in science Resource
- Talking of media reports of the Chernobyl episode, Millar and Wynne point out that:
- 7.4 Modelling in science Resource
- When scientists use models there is an unspoken assumption that the model can be applied within a limited range of contexts. Although enormously powerful, models are rarely directly applicable to everyday...
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| | 8 What are the chances that scientific literacy will prevail?
- 8 What are the chances that scientific literacy will prevail? Resource
- So far, we've looked at some intellectual and pedagogic challenges about delivering a syllabus driven by the demands of scientific literacy. We've acknowledged benefits, but also touched on concerns about...
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- 9 Evidence of progress? Resource
- The new one-year science course for 16–18 year olds Science for Public Understanding, (SPU) has recently been developed and trialled in the UK. It embodies much of the thinking behind Science 2000. Central...
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| | 10 ‘Science for all?’ A look at some contexts
- 10 ‘Science for all?’ A look at some contexts Resource
- The following statement is from the science National Curriculum in England published in 2000.
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- 11 Primary science Resource
- Primary science has grown in importance in many countries in recent years and all programmes have faced similar problems of improving the science knowledge of primary teachers, lack of equipment, and,...
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| | 12 Science in secondary schools
- 12 Science in secondary schools Resource
- The first three readings in this unit use the context of secondary education, particularly in the UK and Australia. In this section, I'll be looking again at the issues highlighted in the previous section...
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| | 13 Post-compulsory science education
- 13 Post-compulsory science education Resource
- In a speech to the Institute of Economic Affairs in 2001, the then UK Secretary of State for Education said:
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- 14 Final thoughts Resource
- This unit started by asking simple questions such as ‘what science to teach?’ and ‘what is science?’ and pursued them to the point where answers proved both complex and elusive. Much of what I've said...
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| | References and Acknowledgements | |
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