Science is an important part of education for children and adults alike. Teaching science should be a key part of the school curriculum starting with early childhood education through to high school. A better focus on science education is essential to maintaining our innovative economy and promoting science related fields of work.
Science education encourages critical thinking skills, promotes knowledge, and teaches observational learning skills at a young age. Yet many teachers pass up on science in early grades for other subjects, such as maths and language, when there are time constrains or teachers feel unqualified to teach science related subjects. While not seen as a large concern due to other contributing factors, falling science assessment results still stand as a warning to increasing science taught in primary school. (Wilton, 2013).
When it comes to science education, many students test below a level of proficiency in the subject. “93 percent of public school students in Grades 5 through 8 learn physical science from teachers who do not have a college major or certification in the subject.” (As cited in Mance, 2014, para. 2). Many unqualified teachers are teaching subjects to students that they themselves have a poor grasp on. This in turn reflects the low proficiency test scores on the subject of science that researchers are seeing from students. To fix this problem, changes in school curriculum and better teacher qualification requirements are needed.
However, it's not just the students that need to maintain a level of education in science. Parents and other adults are also encouraged find interest in science. When adult learners undertook an eight-week introductory course in science, Brown and Barr (2013) found th...
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...2011, March 12). Supercharging science education essential. Star – Phoenix. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/856928288?accountid=39478
Mance, A. (2014). Teaching Science in U.S. Public Schools. Teaching Science In U.S. Public Schools -- Research Starters Education, 1. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e0h&AN=28544241&site=ehost-live
Waddell, D. (2014, May 12). Teacher's kind concern leaves impression for a lifetime; from dropout to world-class car designer. The Windsor Star Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1524072871?accountid=39478
Wilton, K. (2013, August 22). Push for more primary-school science renewed; quebec ranked ninth in canada education council says subject should be made mandatory for grades 1 and 2. The Gazette. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1426926935?accountid=39478
United States. National Center for Education Statistics. Long-Term Trends in Student Science Performance. Sep. 1998. Web. 2 May 2009. .
General Science is a study involving biology, chemistry, physics and environmental sciences. Students from Year 7 to Year 10 are introduced to these various disciplines to gain general knowledge about science and can later develop into deeper concepts. Science is not just fat laboratory coats, Einstein’s equations, mixing chemicals, massive space shuttles, or peeking through microscopes, but involves critical thinking, analysing data and applying understandings of the natural world to solve real problems. Science is an approach to learning what made this world and how things worked decades ago, how they work today, and how they are expected to work in forthcoming years. Some of the social justice issues hidden behind science can have major consequences.
Michael, S.et al. (2008). Prospects for improving K-12 science education from the federal level. Journal of Education 69(9): 677-683.
“All over the world there are enormous numbers of smart, even gifted, people who harbor a passion for science. But that passion is unrequited. Surveys suggest that some 95 percent of Americans are “scientifically illiterate.”
The term ‘scientific literacy’ has eluded precise definition ever since it was coined in 1958. That year, in light of the astonishing swift advancements made by mid-century scientists (e.g. the splitting of the atom, space exploration), three publications appeared that made reference to scientific literacy: a report by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which called for a larger technically trained workforce to safeguard our economic and military strength, and a more scientifically literate public able to execute civic responsibilities intelligently; a publication from Paul Hurd and colleagues at Stanford University that exhorted curricula leaders to develop pedagogies that promoted both the cultural and practical aspects of science; and a published address by the president of Shell Chemical Corporation, who called for new curricula emphasizing the fundamentals of science, its history, and its significance for active citizenship and everyday life (see DeBoer, 2000 for review). As DeBoer (2000) noted, however, all three publications used broad brushstrokes to define scientific literacy, thus shrouding the term in ambiguity. Indeed, when asked how they interpreted “scientific literacy,” scientists and science educators had disparate notions about the role content knowledge and a broader understanding of the nature of science had in developing a scientifically literate student (DeBoer, 2000). If nothing else, this example underscores the need for clear definitions and fully articulated curricular goals. To this end, educators have spent several decades making sense of the conceptual spectrum of scientific literacy, resulting in the dissection of scientific literacy into the following sub-genres: pra...
An education is something that one can keep for a lifetime. Acquiring a good education can affect one’s personal life, one’s community, and one’s entire generation.
In high school, I was sort of a science wiz; most of my peers would rely on me for answers to the question on homework assignments. Science came natural to me; however, that wasn’t always my strongest subject. In fact, while I was in middle school, I hated science and could not understand anything about the subject. I also constantly achieved no higher than a 40 on my science quizzes in 5th ...
...o listen carefully to ensure that kids are discussing scientific ideas, not socializing. The teacher's role is to ensure that students achieve their primary goal: meaningful understanding of scientific concepts. The practices described in this article help bring this about in several ways. When instruction centers on students and focuses on hands-on experience with scientific phenomena, science class becomes an exciting place. When instruction concentrates on the investigation of current problems and issues through scientific inquiry, science class becomes a relevant and meaningful place. When instruction emphasizes the development of communication skills, science class becomes an invaluable place for preparing children to tackle the challenges of adulthood. And the education community owes it to its students to assess their academic progress fairly and accurately.
This class has opened my mind to the incredible impact that STEM Education can have on our society. I do not work in an institution that has a STEM program. I work at a preschool; this makes my practice of any type of STEM program extremely limited. However, it is a private school. All my students come from households where one or both of their parents are professionals. These professionals want their children to be academically prepared for school. This means we must academically, mentally, and emotionally prepare them for their future schooling. I teach my students how to be a functioning participant in a classroom while exploring mathematics, science, art, history, literature and pre-writing. Puzzles, counting, shapes, measuring, etc. are on the daily agenda. Science is a huge part of our curriculum. Science in the
Children in grades 3 through 5 are moving from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" and from "learning to write" to "writing to communicate". Students learn to work independently. They learn to read words and make mental pictures. Third through fifth graders also learn to write paragraphs, short essays and stories that make a point. The curriculum becomes more integrated. "Reading to learn" helps third through fifth graders better understand the scientific method and how to test hypotheses about the physical world. Additionally, "reading to learn" aids students in graphing and calculating scientific observations and then writing up their conclusions. Third grade science class will open new worlds of wonder and invite curious mind to explore (Williams, 2012).
After twelve years of school, it took me until now to figure out exactly why I had been there all those years. It was not to torture me by making me learn how to spell but to make sure that my classmates and I got the opportunity to make the most of ourselves. Opportunity that would come from learning as much as possible from books and beginning to see that the world focuses on more than just history and English . I owe my success in life and school to teachers who taught me to spell and to be respectful and responsible. Those quick to argue with me say that school's usefulness is shallow: deeper-real-life experiences truly educate a person. School should be seen not only as a place to study, but also as a place to learn about real life. People cannot depend on experience alone for education just as they cannot solely rely on information from school books to prepare them for life. The lessons, whether from a book or not, learned in school transcend the classroom to real life situations.
Education plays a vital role in shaping tomorrows’ leaders. Not only can we become a better nation by acquiring the skills necessary to be productive members of a civilized society. Increase knowledge to actively achieve and meet challenges that can produce changes in which are productive for attaining business innovations, political and economic objectives.
Science is a method of understanding how things work. It is important because we need science in order for things to work and to develop new technology that is used in every day life. It is personally important to me because I really want to become a vet when I get older and I would need to do really well in science. Even though science isn’t exactly my best subject, I am willing to put in the hard work and determination so I may eventually get better and learn what I need to know.
In closing, science education is like an invisible force that pushes everything forward. It is not always noticed, but the results of teaching science in schools could be world-changing. Science has helped in so many different industries such as the medicine field where it has been helping throughout the ages to save lives. In addition, if earth science is taught, everyone will live in a world with cleaner air, because more people will be educated to make the right decisions and help this planet. With that it is clear that teaching science education in classes is extremely important for everyone’s future.
In Science, teachers serve as the facilitator of learning, guiding them through the inquiry process. Teachers must ask open-ended questions, allow time for the students to answer, avoid telling students what to do, avoid discouraging students’ ideas or behaviors, encourage to find solutions on their own, encourage collaboration, maintain high standards and order, develop inquiry-based assessments to monitor students’ progress, and know that inquiry may be challenging for some students so be prepared to provide more guidance. There are three types of Science inquiry: structured, guided, and open. Structured is the most teacher-centered form of inquiry. This type of inquiry is mainly seen in laboratory exercises where the teacher needs to provide structure, however the students are the ones who conduct the experiment and find conclusions. Guided inquiry is where the students are given tools to develop a process and find the results. As an example, the teacher would instruct the students to build a rocket, but not tell them how to design it. This leaves creativity and uniqueness for the students to be able to apply their knowledge and skills. Open inquiry is when students determine the problem, i...