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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science
Learning and Teaching, Volume 4, Issue 2, Foreword (Dec., 2003) Jack HOLBROOK Rethink Science Education
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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science
Learning and Teaching, Volume 4, Issue 2, Foreword (Dec., 2003) Jack HOLBROOK Rethink Science Education
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PARADIGM CHANGE 1 Science Education is part of Education
This seems so obvious, but it seems to be poorly understood. Students go to school to be educated. The education is determined by the overseeing body, often the Government, and is expressed through its education policies. These policies, and the goals that are derived from them, represent the needs and aspirations, as felt by society (at least in a democracy) and are designed to meet society's perception of schooling. The goals may be expressed in modified formats for different age levels. Unfortunately many science curriculum developers tend to forget that education is the rationale for schooling and science education is an integral, not a separate, part of this.
- The goals of education, as put forward by those responsible for education
provide the main target for all subject areas, including science subjects.
- These goals seem to be somewhat similar across countries and tend to encompass the following 5 learning areas: Intellectual, Communicative, Social and Moral, Personal and Physical, Aesthetic.
Where education is delivered through subject-based lessons, it is necessary to ensure that the various subject lessons address these goals of education. This is not contentious and is really simply stating the obvious. Science lessons need to be seen as playing their part in ensuring students achieve the goals of education. This is a major consideration
What is problematic is
- the weighting to be given within science lessons to the various educational goals so that a fair balance is provided to the majority of students.
These are the real questions facing science curriculum developers.
Copyright (C) 2003 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 4, Issue 2, Foreword (Dec., 2003). All Rights Reserved.
