Illustrate objectives of teaching science at school level.
Answers
The aims of the teaching and study of sciences are to encourage and enable students to: develop inquiring minds and curiosity about science and the natural world. ... develop skills of scientific inquiry to design and carry out scientific investigations and evaluate scientific evidence to draw conclusions.
Aims
The aims of the teaching and study of sciences are to encourage and enable students to:
develop inquiring minds and curiosity about science and the natural worldacquire knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills to solve problems and make informed decisions in scientific and other contextsdevelop skills of scientific inquiry to design and carry out scientific investigations and evaluate scientific evidence to draw conclusionscommunicate scientific ideas, arguments and practical experiences accurately in a variety of waysthink analytically, critically and creatively to solve problems, judge arguments and make decisions in scientific and other contexts
appreciate the benefits and limitations of science and its application in technological developmentsunderstand the international nature of science and the interdependence of science, technology and society, including the benefits, limitations and implications imposed by social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and ethical factorsdemonstrate attitudes and develop values of honesty and respect for themselves, others, and their shared environment.
Objectives
The objectives of sciences listed below are final objectives and they describe what students should be able to do by the end of the course. These objectives have a direct correspondence with the final assessment criteria, A–F (see “Sciences assessment criteria”).
A One world
This objective refers to enabling students to understand the interdependence between science and society. Students should be aware of the global dimension of science, as a universal activity with consequences for our lives and subject to social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and ethical factors.
At the end of the course, and within local and global contexts, students should be able to:
describe and discuss ways in which science is applied and used to solve local and global problemsdescribe and evaluate the benefits and limitations of science and scientific applications as well as their effect on life and society
discuss how science and technology are interdependent and assist each other in the development of knowledge and technological applications
discuss how science and its applications interact with social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and ethical factors.
B Communication in science
This objective refers to enabling students to develop their communication skills in science. Students should be able to understand scientific information, such as data, ideas, arguments and investigations, and communicate it using appropriate scientific language in a variety of communication modes and formats as appropriate.
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
communicate scientific information using a range of scientific language
communicate scientific information using appropriate modes of communication
present scientific information in a variety of formats, acknowledging sources as appropriate
demonstrate honesty when handling data and information, acknowledging sources as appropriate
use where appropriate a range of information and communication technology applications to access, process and communicate scientific information.
C Knowledge and understanding of science
This objective refers to enabling students to understand the main ideas and concepts of science and to apply them to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar situations. Students are expected to develop critical and reflective thinking and judge the credibility of scientific information when this is presented to them.
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
recognize and recall scientific information
explain and apply scientific information to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar situations
analyse scientific information by identifying components, relationships and patterns, both in experimental data and ideas
discuss and evaluate scientific information from different sources (Internet, newspaper articles, television, scientific texts and publications) and assess its credibility.
D Scientific inquiry
This objective refers to enabling students to develop scientific inquiry skills to design and carry out scientific investigations.
E Processing data
This objective refers to enabling students to record, organize and process data. Students should be able to collect and transform data by numerical calculations into diagrammatic form. Students should be able to analyse and interpret data and explain appropriate conclusions.