position paper on science

8/10/2019 Position Paper on Science

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(Penultimate draft. For favour of comments.)

Position Paper on Science

July 2011

State Council of Education, Research and Training (SCERT)

ydera!ad, "ndhra Pradesh

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#$S$%& %' TE ST"TE

The vision of AP is that ALL children should receive high

quality education and become responsible citizens with an acute

sense of the other. They should be aware of their environment

and think about it critically. They should listen carefully and

speak fearlessly. They should be able to understand what they

hear and read; but they should also be able to question it.

Teachers should promote these skills provide meaningful

teaching learning processes in natural and friendly environment

that enable children to e!press themselves freely and ask

questions. Teachers are collaborative learners and reflective

practitioners. Parents and community should have a sense of

ownership and participate in the life of the school. "n a world

which is becoming increasingly instrumental materialistic and

competitive school should become a space for reflection

cooperation and promotion of human and ethical values.

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C%&TE&TS

Members of the Focus Group

Executive Summary

Members of the Focus Group

Chairperson

Eecutie Su**ary

Today in 2011, with dreams of making India a developed country, it is acknowledged

that we must become knowledge creating / generating society not just knowledgeusing ociety! The teaching of cience in schools should prepare the young minds to

face challenges, analyse and try to solve them! "n the one hand inventions and

discoveries made in the field of science improve the way of living and #uality of life

of its citi$ens and on the other hand it helps us understand the world rationally and

helps us check and correct our prejudices and biases! Thus it is correct to say

education in science fosters the spirit of in#uiry that helps all of us to find solutions to

problems and to rise above narrow minded, dogmatic and superstitious behavior!

%or the above said to happen it is important that science teaching aims towards

developing critical scientific thinking abilities, nurturing scientific attitudes and

promoting scientific temper! It also needs to involve creating an understanding of the

process by which scientific knowledge grows!

&urrently teachers attempt to pass on ma'imum information to the students! tudents

are generally only listening passively and the classroom process emphasis is on

memori$ation of definitions and scientific facts! The content is limited to te'tbooks

and is considered as the final word! The whole emphasis from parents, students and

teachers is on good marks! The other problems are(

)on*availability of relevant materials as kit for doing e'periments!

)on*availability of ade#uate and capable teachers leading to inade#uate

discussion and support to children!

)o time for the teacher to self reflect and analyse the way students are

thinking and presenting and to use that in the plan!

Teachers+ have insufficient preparation to teach cience and there are no

support mechanisms to help them in the school!


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The lack of clarity on objectives of cience teaching leads to an over emphasis

on rote memory and information recall in assessment!

+hat is ScienceIt is a process of constructing knowledge! This process depends

both on making careful observations of phenomena and on inventing theories for

making sense out of those observations! &hange in knowledge is inevitable because

new observations may challenge prevailing theories! It demands evidence and is both

a blend of logical reasoning and imagination to form a theory or e'planation!

The essential feature of science is the spirit of en#uiry and discovery and so it

becomes the basis for science teaching! The activities and e'periments must be

designed to nurture and channel curiosity, ask #uestions, make observations and lead

to an open argumentation that leads to evolve the acceptable, accurate

solution/conclusion in a democratic way!

%!-ecties of Science teaching

The main objectives of cience teaching at primary stage are to maintain the curiosity

about the world and have the child engage in e'ploratory and hands on activities that

would lead to the development of basic cognitive and psychomotor skills! The criteria

for identifying the content at the primary stage are relevance, meaningfulness and

interest to the child!

cience education at elementary level should provide a gradual transition from an

e'posure to ideas of cience through environmental studies of the primary stage to

elements of science including its concepts, processes and methods!

-t the econdary tage concepts principles and skills of science would now appear

appropriately but stress should be on use of concepts, on the ability to investigate and

on comprehension and not on mere formal definitions!

.e must point out science education today does not have enough e'amples from

practical life! -s a result, we are not able to use concepts in our daily life! The

practical implications for life are totally distinct from the te'tbooks! It is not

surprising that the students who are good at using ideas with the help of the te'tbook

get pu$$led by similar issues in daily life!

Teaching learning of Science

- variety of teaching learning methods need to be adopted by the teacher to develop

process skills among children! These methods include relevant and interesting projects

for involve data collection, analysis, reporting, reasoning and inference!

The teachers role, largely, is not to give answers but to guide children so that they

arrive at the answer through processes of e'ploration and discussion!

"ssess*ent


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There are two specific major deficiencies in the current e'amination system of

science! The science papers do not attempt to assess understanding of the subject!

They contain formal #uestions, which can be handled by rote learning! There are no

occasions for thinking, for discussions, no challenging problems are posed and no

e'periment based #uestions! econdly, the board e'aminations are held on a fi'ed

date for the whole year of learning! This feature coupled with the e'aggerated

importance attached to the e'ternal e'amination leads to a lot of stress in the run up to

and the post e'amination scenario!

There is a need to overcome the notion of te'tbook*based evaluation! -ssessment

needs to include elements that the te'tbooks do not contain! The scope of evaluation

should be widened by adding non*formal and co*curricular elements!

In sciences, it is necessary that every test item should make the learners think and/or

e'periment! The tasks for assessment should be challenging! There must be open

ended #uestions in the e'am!


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1. Introduction

The quality of science teaching has to be raised considerably so

as to achieve its proper objectives and purposes, namely, to

promote an ever-deepening understanding of basic principles, todevelop problem-solving and analytical skills and the ability to

apply them to the problems of the material environment and social

living, and to promote the spirit of enquiry and experimentation.

nly then can a scienti!c outlook become a part of our "ay of life

and culture.#

Education and National Development, Report of the Education

Commission 1964-66 NCER!, 19"1, p 1#

!he tas$ laid out %efore us %& the 'othari Commission more than

4( &ears a)o continues to %e a challen)e even toda& *n #(11, +ith

dreams of ma$in) *ndia a developed countr&, it is ac$no+led)ed

that +e must %ecome a $no+led)e creatin))eneratin) societ& and

not continue to %e ust a $no+led)e usin) societ& !he teachin) of

science in schools should prepare &oun) minds to face challen)es,

anal&se and tr& to overcome them .hile the teachin) of this

su%ect is in/uenced %& social, cultural, political and economic

perspectives, it has a lar)e component that comes from %asic

rational principles and o%servations that are %roadl& the same

across all $inds of diversities in )eo)raph&, social %ac$)round and

culture *t has in that some $e& elements that )ive an

understandin) of ho+ thin)s in nature, includin) ourselves, +or$

*t is o%served that the economic development of a countr& is, to a

lar)e e0tent in/uenced %& its strides in science and technolo)& n

the one hand inventions and discoveries made in the 2eld of

science improve the +a& of livin) and 3ualit& of life of its citiens

and on the other hand it helps us understand the +orld rationall&

and helps us chec$ and correct our preudices and %iases Even

thou)h all technolo)ical uses of science are not %ene2cial and all

3uestions studied not appropriate for rational, ust and e3uita%le

societ&, %& and lar)e science is critical for %oth ph&sical

development of the countr& as +ell as that of the minds and

sensi%ilities of its people *t is imperative to promote this 2eld of

$no+led)e ri)ht from the earl& sta)es of schoolin)


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ur Constitution has reco)nied the importance of developin)

scientific temper in all citiens .e ma& sa& education in science

fosters the spirit of in3uir& that helps all of us to 2nd solutions to

pro%lems and to rise a%ove narro+ minded, do)matic and

superstitious %ehaviour !here is an ever increasin) demand forscience education in the societ& as it opens up more and %etter

emplo&ment opportunities includin) avenues for self 5 emplo&ment

ll this ma$es this su%ect a vital part in a childs education %oth

for her personal %ene2t %ut also for social )ains *n fact, it can %e

stron)l& ar)ued that human civiliation o+es its development to

the spirit of in3uir& *nherent curiosit& and a%ilit& for s&stematic

o%servation of Nature and e0perimentation is a part of our cultural

herita)e too

1.1 Critique: State of Science Education in Schools ofAndhra Pradesh

!eachin) science should aim to+ards helpin) students develop

their understandin) of science and its concepts *t must also

involve developin) critical scienti2c thin$in) a%ilities, nurturin)

scienti2c attitudes and promotin) scienti2c temper *t should aim

to+ards creatin) an understandin) of the process %& +hich

scienti2c $no+led)e )ro+s

*t certainl& cannot %e information %ased onl& reduced to

memoriation and recall 7ost of the studies in ndhra 8radesh

have revealed that presentl& the science classes are teacher

dominated !he teachers attempt to pass on ma0imum information

to the students tudents are )enerall& onl& listenin) passivel& and

the classroom process emphasis is on memoriation of de2nitionsand scienti2c facts 7emoriation of these is ta$en to %e the same

an understandin) of scienti2c concepts and e0aminations test onl&

the a%ilit& to reproduce the memoried information tudents )et

no opportunit& to do e0periments +ith their o+n hands or even see

a demonstration Even thou)h a lot of $it material has reached

schools most of it lies under loc$ and $e& unutilied !hus science

is reduced to %ein) a %orin) su%ect to %e learnt %& rote +ith no

e0citin) intellectual challen)e for the students

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1.2 The Challenges before Us

critical o%servation of present state of science education reveals

that there are man& practices in the s&stem +hich are contrar& to

the aims and o%ectives of cience Education !he& present a

maor challen)e %efore us if +e have to transform teachin) of

science in our schools to achieve the social and national )oals

stated a%ove .e need to anal&e the reasons for these and come

up +ith some suita%le solutions !he follo+in) are some of these

challen)es:-

(1 Teacher Perce!tions about Science Education

!he o%ective of cience teachin) is to ma$e the child $no+ all

scienti2c facts

!he content that is in the te0t%oo$s is 2nal No other materials

are availa%le for learnin) other than the te0t%oo$s !he onl&

o%ective is to understand and learn +hat is there in them

corin) )ood mar$s in an information %ased memor&-recall

science test is a &ardstic$ for 3ualit& of science $no+led)e

7a$in) children participate in e0periments, proects and 2eld

trips is time consumin) process and therefore not +orth doin)

*t is not possi%le to assess ac3uisition of process s$ills %&

students in normal classroom condition

!he purpose of home+or$ ;or< assi)nment is to ma$e a child

memorie the correct ans+ers to 3uestions e0plained in the

classroom

(2 E"!ectations of !arents and school authorities

8arents onl& +ant their children to score )ood mar$s in the

science test

chool authorities insist that the science teacher adopt

particular strate)ies to see that parents aspirations of )ood

mar$s %e addressed

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(# $i%itations of Science Curriculu%& S'llabus and

Teaching$earning %aterials

!he teachers are usin) onl& the te0t%oo$ as the sole resource

for teachin) of science

!he present science curriculum and s&lla%us does not support

teachin)

of science as development of concepts, a%ilit& to o%serve,

anal&se, h&pothesie and deduce and develop a critical

attitude

.hile the te0t%oo$s do have some su))ested activities to do,

these activities are not e0pected to have an& direct %earin)

on the learnin) process

!he understandin) is that children not doin) these activities

ma& not su=er an& shortcomin) in their learnin) >ence

teachers are under no compulsion to ensure that e0periments

and activities are done in the class

!he information content of the te0t%oo$s is often ver& dense

and cr&ptic +ith no attempt to ensure reada%ilit& and

understandin) at the level of the class or a)e of the children

!here is a lac$ of proper concept mappin) +ith concepts

%ein) introduced in no lo)ical or hierarchical se3uence ?er&

often ne+ terms or concepts appear in te0t assumin) that

children are familiar +ith them +ithout con2rmin) +hether

the& have appeared +ith proper introduction and e0planation

in earlier chapters or previous classes

!hus the %urden of ina%ilit& to understand restricts the

possi%ilit& of children en)a)in) +ith the su%ect matter and

the discipline of science in a constructive manner forcin)

them to resort to memoriation +ithout understandin) for the

purpose of the e0amination !he cheap )uide%oo$s availa%le

in the mar$et act as convenient replacements for the

te0t%oo$ providin) read&made ans+ers to %e mu))ed

!he e0amination s&stem also tests onl& this memoried

$no+led)e once inducin) children to for)et +hatever the&learnt or memoried for the e0am leadin) to students in

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hi)her classes havin) ver& little memor& of +hat the& learnt

in earlier classes No )radual consolidation of conceptual

understandin) or $no+led)e %ase ta$es place resultin) in

total lac$ of con2dence and interest in the su%ect as students

move to hi)her classes

!here is a lac$ of other teachin) 5learnin) material includin)

simple a)e appropriate readers for promotin) further en3uir&

and self learnin) !his reinforces sole dependence on the

te0t%oo$

!he presentation of the su%ect matter and illustrations in the

te0t%oo$ also needs attention and improvement

() $ac* of Teacher Pre!aration and Utilisation

7ost teachers from @pper 8rimar& sta)e on+ards are

themselves not familiar +ith the su%ect matter and lac$

conceptual understandin) !he& lac$ con2dence in doin)

e0periments themselves or )uidin) children in doin)

activities !eacher trainin) pro)rammes have not %een a%le

to 2ll these )aps

*n hi)h schools +here separate teachers for life sciences and

ph&sical sciences have %een appointed, the tendenc& is to

divide the s&lla%us into t+o parts and teach them

independentl& !hou)h the approach up to Class A is one of

inte)rated science, the t+o teachers are not a%le to +or$ as a

team to neither )ive an inte)rated perspective to the

students nor assist each other in or)aniin) e0periments and

other activities

(+ $ogistical and Infrastructural Challenges

Non-availa%ilit& of relevant materials such as $it for doin)

e0periments, li%rar& for %oo$s, etc

Bac$ of enou)h competent, capa%le and ade3uatel& trained

teachers leadin) to inade3uate activit&, discussion and

support to children

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No time for the teacher to re/ect and anal&e the +a&

students are thin$in) and presentin) and to use that in

evolvin) or modif&in) her teachin) plan

Bac$ of e=ective support mechanisms to help the teachers+ith insu=icient preparation to teach science

Bac$ of clarit& on o%ectives of science teachin) ri)ht do+n to

the )rass root level leadin) to an over emphasis on rote

memor& and information recall in assessment

1.# Acti,it'based Science Teaching: Elusi,e -oal

!he polic& )uidelines for teachin) of science in our countr& have

emphasied in some measure the process of learnin) %& doin) since

the earl& seventies !his approach, ho+ever, has not %ecome

common as it re3uires a capa%ilit& in the s&stem that does not &et

e0ist *t has also %een felt that this re3uires too much material and

also discussions that +ould ta$e lon) time

*t ma& %e emphasied that +e are not here tal$in) a%out mere

mechanical activit& to aid teachin) %ut an approach that uses %oth

mind and hands !he entire science class should %e im%ued +ith aspirit of en3uir& *t must ma$e and pose 3uestions, thin$

s&stematicall& and arrive at possi%le conclusions !hin$in) must

%lend +ith continuous discussion and creative ima)ination

Children must not ust learn concepts in science %ut develop

en3uir& and critical thin$in) !he open ended 3uestions +ould

en)a)e the &oun) minds to )rapple +ith and develop

understandin) im%ued +ith lo)ical s&stematic ar)umentation *n

addition to all this, it has %een reco)nied that +e cannot disre)ardthe potential of science to in/uence social understandin) and

consider its promotion as a social endeavour !he National

Curriculum rame+or$ ;NC< #(( has also emphasied a similar

approach to teachin) of science

1.) The C/ 200+ Pers!ecti,e: The Si" alidit' Criterion

*n developin) a vision for science education three factors have to

%e involved: the learner ;child


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the o%ect of learnin) ;science


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!hus an& discussion on science education +ould re/ect our

understandin) of the nature of science, ho+ children learn and the

conte0t of the +ider environment

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applica%le to other parts or instance, the same principles of

motion and )ravitation that e0plain the motion of fallin)

o%ects on the surface of the earth also e0plain the motion of

the moon and the planets

cience is a process of constructin) $no+led)e !he

process depends %oth on ma$in) careful o%servations of

phenomena and on inventin) theories for ma$in) sense out of

those o%servations Conse3uences of theories are deduced

throu)h devisin) 3ualitative or mathematical models %ased

on rational ar)uments leadin) to their veri2cation or

falsi2cation throu)h o%servations and controlled e0periments

)ivin) rise to principles, theories and la+s )overnin) the

ph&sical +orld *nterestin)l& enou)h, +hat +e choose to

o%serve is in turn dictated %& the tentative conceptualiation

or theoriation prevailin) at that time 8hilosophers of

science descri%e this as o%servations are theor&-laden

peculation and conecture also have a place in science,

su%ect to su%se3uent veri2cation %& relevant o%servations

andor e0periments. !here is an important creative element

in practice of science cienti2c ideas are su%ect to chan)e ma$in) science a

d&namic, e0pandin) %od& of $no+led)e Chan)e in

$no+led)e is inevita%le %ecause ne+ o%servations ma&

challen)e prevailin) theories, as the domain of human

e0perience e0pands !he la+s of science are never vie+ed as

20ed eternal truths Even the most esta%lished and universal

la+s of science are al+a&s re)arded as provisional, su%ect to

modi2cation in the li)ht of ne+ o%servations, e0perimentsand anal&sis

e&nman, a famous scientist said Fcienti2c $no+led)e

is a %od& of statements of var&in) de)rees of certaint& --

some most unsure, some nearl& sure, none absolutely

certainG >e further )oes on to sa&, Ff all its ;science< man&

values, the )reatest must %e the freedom to dou%tG *ndeed

scepticism has %een an important characteristic of scienti2c

thin$in) and has pla&ed an historic role in pro)ress of

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the use of h&pothesis and theories, the $inds of lo)ic used,

and much more !hevalidit& of scientific claims is settled %&

referrin) to o%servations of phenomena >ence, science

concentrates on )ettin) accurate data

cience is a %lend of lo)ic and ima)ination cienti2c

concepts do not emer)e automaticall& from data or from an&

amount of anal&sis alone !he assumption has to %e

connected +ith conclusions throu)h scienti2c ar)uments that

conform to the principles of lo)ical reasonin) ometimes

discoveries in science are made une0pectedl& even %&

accident and often %& leaps of ima)ination

cience e0plains and predicts !he predictions ma& %ea%out evidence from the past that has not &et %een found or

studied theor& a%out the ori)ins of human %ein)s, for

e0ample, can %e tested %& ne+ discoveries of human-li$e

fossil remains !his approach is clearl& necessar& for

reconstructin) the events in the histor& of the earth or of the

life forms on it *t is also necessar& for the stud& of processes

that usuall& occur ver& slo+l&, such as the %uildin) of

mountains or the a)in) of stars cience re3uires accurate record $eepin), peer revie+

and replica%ilit& Ne+ $no+led)e must %e reported clearl&

and openl&

cience is not authoritarian !heories are ud)ed %&

their results: .hen someone comes up +ith a ne+ or

improved version that e0plains more phenomena or ans+ers

more important 3uestions than the previous version, the ne+

one eventuall& ta$es its place !he histor& of science reveals

%oth an evolutionar& and revolutionar& character

cience is a comple0 social activit& cienti2c +or$

involves man& individuals doin) man& di=erent $inds of +or$

and )oes on to some de)ree in all nations of the +orld 7en

and +omen of all ethnic and national %ac$)rounds participate

in science and its applications !hese peopleIscientists and

en)ineers, mathematicians, ph&sicians, technicians,

computer pro)rammers, li%rarians, and othersIma& focus on

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scienti2c $no+led)e either for its o+n sa$e or for a particular

practical purpose, and the& ma& %e concerned +ith data

)atherin), theor& %uildin), instrument %uildin), or

communicatin)

.hile not ever&thin) from di=erent cultures +ould

3ualif& as scienti2c $no+led)e, people from all cultures have

contri%uted to science in some +a& or the other !his can %e

attri%uted to human endeavor to arrive at relia%le validated

$no+led)e in di=erent cultures

cience has %een part of social and cultural traditions

and in turn scienti2c ideas have %een rooted in the social and

cultural milieu n important contri%ution of science has %eenthe +a& it has %een reshapin) our +orldvie+ or e0ample,

till hardl& four hundred &ears a)o ever&%od& %elieved the

earth to %e the centre of the universe +ith the sun and the

moon )oin) round it !oda&, even if it mi)ht apparentl& not

seem so, ever& child )ro+s up +ith the $no+led)e that the

earth is or%itin) round the sun and is de2nitel& not the centre

of the universe

.hile technolo)& de2nitel& predates science, there has%een a close relationship %et+een technolo)& and science,

particularl& over last four centuries *n fact, it +ould not %e

+ron) to descri%e modern technolo)& as applied science as

much of technolo)& around us is %ased on %asic principles of

science !echnolo)ical solutions are )uided %& desi)n,

aesthetics, economics and other practical considerations as

also %& scienti2c principles

!he ver& de2nition of pro)ress has come to %e lin$ed

+ith advances in science and technolo)& Ne+ 2elds of +or$

and production have emer)ed +hile traditional 2elds have

%een transformed %e&ond reco)nition li$e a)riculture,

manufacturin), construction, transport, communication and

entertainment 8eople are faced +ith a fast-chan)in) +orld

demandin) /e0i%ilit& to adapt to ne+ demands and creativit&

to ta$e advanta)e of ne+ opportunities cience education

has to rise to meet these e0pectations

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2.1 I%!lications for Teaching of Science

!he essential feature of science is the spirit of en3uir& and

discover& and so it must %ecome the %asis for science teachin) n

understandin) of science can %e)in onl& +ith a de2nite minimum of

%asic factual $no+led)e and voca%ular& and some real e0perience

of investi)ation coupled +ith a $no+led)e and understandin) of the

+a&s in +hich scienti2c methods are used cience teachin) must

en)a)e and encoura)e the children +ho are %& nature curious and

3uestion ever&thin) !he& come to school +ith a fairl& rich

$no+led)e of their immediate environment !hus the %asic

in)redients are availa%le to e0pose them to the e0citin) +orld of

e0ploration and discover& and the m&steries of nature uch a

%e)innin) provides a sound platform to %uild upon their

understandin), $no+led)e %ase and anal&tical and operative s$ills

ma$in) their ourne& of learnin) science e0citin) and fruitful

*t is understood from the nature of science that it is not ust a %od&

of $no+led)e %ut a process of constructin) $no+led)e !herefore,

science teachin) must not %e didactic ften it is the scientists

discover&invention that is hi)hli)hted in content and never the

%ac$)round ho+ heshe arrived at that discover&invention !he

process ho+ the& arrived at it is crucial to develop conceptual

understandin) and inculcate the scienti2c method of en3uir&

>ence this process needs to %e emphasied in the teachin) process

and te0t%oo$s

cience is a s&stematic, careful and committed in3uir& throu)h

e0perimentation for veri2cation or validation !he activities and

e0periments must %e desi)ned to nurture and channel curiosit&, as$

3uestions, ma$e o%servations and lead to an open ar)umentation

evolvin) accepta%le, accurate solutionconclusion in a democratic

+a& *t is vital that children are prepared throu)h science teachin)

to attempt to construct $no+led)e and en)a)e in continuous

en3uir& to satisf& their innate curiosit&

cience and technolo)& is ever e0pandin) and pro)ressin) %&

constant 3uestionin), e0perimentation, veri2cation or validation

leadin) to development of ne+ theories, inventions or improvedversions of the e0istin) ones !hus the 3ualities of openness and

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/e0i%le attitude, to %e tolerant of criticism, and to accept others

vie+s need to %e fostered

'no+led)e and understandin) of scienti2c concepts and

phenomenon do not emer)e automaticall& !he& are fruits of la%our

of some scientist or )roup of scientists +ith commitment to $no+

the un$no+n !he children are to %e encoura)ed to develop such

commitment to conduct their proects in a s&stematic and anal&tical

+a&

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# The Student $earner and the Conte"t

The only organism on the earth is able to think is human being! 6an

particularly children are very curious to nature! &hildren wants to play it, find

it, and e'plore it, &hild has in innate potentialities to do so! 7very activity in

our daily life has a systematic structure and function either it is a children play

or a elder activity! There are enormous fields of knowledge in our surroundings

cookingfood, plants /o+in), pla&in) +ith $ites, %irds /&in), +ater

%oilin), fodderin), rain, ill health, a)ricultural practices, usin)

technolo)ical instruments etc are all in the e0periential or%it of the

children

Children sho+s interest to ma$e thin)s for e0ample cla& modelin)

paper to&s etc !he& also a%le to formulate rules and re)ulation for

the )ames that the& pla& in )roups J& e0plorin) such natural

environmental e0periences children can construct $no+led)e on

their o+n Child participate in an& dail& life activit& there the&

o%serve the process and curious a%out the results, mean +hile the&

)uess a%out it inall& the& come to conclusion *n this +a& child

ac3uire $no+led)e from her immediate environment !he +a& child

learn from his e0periences is cience

.hen the child e0perience +ith in a situation she o%serve the

process +hat is )oin) on, and esta%lishin) a relationship or a ne+

%ond +ith that %& identif&in) similarities or dissimilarities Child is

ea)er to share here e0periences +ith others !his sho+s that child

has the a%ilit& to e0plain, conclusions, understandin) a%ilit& of the

process are all improves alon) +ith her a)e Children at up-level

are a%le to understand causes of the e=ects !he& can do simple

e0periments on their o+n cience learnin) should promote

anal&tical thin$in) at hi)h school level Jecause their

understandin) a%out a%stract concepts is +iden o children at that

level participate in la%orator& activities cience education

amal)amate these innate a%ilit& of the child +ith school curricular

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activities !he purpose of science learnin) is to develop the innate

potentialities of the children to+ards nature science education

should promote concern to+ards %iodiversit& and appl& that

thin$in) in their dail& life this ma$es children nature friendl&humanistic personals

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). Science as the subject in the curriculum

(Curriculu% at di7erent stage

s per the )eneral aims o%ectives content peda)o)& and

assessment +ould di=er across di=erent sta)es .hile decidin)

)radation of science curriculum it must %e %orne in mind that a

maorit& of the students stud& science as a compulsor& su%ect up

to class 5A in ndhra 8radesh lthou)h most of these children are

not )oin) to train as professional scientists or technolo)ists in their

latter career, the& need to %ecome scienti2call& literate !he

science curriculum up to class 5 A should %e oriented more to+ards

developin) a+areness amon) the learners a%out interface of

science, technolo)& and societ& %esides %ein) a%le to loo$ at the+orld in a rational manner and appl& principles of science to dail&

life *t should stress not onl& the content of the science %ut also the

process s$ills and their lin$a)e +ith the e0periences and dail& life

Pri%ar' Stage

!he main o%ectives of science teachin) at this sta)e are to

maintain the curiosit& a%out the +orld and have the child en)a)e in

e0plorator& and hands on activities that +ould lead to the

development of %asic co)nitive and ps&chomotor s$ills ll this

+ould %e throu)h lan)ua)e, o%servations, recordin),

di=erentiation, classi2cation, inference dra+in), readin) and

ma$in) illustrations, desi)n and fa%rication of simple thin)s,

estimation and measurement !he curriculum should also help the

child internalie values of cleanliness, honest&, co-operation,

concern for life and environment at the primar& sta)e

8uring this stage&

1< Children should %e encoura)ed to e0plore their immediate

environment +ithout too much focus or e0ample, in the 2rst

t+o &ears this e0ploration can %e +ithout the aid of a speci2c

science te0t%oo$ !he %oo$ on lan)ua)e can contain topics

that induce the child to loo$ around and develop a familiarit&

+ith their surroundin)s

#< cience education can %e a part of environmental studies

from class *** to ? so that children can e0amine and relate totheir +orld holisticall&

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!he assessment of cience at this sta)e should aim at

chec$in) the $no+led)e ac3uired as +ell as the s$ills developed

ome not o%vious s$ills onl& lan)ua)e comprehension and readin)

a%ilit&, a%ilit& to +or$ in )roups, etc

!he criteria for identif&in) the content at the primar& sta)e are

relevance, meanin)fulness and interest to the child !he content

should provide opportunities to deal +ith the real and concrete

+orld of the children, rather than a formal a%stract +orld !he

present practice of introducin) ideas and concepts pertainin) to

science and social science as environment studies should %e

continued and further stren)thened, +ith opportunities for children

to o%serve, e0plore and relate to environment closel& *t is,

therefore, essential for the curriculum, s&lla%us and te0t%oo$

developers of %oth the sciences and social studies )roups to

+or$ to)ether

cienti2c concepts to %e tau)ht at this sta)e should %e chosen so

as to ma$e sense of ever&da& e0periences part from simple

e0periments and hands on e0periences, an important peda)o)ical

practice at this sta)e is to en)a)e the students ;in )roups< in

meanin)ful investi)ations 5 includin) particularl& the pro%lems

the& perceive to %e si)ni2cant and important !his ma& %e done

throu)h discussions in the class +ith the teacher, peer interactions,

)atherin) information from ne+spapers, tal$in) to $no+led)ea%le

persons in the nei)h%ourhood, collectin) data from easil& availa%le

sources, doin) simple e0periments and carr&in) out simple

investi)ations in the desi)n of +hich the students have a maor role

to pla&

U!!er Pri%ar' Stagecience education at this sta)e should provide a )radual transition

from an e0posK to ideas of science throu)h environmental studies

of the primar& sta)e to elements of science includin) its concepts,

processes and methods

cienti2c concepts to %e tau)ht at this sta)e should %e chosen so

as to %e related to the childs life and to help the child ac3uire a

%etter sense of her ever&da& e0periences

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!he emphasis on the process s$ills of science should continue

throu)h the upper primar& sta)e to ena%le children learn ho+ to

learn for themselves so that the& could carr& on learnin) to even

%e&ond school

!he e0amination should assess the childs practice and pro%lem

solvin) s$ills, a%ilit& to anal&e data, application of learnt

$no+led)e, development of concepts, understandin), readin) and

ma$in) )raphical representations and solvin) simple numerical

e0ercises

!he !echnolo)& component of cience Curriculum could include

desi)n and fa%rication as +ell as practical $no+led)e a%out

common mechanical and electrical devices and a%out local speci2ctechnolo)ies

1 cience education should remain as )eneral science for class

?* to ?**

# t this sta)e )roup activit&, peer )roup interaction allo+in)

the child to articulate her formulations, 3uestions, etc

L Children should %e en)a)ed in learnin) the principles of

science throu)h familiar e0periences and to start reco)niin)

the relationship of science and technolo)& +ith societ&

4 or e0ample, students should %e encoura)ed to ma$e ver&

simple +or$in) models usin) locall& availa%le materials

Secondar' Pri%ar' Stage

t the econdar& ta)e concepts principles and s$ills of science

+ould no+ appear appropriatel& %ut stress should %e on use of

concepts, on the a%ilit& to investi)ate and on comprehension and

not on mere formal de2nitions !he or)aniation of science content

must %e around +hat is close to children and the curricular load

needs to %e su%stantiall& reduced from the present to ma$e room

for aidin) concept development and for the elements of desi)n

9elation 5ith ther Sub;ects

.hen +e +ant to relate learnin) of concepts to the e0periences it

%ecomes di=icult to separate them into small pieces nal&sis of

even e0periments +ould cut across man& concepts and thou)hts

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sometimes across topics and even disciplines !herefore, it is

important to $eep this in mind !he lin$a)e of di=erent aspects of

the idea located in di=erent disciplines ma$es it richer and

nuanced o in the sense of choosin) themes and in the sense of

deepenin) the relationship +ith the concept it is essential that the

disciplines +ithin science %e visualised as lin$ed and science %e

loo$ed in terms of its relationships +ith other disciplines as +ell

A!!lication of Science in 8ail' $ife

.hile or)aniin) curriculum for teachin) of science +e should

include all the essential aspects of the science su%ect needed %& a

child in meetin) the )eneral re3uirements of his da&-to-da& life

or this purpose attempts are to %e made to ta$e all essential and

useful topics related +ith the da&-to-da& life activities and needs

from all the di=erent %ranches and areas of science nd then

inte)rate them in a cohesive +a& for %ein) used in a )eneralied

+a& in ones da&-to-da& life rom earl& mornin) +hen +e +a$e up,

there are so man& phenomena that e0cite our curiosit& initiatin) us

to thin$ a%out ho+ those thin)s occur .e also see that science is

+ith us ever& da& Children in +ashin) face, %rushin) our teeth,

notin) time, readin) in li)ht and countless other thin)s reco)nie

the use of technolo)& 7odern science and technolo)& have

chan)ed our lives in man& dramatic +a&s irplanes, automo%iles,

communication satellites, computer, plastics and !? are onl& a fe+

of the scienti2c and technolo)ical inventions that have transformed

human life

Development of nuclear ener)& as source of po+er, development of

%etter varieties of plants and hi)hl& e=ective fertilier, development

of anti%iotics and ne+ dru)s +hich help to control ma& infections,

diseases and also studies on anatom& and ph&siolo)& have led to

emer)in) ne+ sur)ical operations and to invention of life carin)

machines that can do the +or$ of or)ans as lun)s, $idne&s etc

!heir impact on our life is a dou%le ed)ed s+ord and students must

reco)nie the need to %alance the use of technolo)& in their lives

.e must point out science education toda& does not have enou)h

e0amples from practical life s a result, +e are not a%le to use

concepts in our dail& life !he practical implications for life are

totall& distinct from the te0t%oo$s *t is not surprisin) that the

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students +ho are )ood at usin) ideas +ith the help of the te0t%oo$

)et puled %& similar issues in dail& life

cience education does not develop the a%ilit& to anal&e or discuss

the possi%ilities to solve the pro%lems that the individual and the

societ& faces, and fails in creatin) an attitude that is re3uired for

solvin) a pro%lem !here is also no scope for developin) scienti2c

a+areness Nothin) is learnt of science if the child does not pass

throu)h sta)es of o%servation, data collection, data anal&sis,

arrivin) at a conclusion, calculation and inference tud& of science

should further pass throu)h phases li$e locatin) an issue, its

anal&sis, e0perimentation and o%servation J& ta$in) up proects

that are research-oriented, and under)oin) the process of arrivin)

at an inference, identif&in) mista$es and )aps child learns science

and a%out life !he learner should pass throu)h all the sta)es that

the scientists pass throu)h includin) temporar& h&pothesis

formulation cience education at present does not create such a

favoura%le circumstance for an& of this

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+.Academic Standards

or teachin) science as a su%ect in school education +e need to

put the o%ectives of science teachin) for various sta)e of school

education !he e0pected )oals ;H< of di=erent sta)es of scienceeducation are as %elo+:

Pri%ar' Stage

t primar& sta)e the child is en)a)ed in o&full& e0plorin) the

+orld around her and harmoniin) +ith it !he o%ectives at this

sta)e are to nurture the curiosit& of child a%out the +orld !o

achieve this, the child should %e en)a)ed in e0plorator& and hands

on activities

Children in )rades 1 and # are e0pected to o%serve their

environment, +hich the& are naturall& inclined to do, and e0press

themselves throu)h tal$ ;as$in) 3uestions, descri%in) thin)s


29/39

science, man& re3uirin) more advanced mathematical s$ills than

those of the primar& &ears !he& %ecome more articulate in oral

and +ritten communication !he& %ecome more a%le, particularl& in

)rades " and , to handle a%stract concepts *nvesti)ations

re3uirin) more advanced s$ills than in the primar& &ears, and

perhaps of lon)er duration, are Carried out !he& +or$ +ell in

)roups

*n )rades 9 and 1(, children are a%le to handle )reater levels of

a%stractions and more comple0 ideasM mathematical s$ills and

lan)ua)e a%ilit& have improved !he& continue to carr& out

investi)ations, are a%le to or)anie data, and interpret the results

to ans+er a 3uestionM the& are a%le to reason and ustif& their

conclusion !he& %ecome more s$illed in desi)n and fa%rication,

and in handlin) apparatus

!hrou)hout )rades 1 to 1(, the 3ualit& of 3uestions ;tr&in) to

resolve con/icts %et+een +hat is tau)ht and +hat is o%served, for

instance< chan)es, re/ectin) hi)her order thin$in)

!hrou)hout )rades 1 to 1( teachers and curricula facilitate the

development of these s$ills and processes throu)h activities, 2eld

trips, involvin) children in doin) e0periments, dra+in) attention toaspects in the environment and throu)h 3uestionin) and sustained

discussion involvin) all children in the class

ACA8E


30/39

Children satisf& onl& +hen the& prove their h&pothesis to $no+

either it is +ron) or ri)ht for this e0perimentation is needed

Children a%le to do e0periments +ith in the school or out side

school environment %& usin) availa%le material

I/9


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.Assessment

!he e0amination s&stem occupies a centre place in our entire

education s&stem and has %ecome so sti/in) that it ou)ht to %e

de%ated in detail and transformed radicall&

!here are t+o speci2c maor de2ciencies in the current

e0amination s&stem of science !he science papers do not attempt

to assess understandin) of the su%ect !he& contain formal

3uestions, +hich can %e handled %& rote learnin) !here are no

occasions for thin$in), for discussions, no challen)in) pro%lems are

posed and no e0periment %ased 3uestions econdl&, the %oard

e0aminations are held on a 20ed date for the +hole &ear of

learnin) !his feature coupled +ith the e0a))erated importance

attached to the e0ternal e0amination leads to a lot of stress in the

run up to and the post e0amination scenario

rticle #9 ;#< ;>< in chapter- of Ri)ht to Education ct sa&s that

emphasis should %e on the childs comprehension and its

assessment +ithout stress *t su))ests evolvin) a strate)& that

assesses conceptual understandin), initiative creativit&, a%ilit& to

+or$ +ith collea)ues and not ust respondin) to $no+n 3uestions,

+ith +ell formed remem%ered ans+ers R!E also su))ests CCE

;Continuation Comprehensivel& Evaluation

position paper on science

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