Topik 1: Isu-isu dalam pendidikan sains

Matlamat pendidikan sains

Kandungan pendidikan sains
Pengajaran sains
Literasi saintifik
Preparing a national science curriculum that will help school students develop their scientific
competencies alongside their acquisition of science knowledge requires attention to four
issues.
1. Selection of science content (knowledge, skill, understanding and values) There is a
consistent criticism that many of the prolems and issues in science education arise
from the structure of science curricula which tend to e knowledge!heavy and alienating
(meregang) to a significant numer of students. " curriculum that covers an e#tensive
range of science ideas hampers the efforts of even the est teachers who attempt to
provide engaging science learning for their students. The effect of such knowledge!laden
curricula is for teachers to treat science concepts in a superficial way (cetek) as they
attempt to cover what is e#pected in the curriculum. $ather than developing
understanding, students therefore have a tendency to rely on memorisation when taking
tests of their science learning. The challenge is to identify the science concepts that are
important and can e realistically understood y students in the learning time availale.
%ne of the realities faced in science education is that scientific knowledge is rapidly
increasing. &hile this is valuale for our society, it adds to the pressure on the science
curriculum. There is a reluctance to replace the old with the new. $ather, there is a
tendency to simply add the new science ideas to the traditional ones. "ccompanying this
desire to retain the traditional knowledge ase is a feeling that understanding this
content e#emplifies intellectual rigor. %viously such a situation is not sustainale. The
consequence is that many students are losing interest in science. The question then
needs to e asked' what is important in a science curriculum( This paper argues that
developing science competencies is important, understanding the ig ideas of science is
important, e#posure to a range of science e#periences relevant to everyday life is
important and understanding of the ma)or concepts from the different sciences is
important. *t is also acknowledged that there is a core ody of knowledge and
understanding that is fundamental to the understanding of ma)or ideas. The paper also
proposes that it is possile to provide fle#iility and choice aout the content of local
science curriculum. The factors that influence this choice include conte#t, local science
learning opportunities, historical perspectives, contemporary and local issues and
availale learning resources. *n managing this choice, there is a need to e conscious of
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the potential danger of repetition of knowledge through a student+s school life and
ensure repetition is minimised and that a alanced science curriculum is provided for
every student. ,inally, when selecting content for a national science curriculum it is
important to determine how much time can reasonaly and realistically e allocated to
science and within this time constraint what is a reasonale range of science concepts
and skills for learning in primary and secondary school.
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-. $elevance of science learning a curriculum is more likely to provide a asis for the
development of scientific competencies if it is relevant to individual students, perceived
to have personal value, or is presented in a conte#t to which students can readily relate.
*nstead of simply emphasising what has een descried as .canonical science
concepts+, there is a need to provide a meaningful conte#t to which students can relate
("ikenhead -//0). ,urthermore, students will e etter placed to understand the
concepts if they can e applied to everyday e#periences. To provide oth conte#t and
opportunities for application takes time. To increase the relevance of science to students
there is a strong case to include more contemporary (and possily controversial) issues
in the science curriculum. *n doing so, it is important to note that the comple#ity of some
scientific issues means that they do not have clear!cut solutions. %ften, the relevant
science knowledge is limited or incomplete so that the questions can only e addressed
in terms of what may e possile or proale rather than the certainty of what will
happen. 1ven when the risks inherent in making a particular decision are assessale y
science, the cultural or social aspects also need to e taken into consideration. The
school science curriculum should provide opportunities to e#plore these comple# issues
to enale students to understand that the application of science and technology to the
real world is often concerned with risk and deate ($ennie -//0). Science knowledge
can e applied to solve prolems concerning human needs and wants. 1very application
of science has an impact on our environment. ,or this reason, one needs to appreciate
that decisions concerning science applications involve constraints, consequences and
risks. Such decision!making is not value!free. *n developing science competencies,
students need to appreciate the influence of particular values in attempting to alance
the issues of constraints, consequences and risk. &hile many students perceive school
science as difficult, the inclusion of comple# issues should not e avoided on the asis
that there is a potential for making science seem even more difficult. The answer is not
to e#clude contemporary issues, ut rather to use them to promote a more sophisticated
understanding of the nature of science and scientific knowledge. *t is important to
highlight the implications of a science curriculum that has personal value and relevance
to students. This means that the curriculum cannot e a .one si2e fits all+, ut rather a
curriculum that is differentiated so that students can engage with content that is
meaningful and satisfying and provides the opportunity for conceptual depth. *n this
respect the science curriculum should e uilt upon knowledge of how students learn,
have demonstrated relevance to students+ everyday world, and e implemented using
teaching and learning approaches that involve students in inquiry and activity. &ithin the
fle#iility of a science curriculum that caters for a road cohort of students and a range
of delivery conte#ts, there is a need to define what it is that students should know in
each stage of schooling. *n this way, students can uild their science inquiry skills ased
on an understanding of the ma)or ideas that underpin our scientific endeavour.
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3. 4eneral capailities and science education There is an argument, ased on research
within science education, that curriculum needs to achieve a etter alance etween the
traditional knowledge!focused science and a more humanistic science curriculum that
prepares students for richer understanding and use of science in their everyday world
(,ensham, -//0). 5eyond the science discipline area there is also pressure in some
"ustralian )urisdictions to develop a roader general school curriculum that emraces
the view of having knowledge and skills important for future personal, social and
economic life. &hile there is much value in such futuristic frameworks, there is the
danger that the value of scientific understanding may e diminished. 6nless the details
of the general capailities refer specifically to science content, the importance of science
may e overlooked and the curriculum time devoted to it decrease. The science
curriculum can readily provide opportunities to develop these general capailities. Such
general capailities as thinking strategies, decision!making approaches, communication,
use of information and communication technology (*7T), team work and prolem solving
are all important dimensions of science learning. There is an increasing numer of
teachers who will require assistance to structure their teaching in ways that enale
students to meld the general life capailities with the understanding and skills needed to
achieve scientific competencies. Such assistance will e found in the provision of quality,
adaptale curriculum resources and sustained effective professional learning.
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8. "ssessment &hen a curriculum document is prepared there is an e#pectation that what
is written will e what is taught and what is assessed. 6nfortunately, there is sometimes
a considerale gap etween intended curriculum, the taught curriculum and the
assessed curriculum9 what can e assessed often determines what is taught. This
disconnect is a result of the different pressures and e#pectations in education system.
"n ovious goal in curriculum development is that the intended, taught and assessed
dimensions of curriculum are in harmony. The importance of assessment in curriculum
development is highlighted in the process referred to as .ackward design+ in which one
works through three stages from curriculum intent to assessment e#pectations to finally
planning learning e#periences and instruction (&iggins : ;cTighe, -//<). This process
reinforces the simple proposition that for a curriculum to e successfully implemented
one should have a clear and realistic picture of how the curriculum will e assessed.
"ssessment should serve the purpose of learning. 7lassroom assessment, however, is
often translated in action as testing. *t is unfortunate that the summative end!of!topic
tests seem to dominate as the main tool of assessment. Senior secondary science
assessment related to university entrance has long reinforced a content!ased
summative approach to assessment in secondary schools. To improve the quality of
science learning there is a need to introduce more diagnostic and formative assessment
practices. These assessment tools help teachers to understand what students know and
do not know and hence plan relevant learning e#periences that will e eneficial.
Summative testing does have an important role to play in monitoring achievement
standards and for accountaility and certification purposes, ut formative assessment is
more useful in promoting learning. "ssessment should enale the provision of detailed
diagnostic information to students. *t should show what they know, understand and can
demonstrate. *t should also show what they need to do to improve. *t should e noted
that the important science learning aspects concerning attitudes and skills as outlined in
the paper cannot e readily assessed y pencil and paper tests. ,or that reason, it is
important to emphasise the need for a variety of assessment approaches. &hile
assessment is important, it should not dominate the learning process. Structure of the
curriculum There is value in differentiating the curriculum into various parts that are
relevant to the needs of the students and the school structure (,ensham, 1==8).
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<. *n regard to the school structure, the nature of the teacher+s e#pertise ecomes a factor
to consider. ,or early childhood teachers, their e#pertise lies in the understanding of how
children learn. Secondary science teachers have a rich understanding of science while
senior secondary teachers have e#pertise in a particular discipline of science. 1ach part
would have a different curriculum focus. The four parts are' > early childhood > primary >
)unior secondary > senior secondary. ?eveloping scientific competencies takes time and
the science curriculum should reflect the kinds of science activities, e#periences and
content appropriate for students of different age levels. *n sum, (1) early science
e#periences should relate to self awareness and the natural world. ?uring the (-)
primary years, the science curriculum should develop the skills of investigation, using
e#periences which provide opportunities to practice language literacy and numeracy. *n
(3) secondary school, some differentiation of the su!disciplines of science may e
appropriate, ut as local and community issues are interdisciplinary, an integrated
science may e the est approach. (8) Senior secondary science curricula should e
differentiated, to provide for students who wish to pursue career!related science
speciali2ations, as well those who prefer a more general, integrated science for
citi2enship. 1arly 7hildhood 7urriculum focus' awareness of self and the local natural
world. @oung children have an intrinsic curiosity aout their immediate world. They have
a desire to e#plore and investigate the things around them. Purposeful play is an
important feature of their investigations. %servation is an important skill to e
developed at this time, using all the senses in a dynamic way. %servation also leads
into the idea of order that involves comparing, sorting and descriing. -.
Primary7urriculum focus' recognising questions that can e investigated scientifically
and investigating them. ?uring the primary years students should have the opportunity to
develop ideas aout science that relate to their life and living. " road range of topics is
suitale including weather, sound, light, plants, animals, the night sky, materials, soil,
water and movement. &ithin these topics the science ideas of order, change, patterns
and systems should e developed. *n the early years of primary school, students will
tend to use a trial and error approach to their science investigations. "s they progress
through their primary years, the e#pectation is that they will egin to work in a more
systematic way. The notion of a .fair test+ and the idea of variales will e developed, as
well as other forms of science inquiry. The importance of measurement will also e
fostered. 3. Aunior secondary7urriculum focus' e#plaining phenomena involving science
and its applications. ?uring these years, the students will cover topics associated with
each of the sciences' earth and space science, life science and physical science. &ithin
these topics it is e#pected that aspects associated with science for living, scienceinquiry
and contemporary science would e integrated in the fields of science. &hile integration
is the more proale approach, it is possile that topics may e developed directly from
each one of these themes. ,or e#ample, there may e value in providing a science unit
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on an open science investigation in which students conduct a study on an area of their
choosing. &hile there may e specific topics on contemporary science aspects and
issues,teachers and curriculum resources should strive to include the recent science
research in a particular area. *t is this recent research that motivates and e#cites
students. *n determining what topics students should study from the road range of
possiilities, it is important to e#ercise restraint and to avoid overcrowding the curriculum
and providing space for the development of students+ science competencies alongside
their knowledge and understanding of science content. Topics could include states of
matter, sustances and reactions, energy forms, forces and motion, the human ody,
diversity of life, ecosystems, the changing earth and our place in space. The ig science
ideas of energy, sustainaility, equilirium and interdependence should lead to the ideas
of form and function that result in a deeper appreciation of evidence, models and
theories. There are some students ready to egin a more specialised program science in
)unior secondary and differentiation as early as @ear = may need to e considered to
e#tend and engage these students+ interest and skills in science. 8. Senior Secondary.
There should e at least three common courses across the country' physics, chemistry
and iology. There could also e one roader!ased course that provides for students
wanting only one science course at the senior secondary level. *t could have an
emphasis on applications. The integrating themes of science for life, scientific inquiry
and contemporary science should e emedded into all these courses where realistically
possile. %ther specialised courses could also e provided. 1#isting courses in the
states and territories are among the possiilities availale. Bational adoption would
improve the resources to support the individual courses.
(Sumber: ati!nal "urri#ulum $!ard (2%%&'( Bational Science 7urriculum' *nitial advice(
)etrie*ed 1% Sept( 2%%+ fr!m
www.acara.edu.au/verve/_.../ Science _Initial_Advice_Paper.pdf )
1($a#a kandungan diatas(
2( ,atakan isu-isu dalam pendidikan sains ,ang ditemui dalam
kandungan di atas(
3( $in#ang dan tuliskan refleksi seban,ak dua .alaman tentang kesan daripada isu-
isu pengajaran sains renda.(
/
Senarai Semak
0a1ab ujian di ba1a. bagi menguji ta.ap literasi saintifik anda(
Test of Scientific Literacy
2ns1er ea#. 3uesti!n 1it. 4true4 if 1.at t.e senten#e m!st n!rmall,
means is t,pi#all, true and 4false4 if it is t,pi#all, false(
1( S#ientists usuall, e5pe#t an e5periment t! turn !ut a #ertain 1a,(
2( S#ien#e !nl, pr!du#es tentati*e #!n#lusi!ns t.at #an #.ange(
3( S#ien#e .as !ne unif!rm 1a, !f #!ndu#ting resear#. #alled 6t.e s#ientifi#
met.!d(7
4 S#ientifi# t.e!ries are e5planati!ns and n!t fa#ts(
5( 8.en being s#ientifi# !ne must .a*e fait. !nl, in 1.at is justified b,
empiri#al e*iden#e(
6( S#ien#e is just ab!ut t.e fa#ts9 n!t .uman interpretati!ns !f t.em(
/( :! be s#ientifi# !ne must #!ndu#t e5periments(
&( S#ientifi# t.e!ries !nl, #.ange 1.en ne1 inf!rmati!n be#!mes a*ailable(
+( S#ientists manipulate t.eir e5periments t! pr!du#e parti#ular results(
1%( S#ien#e pr!*es fa#ts true in a 1a, t.at is definiti*e and final(
11( 2n e5periment #an pr!*e a t.e!r, true(
12( S#ien#e is partl, based !n beliefs9 assumpti!ns9 and t.e n!n!bser*able(
13( ;maginati!n and #reati*it, are used in all stages !f s#ientifi# in*estigati!ns(
14( S#ientifi# t.e!ries are just ideas ab!ut .!1 s!met.ing 1!rks(
15( 2 s#ientifi# la1 is a t.e!r, t.at .as been e5tensi*el, and t.!r!ug.l,
#!nfirmed(
16( S#ientists< edu#ati!n9 ba#kgr!und9 !pini!ns9 dis#iplinar, f!#us9 and basi#
guiding assumpti!ns and p.il!s!p.ies influen#e t.eir per#epti!n and
interpretati!n !f t.e a*ailable data(
1/( 2 s#ientifi# la1 1ill n!t #.ange be#ause it .as been pr!*en true(
1&( 2n a##epted s#ientifi# t.e!r, is an .,p!t.esis t.at .as been #!nfirmed b,
#!nsiderable e*iden#e and .as endured all attempts t! dispr!*e it(
1+( 2 s#ientifi# la1 des#ribes relati!ns.ips am!ng !bser*able p.en!mena but
d!es n!t e5plain t.em(
2%( S#ien#e relies !n dedu#ti!n (5 entails ,' m!re t.an indu#ti!n (5 implies ,'(
21( S#ientists in*ent e5planati!ns9 m!dels !r t.e!reti#al entities(
22( S#ientists #!nstru#t t.e!ries t! guide furt.er resear#.(
23( S#ientists a##ept t.e e5isten#e !f t.e!reti#al entities t.at .a*e ne*er been
dire#tl, !bser*ed(
24( S#ientifi# la1s are abs!lute !r #ertain(
Jawapan
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,u-ukan
=leer9 M(9 > ?ard,( :( (2%%1'( Science for 7hildren' ?eveloping a Personal "pproach
to Teaching( (2
nd
@diti!n'( S,dne,: Prenti#e ?all( Pg 146 A 14/'
ati!nal "urri#ulum $!ard (2%%&'( Bational Science 7urriculum' *nitial advice( )etrie*ed
!n1% Sept( 2%%+ fr!m :www.acara.edu.au/verve/_.../ Science _Initial_Advice_Paper.pdf
?aBen9 )(M( (2%%2'( What is scientific literacy? Retrieved on 10 Sept. 2009 from :
http://www.gmu.edu/robinson/hazen.htm
+