Some responses to an early draft of a proposed science curriculum warned it would “”. But an updated curriculum for today’s world presents an opportunity to engage all students in science through contexts that matter.
As we witness record-breaking temperatures on land and in the, “” contaminating drinking water in the US, andglobally, it is clearis not just about “learning the basics”.
Teaching science should instead be about developing. A meaningful and robust science education is increasingly, not just those who want to become scientists.
Students must learn to, alongside other forms of knowledge, to make informed decisions and act on issues that matter.
Curriculum change is necessary
Decades of research have shown that school science that focuses predominantly on decontextualised scientific facts and theories has. This approach has ill prepared students to engage competently or critically with science, and has failed toin science careers or degree programmes.
Enrolments in traditional science programmes at New سԹuniversities are. Fewer 15-year-old New Zealanders see thecompared to international peers.
As former chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckmanin 2011, New سԹneeds radical changes to the science curriculum to better prepare students for the complex issues of our time.
A 2022to thereinforced this perspective. It highlighted how science education needs to prepare students for a world characterised by increasing disinformation campaigns, and growing environmental and other science-related social concerns.
What needs to change
Thestates the purpose of science education is to ensure students “can participate as critical, informed, and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role”.
But as aissued by the Education Review Office revealed, New سԹis far from achieving this goal. Students’ awareness of environmental problems has. Ashowed New Zealanders don’t understand how to act on climate change.
Faced with interrelated changes in the environment,. It is becoming more interdisciplinary. We see new fields emerging at the intersection of physics, chemistry and biology.
Scientists are increasingly working alongside Māori and other Indigenous leaders, drawing from multiple knowledge systems tocollaborate on complex science-related problems. A science curriculum for today’s world must be interdisciplinary and reflect these changes. Students need to be able to see.
Teaching science in context
Research shows that students learn fundamental science concepts better when they are. A contextualised curriculum also creates space forsuch as mātauranga Māori and Indigenous knowledge.
Such an approach supports learning in, which is particularly important given the growing diversity in New سԹschools.
A science curriculum focused on contemporary issues will not only help prepare all students to engage more competently with science, it can also inspire more students to consider science-related career paths they might not have otherwise.
Curriculum wars in science are not new. Debates over the goals and content of a science curriculum are, and meaningful curriculum change that disrupts the status quo is difficult.
It requires a bold vision but must also be buttressed by extensive support for teachers. Some non-Māori science teachers are keen to make the change but have expressed concerns about lacking skills; for example, how to.
Teachers are currentlyto teach science in the context of the critical issues of our time, such as climate change. Teacher education and professional development will need to be “turbo-charged” with.
However, the goal of curriculum reform is to lay out a, which then drives and catalyses the required resourcing.
Fortunately, there areandin New سԹcurrently leading the way. We can look to them to see what is possible and be inspired by all that science education can be.
This article was originally published on.
