Remodeling science education (original) (raw)

Reforms in science curricula in last six decades: Special reference to physics

African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 2018

This review paper discusses the reforms in science curricula particularly those related to physics curricula which took place after the launch of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957. These reforms have started at national level as well as international level by establishing curriculum facilities around the end of 1960s. This review informs science educators about previous research in science curricular reforms, the struggles of global physics instruction transformation starting from United State of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK), and current science/physics education researches. Recent advances in physics curriculum development as well as some important science reform programmes that have been done in Africa are also discussed. The paper also highlights the Competence Based Curriculum developed by Ministry of Education- Rwanda Education Board. The paper updates science/physics educators on evaluation of effectiveness of various instructional methods used in the past facilitating the identification of potential reform approaches to be successful in future. Some practical recommendations that can be used for effective teaching and learning of science, especially for physics are also outlined.

THE 1989 WAY FORWARD FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION REFORMS: IMPLICATION TO PHYSICS

Journal of Readings ill the Disciplines, 2012

The evidence of Science education is seen all over the globe, even though the developing countries are yet to catch up with the advanced countries of the world. Teaching physics in secondary school is not only crucial but necessary if Nigeria should advance particularly in physics and technology. Reform is needed in physics curricula, in physics textbooks, as well as in physics teacher training. A number of recommendations are therefore presented in this paper as the way forward.

Physicists as key players in developing a new physics curriculum

DIDFYZ 2019: Formation of the Natural Science Image of the World in the 21st Century, 2019

This paper deals with the physics curriculum development for secondary (especially upper secondary) schools. The preparatory phase of an investigation which targets a development of a new physics curriculum is described and discussed here. We were searching the international databases Scopus and Web of Science for publications which deal with physics (or science) curriculum reforms and with methods how to create a new curriculum. The literature review brought several crucial findings: in founded publications is criticized that on the international scene, there is paid an insufficient attention to physics/science curriculum, changes of curriculum are only tiny adjustments in most cases, the so-called math issue is frequently mentioned among main problems of physics curriculum. However, there has not been identified any transparent methodology for curriculum development and in most cases of physics curriculum-making or curriculum reforms it is not clear who and why has carried out it. A qualitative research approach was used, and grounded theory was chosen as the basic research plan in our research. The data will be collected using interviews and questionnaires. In the spring of 2019, in-depth interviews with 30 physicists from Czechia will be conducted. The physicists in this study were selected based on their high H-index (Web of Science) and other excellent results at the international level. Implications for the development of a new physics curriculum will be extracted.

Transforming School Science Education in the 21st Century (preview)

Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics (SEAMEO RECSAM) was formed to contribute to the development of science and mathematics education among its member countries and beyond. One activity of the centre is to convene conferences and seminars to bring together educators and researchers from around the globe to discuss important issues pertaining to improving science and mathematics education in the region. Towards this end the International Conference on Science and Mathematics (CoSMEd) is one such effort. During the 4th CoSMEd held in November 2011, 181 papers were presented of which 89 were from science. During the peer review (blind) process 23 papers were recommended to be published in this book. The twenty four papers (one extra was a plenary paper) were then edited by us. We hope that the contents of this book will add to our understanding of some of the issues that are confronting us today.

Overview: Science curriculum reform

Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2007

Science education in the United States is once again in the midst of reform. As of this writing, numerous publicly funded materials development projects and teacher preparation and enhancement programs, as well as private foundation and business supported initiatives are underway. The reform efforts are bound by a common theme: to ensure a scientifically literate citizenry for the 21st century. But a perceived challenge to our world dominance in technological markets is providing fuel to the fires of reform. Whereas the "need to catch up with the Russians" following the launching of Sputnik stimulated curricular reforms in the 60s and 70s, reports such as A narion at risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) and Educating Americans for the 2Zst century (National Science Board, 1983) spurred current reform efforts. The recently published America 2000 (U.S. Department of Education, 1991) and Educating America: State strategies for achieving the national education goals (National Governors' Association Task Force on Education, 1990) continue to fan the flames of reform. Current reform initiatives beg the basic questions: "Where are we going in this reform?' "Why are we going there?" and "How will we get there?' In this Special Issue we have gathered articles that directly or indirectly address one or more of these questions. The collection begins with an article by us that emerged from a meeting held in conjunction with the NARST and NSTA conventions held in Atlanta in April, 1990. A group of about 35 persons with interests in science curricula and educational reform offered ideas and raised questions about science curriculum reform. The discussions were broad ranging, and critical issues regarding the where, why, and how of science curriculum reform were identified. A consistent theme emerged from discussions at the meeting: that science and school cannot be isolated from the larger societal and cultural context. There seemed to be a further consensus that science curriculum reform involves much more than producing new materials and retraining teachers. In our article, "Establishing a research agenda: Critical issues of science curriculum reform," we have attempted to capture that broad theme and the specific issues raised by participants. As you read our report of the Atlanta meeting, you will no doubt see that it echoes many of the issues raised in the report of the 1986 Berkeley conference, "Establishing a research base for science education: Challenges, trends, and recommendations" (Linn, 1987).

Physical sciences and the school curriculum

European Journal of Psychology of Education, 1990

The difficulties encountered by pupils and students when learning physics can often be explained by the differences that exist between their spontaneous ideas about the real world and how the scientist models this reality. How can children and adolescents be helpedto better understand scientific ideas that could be of use to them? What is the role in learning and in teaching oj: peer group interaction, different forms of representation (pictorial analogies, schemes, graphs), intelligent tutoring systems; etc? In this special edition there are a number ofpieces of recent research of interest both to the researcher and to educator concerned with the development of knowledge and the teaching of the experimental sciences.

The past and future of physics education reform

Physics Today, 2017

When science was introduced into the schools, it was naturally taught. .. dogmatically and deductively. But it is now time for us to realize that science is our process of interpreting natural phenomena.. .. Hence if young people are to become adepts in science, they must be taught how to interpret for themselves. They should develop the habit of making sound interpretations of phenomena-a habit which can be acquired only by scientific study. 1 Mann's vision echoes those of countless physicists who came before and after him. Yet today-some 200 years after physics, then known as natural philosophy, began to be taught in secondary schools-that vision has yet to be fully realized. A major impediment has been a lack of effectively prepared physics teachers. Throughout the 1800s and 1900s, both physicists and teacher educators made efforts to transform and improve precollege physics teaching and physics teacher education, with only limited results. As physicists and federal policymakers alike have recognized, the outcomes have been unsatisfactory. (See the time line on page 52.) On 10 December 2015, President Barack Obama, pictured in figure 1, signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act, with hopes that it would

K–12 science education reform—a primer for scientists

1999

refocused public attention on current deficiencies in science education for US students and possible solutions for its improvement. Reports resulting from TIMSS, a 5-year international project comparing curricula and achievement in 50 countries, ranked twelfth-grade US student performance-among the lowest of participating countries in general knowledge of mathematics and science and more specific knowledge of physics and advanced math (NCES 1998). However, at the same time a new vision of science education for K-12 students has emerged. This vision, which calls for excellence in science education for all children, is expressed in the NRC Standards, which, along with Project 2061's Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS 1993), provides recommendations and guidelines for student learning, classroom practices, teacher professional development, and overall organization of educational systems. Development, writing, and review of the NRC Standards involved more than 18,000 people over a 4-year period, including classroom teachers, science educators, engineers, scientists from a variety of disciplines, and representatives from 22 science education and scientific organizations (NRC 1997). NRC Standards are voluntary, yet they are being adapted and applied by local school districts throughout the country, as well as by state educational organizations responsible for creating or implementing educational guidelines. The NRC Standards clearly identifies the need for ongoing partnerships among scientists, teacher educators, teachers, and school districts as a way to address shortcomings in the nation's current approaches to science education. Although such partnerships can take many forms, it is almost universally accepted that K-12 science education improves when scientists contribute their knowledge and skills (Wheeler 1998). For most scientists, the world of K-12 education is long forgotten, left in a distant past before years of advanced study. Even scientists with children sometimes find the K-12 culture of teaching and learning-with its own vocabulary, policies, and procedures-difficult to enter and navigate. In addition, members of the science community can unintentionally intimidate teachers and nonscientists and, at the same time, ignore the realities and challenges facing science education today. A useful beginning step toward enhancing the ability of scientists to work with teachers and schools is to promote basic understanding of the issues by all participants. Scientists, teachers, school administrators, and parents all need to recognize the contributions that each of them can make and be able to talk about their potential contributions using a common language. Mutual understanding of key concepts, approaches, strengths, weaknesses, and barriers is especially important in helping all parties to communicate clearly and work together in meaningful ways. Many scientists now active in science education reform have discovered that this growing field has developed its own vocabulary-borrowed from both science and traditional education. Simple words and phrases, such as "assessment," "cooperative