Science and Development Education - Ubuntu Network...Science and Development Education NUIG...

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Science and Development Education

NUIG Development Education Day –13th February 2013

Deirdre Hogan, Ubuntu Network Coordinator

deirdre.hogan@ul.ie; www.ubuntu.ie, 061 233289

Linking Science and Development

Science is the study of the natural world.

Development is “growing social inclusion through rising living standards, meaningful employment, active political and social participation and a satisfying cultural life, extending to all sectors of society and thus widening life choices and possibilities for the great majority. (Kirby, P. 1997)

Sustainable development is that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Report, 1987)

What is…?

Millennium Development Goals

Science to improve agriculture

http://www.ubuntu.ie/teaching-resources/what-is-development.html

Science Stories that link to syllabus

http://www.ucc.ie/cgd/ReportSections/s8-sudan.pdf

Vaccines without Needles

http://www.mobilemag.com/2013/02/11/injection-free-vaccination/

The Three Gorges Dam

http://www.cleanenergyactionproject.com

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-cost-of-development-the-three-gorges-dam/5322405

http://www.cleanenergyactionproject.comhttp://www.globalresearch.ca/the-cost-of-development-the-three-gorges-dam/5322405

How valuable are bees?

In the UK, about £1.8bn a

year…says research on the cost of hand-pollinating the

many crops that bees service for

Fortified flour… go to 1 min

http://www.newscientist.com/embedded/mg20126971700-surviving-in-a-warmer-world

Managing Climate change

Science Stories that link to syllabus

How to restore a Rainforest Willie Smits on TED talkshttp://www.ubuntu.ie/teaching-resources/willie-smits.html

http://www.youngscientists.co.tz/

Group Activity

MDGs – Group Activity

What can science do to reduce global hunger?

What questions might we ask first?• Where are people hungry?

• Why are people hungry?

• What kind of food is needed?

• What kind of solutions are sustainable?

• What concerns might I have?

What can science do to reduce child mortality?

What can science do to improve maternal health?

What can science do to combat HIV, AIDS and other diseases?

What could science do to ensure environmental sustainability?

What is Science?

Science - the study of the natural world

through Scientific inquiry – the process of investigation that scientists use as they attempt to answer questions about the natural world.

Inquiry is conducted - in laboratories, field sites, the library, in discussions with colleagues.

What is Science?

Flick and Lederman (eds), 2006

Inquiry – investigating something, delving deeper into it, seeing things that you didn’t see before, - you are “setting out to search for what you don’t know – looking for evidence (but you have to test the evidence)

Scientific inquiry – can be directed specifically at the discipline (understanding the natural world) or it can be applied to science-related issues that had social relevance. (more generally known as problem solving, decision-making)

Scientific Inquiry – what is it?

“Students should have an inquisitive and questioning attitude and a faith in their ability to ask important questions and seek answers to those questions, be able to solve problems by drawing together necessary resources, and work alone or with others on projects to see them through to completion”

“…an open and supportive learning environment where students receive assistance in generating questions that are interesting and important to them and in designing productive strategies for investigating those questions”

“… can be directed specifically at the discipline (understanding the natural world) or it can be applied to science-related issues that had social relevance. (more generally known as problem solving, decision-making“

…students need to be given as much practice as possible in generating their own questions and in devising their own strategies for answering those questions”

Scientific inquiry as a model for pedagogy

Motivational factors – student selects questions that are of interest to them, they are active in the deisgn of how to investigate it, they can interact with their classmates – greater sense of control and autonomy

May various approaches – but all starting with a question to be answered or a problem to be solved.

Requires significant intellectual commitment by students. They question or problem – should provide focus, direction and purpose to the student’s work…

Difficulty – too opened, students get lost, distracted. Too prescribed, students at best are being superficially compliant.

To model this form of scientific inquiry can,

1. Helps scientists to be scientist

2. Helps citizens to be “autonomous, independent thinkers”.

(Flick and Ledderman, p.17)

BSCS 5E Instructional Modelhttp://theonlinepd.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/executivesummary5emodel.pdf

1. Engagement Engage in a new concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit prior knowledge.

Examples of science for development

2. Exploration Activities within which current concepts (i.e., misconceptions), processes, and skills are identified and conceptual change is facilitated.

Group activity –MDGs – questions & assumptions…

3. Explanation Focuses on a particular aspect of their engagement and provides opportunities to demonstrate their conceptual understanding, process skills, or behaviours.

Group activity –MDGs + resources

4. Elaboration Teachers challenge and extend students’ conceptual understanding and skills – probing for deeper and broader understanding

Whole group & facilitator

5. Evaluation Students and teacher assess their understanding and abilities.

Reflection

Opportunity for dialogue in science?

Controversial issues• involve value judgements so that the issue cannot be settled by facts, evidence or experiment along;

• be considered important by an appreciable number of people.

(Wellington 1986:149)

is • an issue about which there is no one fixed or universally held point of view. Such issues are those which commonly divide society

(Advisory Group on Citizenship, 1998:56)

Ratcliffe, M and Grace, M. (2003) Science Education for Citizenship, OU Press

Dialogue: arising from controversial issues

1. Discussion on the social application of well established science

e.g. whether or not to give a vaccine

• the main issues for discussion are to do with the interaction of other dimensions such as ethics, politics, health, economics -

Moral Judgements

Personal morality

• What we regard as instinctively right or wrong

Social Context

• What is the right course of action in the social context. Public morality is enshrined in legislation which seeks to promote shared values that are acceptable to society

Adapted from Ratcliffe, M and Grace, M. (2003) Science Education for Citizenship, OU Press

2. Discussion around areas of scientific controversy

e.g. is it safe to eat Genetically Modified foods?

• there is controversy over the nature of scientific evidence. (Scientific evidence has limitations)

Making decisions when the scientific evidence is unsure?

Adapted from Ratcliffe, M and Grace, M. (2003) Science Education for Citizenship, OU Press

Be aware of the ‘modernisation view’ of

science

Representation development in JC Science textbooks

Science as Modernisation

Freeman, S. (2011), What Discourse of Science Dominates Lower Post-Primary Education in Ireland? University of Limerick

Be mindful…

• Create your lesson/unit around issues and questions that students are interested in learning about

• Have a solution based component. Don’t just raise awareness about problems in the world. It’s not easy, but try to see if students can come up with some scientifically-sound solutions to the problems that they identify.

• When looking at fairness/unfairness, try to ensure that students don’t feel that they are to blame, or that this situation is hopeless.

• Be aware that some of the issues that you raise might be sensitive from some students, e.g. poverty, illness

Some useful links

• www.ubuntu.ie• http://www.scidev.net/en/content/what-we-do/•http://www.mobilemag.com/•http://www.nationalgeographic.com/•http://www.wri.org/about/success-stories-2012•http://www.iucn.org/

Science and Development Education

NUIG Development Education Day –13th February 2013

Deirdre Hogan, Ubuntu Network Coordinator

deirdre.hogan@ul.ie; www.ubuntu.ie, 061 233289

Science and Development Education - Ubuntu Network...Science and Development Education NUIG...

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