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Science and Development Education NUIG Development Education Day – 13th February 2013 Deirdre Hogan, Ubuntu Network Coordinator [email protected]; www.ubuntu.ie, 061 233289
Science and Development Education
NUIG Development Education Day –13th February 2013
Deirdre Hogan, Ubuntu Network Coordinator
[email protected]; 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
free!
Fortified flour… go to 1 min
http://www.newscientist.com/embedded/mg20126971700-surviving-in-a-warmer-world
Managing Climate change
http://www.newscientist.com/embedded/mg20126971700-surviving-in-a-warmer-world
Managing Climate change
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?
MDGs – Group Activity
What can science do to reduce child mortality?
MDGs – Group Activity
What can science do to improve maternal health?
MDGs – Group Activity
What can science do to combat HIV, AIDS and other diseases?
MDGs – Group Activity
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?
Flick and Lederman (eds), 2006
“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
Flick and Lederman (eds), 2006
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.
Scientific inquiry as a model for pedagogy
Flick and Lederman (eds), 2006
To model this form of scientific inquiry can,
1. Helps scientists to be scientist
2. Helps citizens to be “autonomous, independent thinkers”.
Scientific inquiry as a model for pedagogy
(Flick and Ledderman, p.17)
Scientific inquiry as a model for pedagogy
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 -
Dialogue: arising from controversial issues
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)
Dialogue: arising from controversial issues
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
Science as Modernisation
Representation development in JC Science textbooks
Freeman, S. (2011), What Discourse of Science Dominates Lower Post-Primary Education in Ireland? University of Limerick
Science as Modernisation
Representation development in JC Science textbooks
Freeman, S. (2011), What Discourse of Science Dominates Lower Post-Primary Education in Ireland? University of Limerick
Science as Modernisation
Representation development in JC Science textbooks
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
[email protected]; www.ubuntu.ie, 061 233289
