Science
Enthusiastic comments about what science is, and the part it plays in our lives – the "big ideas" – included:
- "Driving society."
- "Benefits society – saves lives."
- "... is finding the truth and figuring out how the truth will help us to live better."
- "Science expands the mind through technology, universe, human body."
- "The meaning of life."
- "Why the world is like it is."
- "It's fun – always discovering new things."
- "Pretty cool if you want a future in it."
- "Physics – the most easiest of all to learn, probably because I pay attention."
The way science is taught clearly has an impact. Several comments related to teaching:
- "The teacher does not hold our attention."
- "Easy with the appropriate teacher and environment."
- "Lesson variety is important."
- "Confusing – we start something and then don't finish it."
The specifics of how science is taught indicated a degree of frustration:
- "I don't like being told what is true – we should be doing the questioning, not being supplied with the answers."
- "I don't like the fact that there is a right answer – this is against the true nature of science."
- "Only making connections that other people have already made."
- "We need more options."
- "Confusing – too many formulae, equations, vocabulary, names to remember."
- "The problem is that one set of views becomes dominant."
- "Want to learn more about electricity."
- "More lab work."
A group from years 9 to 13 seemed to appreciate the generic skills they gained from studying science, listing these as: general knowledge, making judgments/justifying choices, planning, following procedures, predicting, and technical skills.
Published on: 20 Sep 2007