ED32020 - SCIENCE IN EDUCATION

Module Identifier

ED32020

Module Title

SCIENCE IN EDUCATION

Academic Year

2005/2006

Co-ordinator

Mr David G Thomas

Semester

Intended for use in future years

Next year offered

N/A

Next semester offered

N/A

Course delivery

Lecture

Seminars / Tutorials

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	ASSIGNMENT OF 2,500 WORDS	50%
Semester Assessment	ASSIGNMENT OF 2,500 WORDS	50%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a critical idea of the background and nature of science as a human activity;

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature and limitations of scientific evidence.

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the place of science in the school curriculum.

Show an awareness that there are conflicting theories regarding how pupils learn (science), and show some critical understanding of these theories.

Content

- Introduction and overview.

- An outline of the history of science.

- What is a 'fact'? An examination of the creation of knowledge, and its limitations.

- The place of science in the school curriculum.

- Learning theories and their relevance to how pupils 'learn' science.

- Alternative frameworks - pupil misconceptions regarding science concepts.

- School visit - an opportunity to see teaching and learning at first hand.

- Analysis and discussion of student observations during school visit, based on a pro-forma designed to focus
student observations during the visit.

- Current issues in the teaching of science.

- Government Reports on the teaching of science.

Brief description

The course has several aims: in the first instance, it is intended to make the students aware of the nature of science as a human activity, including the scope and limitations of scientific evidence and the nature of theories and models. This will be placed in the context of a brief review of the history of science.

The second major aim will be to cover the development of the scientific disciplines, and their introduction to the school curriculum. Students will be made aware of some of the theories regarding how pupils come to understand science concepts. Students will also be required to develop the ability to consider evidence critically, and to research information from a variety of sources (including IT sources).

Module Skills

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6