Session Information
SES D 05, Paper Session
Paper Session
Contribution
Main purposes of Science and Techonology education are to make students: a) learn and recognize the nature, b)discover the nature of science and technology, c) understand basic concepts of science and technology and interactions between them, d) acquire constructivist abilities by researching, reading and discussing, e) develop interest and experience on careers about science and technology, f) find out how to learn, g) use science and technology while gathering new information and solving problems, h) use appropriate scientific processes and principles, i) care about social, economic and ethic values, health and environment problems and have responsibilities on these issues, j) get scientific values like desire to know and inquire. According to primary education program, science and technology curriculum is divided into 7 learning domains. Among these domains, “science-technology-environment-society”, “science process skills (SPS)” and “values and attitudes” have certain learning outcomes that others do not. These outcomes include basic understandings, skills, attitudes that need long-term experiences so they are all integrated in the topics of the whole curriculum (MNE-HCEM, 2005). Every other domain includes some of the outcomes of SPS which make SPS the leading domain.
Laboratory skills are not enough to develop science process skills when students repeat laboratory procedures step-by-step without really understanding the scientific process. To make laboratory activities more effective, other aspects of SPS, such as identifying problems, developing experimental designs, applying quantitative measures need to be developed by students (Shimizu, 1997). In addition, some other science process skills are: observing, classification, resulting, prediction, collecting data, measuring, data processing, interpretation, presenting (MNE-HCEM, 2005).
Science and technology lessons are planned based on the main purposes and the SPS previously mentioned. When planning constructivist science and technology education, science activities and experiments are essential. Chinese philosopher Conficius has this famous quote which describes the importance of experimenting: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand”.
Along theoretical taught classes, laboratory applications which allows to transfer theoretical knowledge into practical experiences, have important role on pre-service teacher training. Laboratories are places where students learn scientific subjects, develop scientific research skills and science perceptions. Besides, students participate cooperative learning (Hofstein and Lunetta, 2004). Experiments improve democratic qualifications by letting children to ask questions (Kaptan and Korkmaz, 2001).
Science experiments have different types according to the topics, student characteristics and equipment opportunities. These experiments are classified by Cepni (2005) as: a) based on how they are done (demonstration, individual, group experiments); b) based on their purpose (open ended, closed ended, hypothesis testing experiments); c) based on the time they are done (before, during, at the end of the topic).
There are some approaches that can be used in laboratories. Among these approaches, in this study, “laboratory approach based on science process skills” will be mentioned.
It is obvious that science experiments develop certain skills. But how wide do the commonly used experiment flyers include “science process skills”?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Cepni, S. (2005). (Ed.). Kuramdan uygulamaya fen ve teknoloji öğretimi (4. baskı). Pegem Yayıncılık, Ankara. Hofstein, A. and Lunetta, V. (2004). The laboratory in science education: foundations for the twenty-first century. Science Education, Volume 88(1), p. 28-54. Kaptan, F. ve Korkmaz, H. (2001). İlköğretimde fen bilgisi öğretimi, ilköğretimde etkili öğretme ve öğrenme öğretmen el kitabı, modül 7 (Primary education science teaching, effective teaching and learning teacher’s handbook, modul 7). Ministry Of National Education, Projects Coordination Center. Ministry Of National Education – Head Council of Education and Morality, (2005). Primary education science and technology curriculum program and guide, Ankara: Management Office of Government Books. Shimizu, K. (1997). Teachers’ emphasis on inquiry science and prevailing instructional method. Annual Meeting National Association for Research In Science Teaching.
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