Teaching Training College

Department of Science and Mathematics Education

Dr. David González Gómez
dggomez@unex.es

Chapter 1: Teaching and Learning Science in Primary

Education
 Scientific Literacy:
Science, Technology
and Society
How to teach Science:
Contents Instructional models
to teach Science
Spanish curricula
Scientific Literacy: Science,
Culture and Society
What does it mean
being “Science
Literate”?
 Scientific Literacy

Teachers and
Scientific literacy
Scientific literacy syllabuses
must form part of
must be an designers➔ are
all syllabus of all
education goal in responsible to
educational stages
the basic foster the
(from
education scientific
kindergartens)
education
 Scientific Literacy
Scientific literacy is the knowledge and
understanding of scientific concepts and processes
required for personal decision making,
participation in civil and cultural affairs, and
economic productivity.
United Sates Center for Education and Statistics

Scientific concepts
Schools and
Teachers Scientific Literacy
Scientific processes
Basic
Scientific
Literacy

• Traditionally, it
has been said
that you should
drink orange juice
immediately after
squeezing the
orange. How true
is this statement?
How safe is
eating
transgenic
food?
 Civic scientific literacy
Which of the following power plant is more suitable to be built in our city proximity?
 Civic Scientific Literacy

Nuclear Power Plant Coil Power Plant Solar Power Plant

1. How is the energy produced?

2. What do we need to install the power plant?
3. Is cheap to produce energy through this source?
4. What are the main environmental problems for the near future?
5. What are the long-term main environmental problems?
6. What do people must know about this power plant?
7. What are the positive points of this energy source?
8. What are the negative points of this energy source?
Cultural Scientific Literacy

Is there any
Spanish
scientist who
has been
awarded a
Nobel Prize?
 How to teach Science?
… first, as teachers, we must know how science is learnt!
 • Learning science implies the acquisition of
1 scientific knowledge and the development of
understanding.
2
• Understanding
science requires that an
individual integrates a
complex structure of
many types of
knowledge
✓ the ideas of science
✓ relationships between ideas
✓ reasons for these relationships
✓ ways to use the ideas to explain and predict
other natural phenomena
✓ ways to apply them to many events.
3
• Understanding
science
encompasses the
ability to use
knowledge, and it
entails the ability
to distinguish
between what is
and what is not a
scientific idea.
What do you think will
happen when placing the
object inside the beaker?
Why is science such a difficult subject?

Conceptual contents

High formal requirements needed

Pupils’ initial “ideas” and misconceptions

Many students think that learning science consists of

memorizing/retain conceptual definitions and using complex
mathematical equations - no need of understanding

Traditional teaching strategies lead to this thought?

Instructional models suitable to teach science

Transmission-reception model of teaching

• Students learn the scientific contents provided by

scientists

Constructivist model of teaching

• The new scientific knowledge is built over the

previously learnt knowledge
 Transmission-reception model of teaching

• Empty-book to • Provide the

write in knowledge

Pupil Teacher

Instruction Learning
• Memorize
• Lecture

Assessment: Students repeat what they have memorized

Disadvantages: Students’ previous ideas are not considered

Advantages: It might be useful to clarify some concepts or introduce new topics
Transmission-reception model of teaching: step-by-step

Introduction
(The new contents are set into a context)

Introducing the new concepts

(definition, classification, examples, plots, graphics…)

Establishing relations between new and old concepts

(equations, laws, theories…)

Applications
(Solving problems, lab experiences, …)

22
Transmission-reception model of teaching

The most frequently used model of teaching in our

classrooms
considers

Teaching is an easy task - no training is required

Teaching and learning are just a transmission of knowledge from the

teacher to the student

The failure in learning is just a pupil problem: lack of abilities for

learning or basic concepts
Construtivism Constructivist
epistemology
assumes that
learners construct
their own
knowledge based on
interaction with
their environment
 Constructivist model of teaching
“The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner
already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly.” D. Ausubel

• Learners are the • Guide the pupil in

builders and creators of the learning process
meaning and
knowledge
Pupil Teacher

Instruction Learning
• Learning involves
• Scaffold to learning inventing ideas
process - learner- rather than
centered, active mechanically
instruction accumulating facts

Assessment: Overcome conceptual mistakes

There are 10 basic guiding principles of constructivist thinking that
educator must keep in mind

Learning is an active process in which the student constructs

meaning

People learn to learn

Learning involves language

Learning is a social activity

Learning is contextual
There are 10 basic guiding principles of constructivist thinking that
educator must keep in mind

The act of constructing meaning is mental

Everyone needs knowledge to learn

Learning is not the passive acceptance of knowledge

Motivation is a major aspect of learning

It takes time to learn

5E Model of
Instruction
Phases on the constructivism (5 Es)

Connecting previous & present learning

Engage experiences

Teacher designs learning activities to

Explore continue building concepts, processes
and skills.

Explaining concepts that students' have

Explain been explored in previous step

Elaborate Put in practice these new concepts

Assess students' understanding and

Evaluate abilities
 Constructivist model: step-by-step

What the learner already knows?

(Productive questions…)

Debate about the ”known ideas”

(small or big groups)

New ideas occur as we adapt and change our old ideas

- meaningful learning occurs through rethinking old
ideas and coming to new conclusions about new ideas
which conflict with our old ideas
(‘cognitive conflict – conceptual change’)

Using the new students’ new ideas in a different

context
 Productive questions
Good for inquiry science:
1. Attention-Focusing
2. Comparison
3. Measuring
4. Action
5. Problem Solving
6. Reasoning questions
5E Model of Instruction Unit 1 Activity