Science and Technology Curriculum
Technology Curriculum
Science Curriculum
Key Ideas
- Creating preferred futures - Students consider the future and the possible benefits or risks when creating new solutions for the new future (ACARA n.d.b)
- Patterns, order and organisation
Provides students
- Project Management - Students will engage in managing projects to 'completion through planning, organising and monitoring timelines, activities and the use of resources' (ACARA n.d.b)
- Form and function
- Stability and change
- Scale and measurement
5.Matter and energy
- Systems
Provides students
Multiple ways of answering interesting and important questions about the biological, physical and technological world (ACARA n.d.a)
A desire to make sense of their world through exploring the unknown, investigating world mysteries, making predictions and solving problems #
A developing understanding of important science concepts and processes
The opportunity to develop scientific knowledge
An understanding of Science's contribution to their culture and society
Application of science to students real life #
With the scientific knowledge, understandings and skills to make informed decisions about local, national and global issues (ACARA n.d.a) #
With the opportunity to experience the joy of scientific discovery (ACARA n.d.a)
The knowledge, understanding and skills to:
Investigate, design, plan, manage, create and evaluate solutions (ACARA n.d.b)
Creatively and innovatively engage with all forms of technologies (ACARA n.d.b)
'Make informed and ethical decisions about the role, impact and use of technologies in the economy, environment and society for a sustainable future' (ACARA n.d.b)
Engage confidently with and responsibly with technologies when designing and creating solutions
Critique, analyse and evaluate problems, needs or opportunities in order to create solutions #
Comprises of three interrelated strands. These strands can be and should be taught in an integrated way as per the Australian Curriculum (ACARA n.d.a)
Science understanding
Science as a human endeavour
Science inquiry skills
Four sub-strands
Biological Sciences
Chemical Sciences
Earth and space sciences
Physical sciences
The Earth's dynamic structure and its place in the cosmos
Earth is subject to change within and on its surface over time due to natural processes and humans use and abuse of resources
Earth is part of a solar system is part of a larger universe
Example
Example
Living things
Students explore how changes on Earth, such as day and night and the seasons, relate to Earth’s rotation and its orbit around the sun
A diverse range of living things have evolved on Earth over hundreds of millions of years
Living things are interdependent and interact with each other and their environment
The form and features of living things are related to the functions that their body systems perform
Knowledge, understanding and skills are presented through two related strands
Knowledge and understanding
Digital technologies
Create innovative solutions, independently and collaboratively for current and future needs (ACARA n.d.b)
consider sustainable patterns of living (ACARA n.d.b) #
Consider the use and impact of technological solutions on equity, ethics, personal and social values (ACARA n.d.b)
Example
Students explore the ways in which humans use resources from Earth and appreciate the influence of human activity on the surface of Earth and its atmosphere
Students investigate living things, including animals, plants and microorganisms, and their interdependence and interactions within ecosystems
The composition and behaviour of substances
Chemical and physical properties of substances are determined by their structure at an atomic scale
Substances change and new substances are produced by rearranging atoms through atomic interactions and energy transfer
Example
Students classify substances based on their properties, such as solids, liquids and gases, or their composition, such as elements, compounds and mixtures #
the nature of forces and motion, and matter and energy
Forces affect the behaviour of objects
Energy can be transferred and transformed from one form to another
Nature and development of Science
Use and influence of science
Students develop an appreciation of the unique nature of science and scientific knowledge, including how science knowledge has developed over time through the actions of many people
How science knowledge and applications affect peoples’ lives, including their work
How science is influenced by society and can be used to inform decisions and actions
Planning, conducting and reflecting on investigations
Processing, analysing and interpreting evidence
Communicating findings
Evaluating claims
Similarities in both curriculums
Both Curriculums seek to respond to society's needs both current and future #
Require students to use Higher Order Thinking skills (HOTS) by engaging with critical thinking # #
Identifying and posing questions
- Identifying and constructing questions
- Proposing hypotheses
- Suggesting possible outcomes
- Representing data in meaningful and useful ways
- Identifying trends, patterns and relationships in data
- Using evidence to justify conclusions
- Making decisions about how to investigate or solve a problem
- Carrying out an investigation, including the collection of data
Conveying information or ideas to others through appropriate representations, text types and modes
'Considering the quality of available evidence and the significance of a claim, proposition or conclusion with reference to that evidence' (ACARA n.d.a)
Helps students to develop a deeper understanding of the science concepts
Strong pedagogical strategies, tools and resources used to teach both Science and Technology
Different contemporary approaches to teach Science
benefits of
Students “are more frequently curious in science and more frequently learn interesting things in science” (Hackling & Prain, 2008)
Applies contemporary theory
Promotes student autonomy
Enhances students scientific literacy (Fittell 2010, p.2)
Enhances science learning (Fittell 2010, p.2)
Appropriate scaffolding for both teachers and students
Authentic science investigations
promote the understanding of 'the nature of science' (Fittell 2010, p.4)
My personal opinion based on current research
Teachers benefit from taking the role of the students through inquiry learning #
Relevant to the topic chosen and relevant to the students real life
Student-centred learning
Scaffolded
Hands-on investigation
Cooperative Learning
Applying concepts to new situations
Teachers require more training to improve their pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge to increase their confidence and competence in the teaching of science and technologies (Fittell 2010, p.3)
'Within an open-ended inquiry-based learning model, students learnt more when teachers intervened less' (Fittell 2010, p.142)
More diverse, complex and thorough learning outcomes achieved (Fittell 2010, p.142)
Saves planning time
Supports #
Constructivist classroom (thirteen 2004
Personal position on science and faith
Design and technologies
Processes and production skills
Design and technologies
Digital technologies
Technologies and society
Technologies contexts
Digital systems
Reprensation of data
Design and produce design solutions
Collecting, managing and analysing data
Creating digital solutions #
Investigation and defining
Producing and implementing
Generating and designing
Evaluating #
Collaborating and managing
the impact of technologies in people's lives
Food and fibre production
The components of a digital system such as hardware, software and networks used
How data is represented
When man again projects students have to take into account ethical, health and safety considerations and personal and social beliefs and values (ACARA n.d.b)
Food specialists
Materials and technologies specialisations
Engineering principles and systems
Thinking in Technologies
Systems Thinking
Design Thinking
Computational Thinking
'A problem-solving method that is applied to create solutions that can be implemented using digital technologies' (ACARA n.d.b)
Systems thinking is a holistic approach to the identification and solving of problems (ACARA n.d.b)
The use of strategies for understanding design needs and opportunities, visualising and generating creative and innovative ideas, planning, and analysing and evaluating ideas (ACARA n.d.b)
Within the Science curriculum there are no references to considering many differing views or beliefs regarding science, nor is there mention of 'Ethical understanding Intercultural understanding' between years one to six for science. Therefore students are not explicitly taught to value their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of others through the subject area of Science.
Science demands
Technology demands
The teachers role is to engage students effectively and encourage learning by supporting students to construct new ideas, share new thinking, generate and record data and collect evidence to challenge and change existing ideas and understandings (Gardner 2011, cited in Fitzgerald and Smith 2016, p.65)
Both curriculums develop meaningful learning for students relevant to their every day world. #
Learning can be connected across the curriculum
Cross-Curriculum priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture
Sustainability
Literate
Numerate
Digital
Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia
'Students will have opportunities to learn that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have longstanding scientific knowledge traditions and developed knowledge about the world' (ACARA n.d.b)
Students begin to understand the importance of using science to predict possible effects of human and other activity and to develop management plans or alternative technologies that minimise these effects (ACARA n.d.)
Students reflect on past and current practices
These can include research and development in areas such as medicine, natural resource management, nanotechnologies, communication technologies and natural disaster prediction and management (ACARA n.d.)
Numerate
Digital
Literate
Communicate ideas, concepts and proposals to a variety of audiences
Read and interpret written instructions such as software manuals
Present technological information in the form of drawings, diagrams, flow charts, models, tables and graphs
'Write project outlines, concept and project management proposals, evaluations and project analysis reports' (ACARA n.d.)
Number to calculate, measure and estimate
Comprehend and compose texts
Give explanations of presented data
Multimedia texts
Description and explanation of findings
Charts
Diagrams
Pictures
Maps
Technical and specific terms for concepts and features
Researching science concepts
Practical measurement
Interpret and draw conclusions from statistics
Measure and record ideas
Cost and sequence when making products
Students work with number, geometry, scale, proportion, measurement and volume when working with software, materials, tools and equipment (ACARA n.d)
Create accurate technical drawings
'Use computational thinking when design and creating best-fit solutions' (ACARA n.d.)
Representation and Interpretation of data
Engage with qualitative and quantitative data
Data represented in graphs
Trends identified
Calculate and predict when supporting hypotheses
Engage in computational thinking
Investigate, communicate and create digital solutions
Logically organise and analyse data
Represent data in many different forms
Students 'create digital solutions that consider economic, environmental and social factors ' (ACARA n.d.)
Investigate science phenomena
Communicate scientific understandings
Access information using ICT
Collect, analyse and represent data
Within the aims for Science it specifies that students will draw critical, 'evidence based conclusions' (ACARA n.d.) however in christianity one is saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8, NIV). Faith being of that which is not seen. Faith is not measured by evidence, quite the opposite.
In the science aims students are encouraged to 'explore, ask questions about and speculate on the changing world in which they live' (ACARA n.d.). To speculate is to form a theory (dictionary.com), therefore students are given the freedom to decipher within Science and technology for themselves which theory they choose whether it be to believe in God, the creator of the universe or not.
Students develop meaningful learning (Fitzgerald and Smith 2016, p.69)
All topics in subject areas relate to each other and to the real world #
Students construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences (thirteen 2004)
Students reconstruct their prior knowledge based on their new experiences and thus, make their own meaning (thirteen 2004)
Both science and faith search for truth. Christians believe the Holy Bible is the truth to all mankind as is God (John 1:1, NIV). Those teachers who understand the nature of science as a body of absolute truths, will find science difficult to fit within their inquiry approaches to learning. Biblically God is the way, the truth and the light.
It is important as an educator of science and technology to not underestimate students ability to think abstractly and to design creatively as research has shown that children can and do learn effectively in these two areas (Fensham 2008, p.45)
B- Bigger
A - Add
R - Replace
Students choose an object and consider how they could make the object bigger or better, what they would add to it to help it be more effective and what they would replace in order to make it more relevant
K - What do I already know about this topic?
W - What do I want to learn about this topic?
L - What have I learned about this topic? (After the lesson)
Multiple Intelligences
Students engage with their multiple intelligence when completing cooperative learning tasks
Student centered learning while also addressing content standards
Students explore real-world problems and challenges
Engaged learners
Self-directed learners
Results in deeper learning
Relevant
Think-pair-share
Media presentation
This chart is completed either individually or by the whole class. This is for both students to reflect on prior knowledge, critically think about what they would like to know and to revise learnt information
- Video clips
- Powerpoint
- Audio
- Internet
Questioning
Students consider prior knowledge and how it impacts
Questioning is used to deepen learning in students
Graphic Organisers
Graphical tools used to organise thoughts and knowledge
- Mind Maps both online and manually
- Graphs
- Flow Charts
Students consider a concept on their own for a short time before sharing their thoughts with a partner, and then the class
Reflecting Journaling
Students reflect individually on what they have learnt, what they predict will happen, what changes they would like to make, etc.
Student create projects that reflect their own learning style, relevant to the topic
Demonstrated through
Kidspiration
PowerPoint
F - Flexible environment
L - Learning Culture
I - Intentional Content
P- Professional educator
Flexible individualised learning in students own time and space
Student centred approaches see students participate in and evaluate their own learning
Content required of students to learn at home
peer presentation
Peer review
individualised research
Problem based learning
Teachers to take on a guiding role in the classroom where noise and disorder are tolerated and reflective practices take place
Requires students to use HOTS
It is vital to create scientifically and technologically literate students who can make discerning decisions and contributions that will impact and enrich the lives of people and societies nationally, internationally and worldwide (Fensham 2008, p.45).
HOTS for transfer:
HOTS for Critical thinking
HOTS for problem solving
Students can apply the knowledge and skills they developed during their learning to new contexts
Students apply wise judgment or produce a reasoned critique
The ability to apply scientific concepts to real-life contexts demonstrates how science and technology are linked. Understanding this relationship helps with developing scientific literacy
Shows, exhibitions and workshops
Engaging with real-life, fun, relevant and current science and technology
Fun #
A process
A tool
Help classify galaxies
Help with real life projects
Observe science experiments online
by Phoebe Dolby s414124