Science Education: Problems, Issues and Dilemmas

by Dr Jonathan Osborne (King's College, London, Senior Lecturer in Science Education)

Thursday 26 Apr 2001, 16:30 → 17:30 Europe/Zurich

500/1-001 - Main Auditorium (CERN)

This presentation will consider the many problems and dilemmas that surround contemporary science education and the arguments for change. The core status of science on the curriculum can only be justified if the curriculum offers something that is of universal value to every young person. Traditionally, science education has been a preparation for a scientific career. Yet if, as commonly portrayed, science is merely a gateway to a set of limited career options in science and technology, it merits no higher status than any other optional subject and this reason alone is insufficient to merit universal compulsion and a place at the curriculum high table. In addition, the emphasis on content by traditional science courses has led to the exclusion of any education about the other three pillars on which any public understanding of science rests - the processes of science, an analysis of risks and benefits, and a knowledge of the social practices of science - knowledge which is necessary for the future citizen. Including these aspects will require a course that approaches the content, not from a foundational perspective where the final holistic picture is only accessible for those who complete a full education in science, but rather from an approach that emphasises the major explanatory stories that science has to offer. It would also require the scientific community to expect less of school science. Rather, such a course would seek to emphasise the development of an appreciation of science as a cultural activity rather than an extensive knowledge of its contents. It will be argued that it is essential for any new curricula to make science education more relevant to contemporary students - developing an awareness that science is both an interesting and important activity, and the capacity of students to engage with science in a positive and enthusiastic manner. Scientists, such as those at CERN, have an important role to play in communicating the incredible achievements they have made, the importance of science in our culture and the value of an understanding of science as a general qualification and ways in which this can be achieved will be explored. However, a number of obstacles to improving the quality of science education exist. The introduction on standards has reinforced the dominance of easily assessable content and the attempt to make the important measurable, has made only the measurable important. The imposition of such frameworks has undermined teachers' sense of commitment and professionalism, and many are now resistant to change. These issues, examples of new approaches, their implications and more will be discussed and explored in this lecture.

Organiser(s): James Gillies / ETT Division

Note: * Tea & coffee will be served at 16.00 hrs.