Teaching Methods of Science

[CarbonCopy]

I feel that teaching methods of Science today is too theoretical. There is not too much emphasis on practicals. And we are not told much about the scientific method ( the cornerstone of science ). Science in school has become too boring and dry I feel. Should the way of teaching be changed, what are your thoughts ?

 

( I have experience with the Indian Education system only as I live in India, but, I think the world prevails worldwide. Correct me if i'm wrong. )

[ajb]

There is not too much emphasis on practicals.

 

Good equipment is expensive and practicals can take a long time. I think this is, at least part of, the reason.

 

And we are not told much about the scientific method ( the cornerstone of science ).

 

I don't remember much being said about this at school. So I would like to see more of the philosophy of science in schools. This would help dispel all the pseudo-science and similar that we are all exposed to.

 

 

Should the way of teaching be changed, what are your thoughts ?

 

We need more on the general philosophy of science. The other thing is that science should be seen as important, both culturally and economically.

[JohnStu]

I feel that teaching methods of Science today is too theoretical. There is not too much emphasis on practicals. And we are not told much about the scientific method ( the cornerstone of science ). Science in school has become too boring and dry I feel. Should the way of teaching be changed, what are your thoughts ?

 

( I have experience with the Indian Education system only as I live in India, but, I think the world prevails worldwide. Correct me if i'm wrong. )

 

 

Yes it is getting into a big problem worldwide. I been to schools in Nanjing China and Canada, both have some flaws in them. The science classes in china were too focused on equations not the practical uses behind them and the canadian schools tend to focus on the underachievers ONLY.

[juanrga]

I feel that teaching methods of Science today is too theoretical. There is not too much emphasis on practicals. And we are not told much about the scientific method ( the cornerstone of science ). Science in school has become too boring and dry I feel. Should the way of teaching be changed, what are your thoughts ?

 

( I have experience with the Indian Education system only as I live in India, but, I think the world prevails worldwide. Correct me if i'm wrong. )

 

I agree on the existence of problems with current education system, from school to the post-doc level. I disagree on the origins. As it is said often "there is nothing more practical than a good theory".

 

Precisely I started the project knowledge to provide a series of up to date educative resources for free. Several of the articles are devoted to the scientific methods (yes plural) and they illustrate very well what I am trying to say. We agree with William R. Robinson, Donald J. Wink, & William S. Harwood on that the "scientific method", as presented in many textbooks and encyclopedias, is not how "science is done" by anthropologists, biologists, chemists, geologists, medical scientists, physicists, and others.

 

http://juanrga.com/en/knowledge/scientific-methods.html

 

http://juanrga.com/en/knowledge/heuristic-methods.html

 

http://juanrga.com/en/knowledge/didactic-methods.html

[raphaelemch]

In my own view teaching science must be hands on, not just lectures and by words it'll be better to test it (at least the possible experiments).

[CarbonCopy]

In my own view teaching science must be hands on, not just lectures and by words it'll be better to test it (at least the possible experiments).

 

That is my view too. Science teaching today is too dry. If feel that when we teach science, we should tell our students about the scientific method and the wonders of discovery.

 

Also, in India, the main focus is not on the subject but on passing the exam. The exams create an environment where students are forced to by heart big paragraphs in their science text books. Rote learning here is very prevalent. That's why most of the students hardly know any science. It's quite a waste of time and human resource. Most of these kids do really well in school but when they land up with jobs, their lost because the knowledge that they learned is of no use to them. I know so many people who struggle in their lives because they know nothing but rote learning. Rote learning of science is a great threat to science knowledge here.

 

The science classes in china were too focused on equations

India shares that problem with China. Here too students are too focused on solving problems using equations, and they never get to understand their true beauty. Students are forced to learn up huge derivation word by word of these equations.

Edited December 3, 2012 by CarbonCopy

[dirtyamerica]

The best way to teach Science is hands-on, whether through lab work or just good old concrete examples. You can drone on about theories but once you give students something tangable to work with it's like magic. I used to teach sciences in a middle school. Fortunately at that level you can stay away from huge equations that might scare some kids. My philosophy was to trick them into liking Science by distracting them with cool stuff. hehe

 

Students learn more by doing Science and applying higher level thinking skills (analyzing, infering, etc), not just by seeing or hearing it.

[chris logan]

 

 

Yes it is getting into a big problem worldwide. I been to schools in Nanjing China and Canada, both have some flaws in them. The science classes in china were too focused on equations not the practical uses behind them and the canadian schools tend to focus on the underachievers ONLY.

i noticed the same thing...it's all equations, i don't get it, what's the use of knowing the equations when you don't know how to apply them?

Edited April 14, 2013 by chris logan

[Ophiolite]

I normally find myseld echoing your thoughts ajb, but not on this occassion.

Good equipment is expensive and practicals can take a long time. I think this is, at least part of, the reason.

A stop watch, a ball bearing and an inclinded plane are not expensive. The principles of the experimental method can be taught with any experiment.

 

 

I don't remember much being said about this at school. So I would like to see more of the philosophy of science in schools. This would help dispel all the pseudo-science and similar that we are all exposed to.

Here I tend to agree. My own experience was the Scottish educational system in the 1960s. We were taught the basics of the scientific method, but it seemed to be implicit. I'm not sure I truly grasped it until almost forty years later.

 

 

We need more on the general philosophy of science. The other thing is that science should be seen as important, both culturally and economically.

I would argue that far more important is some way to convey the excitement, wonder and wow factor of science, without descending to rampant dramatisation in the manner of many TV documentaries.