Changing Emphases/Changing Emphases to Promote Inquiry
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The National Science Education Standards envision change throughout the system. The science content standards encompass the following changes in emphases:
LESS EMPHASIS ON |
MORE EMPHASIS ON |
Knowing scientific
facts and information Understanding scientific
concepts and developing abilities of inquiry Studying subject matter
disciplines (physical life, earth sciences)
for their own sake Learning subject matter
disciplines in the context of inquiry,technology,
science in personal and social perspectives, and
history and nature of science Separating science knowledge
and science process Integrating all aspects of
science content Covering many science
topics Studying a few fundamental
science concepts Implementing inquiry as a
set of processes Implementing inquiry as
instructional strategies, abilities, and ideas to be
learned
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LESS EMPHASIS
ON
MORE EMPHASIS
ON
Activities that
demonstrate and verify science
content Activities that investigate
and analyze science questions Investigations confined
to one class period Investigations over extended
periods of time Process skills out of
context Process skills in
context Emphasis on individual
process skills such as observation or
inference Using multiple process
skills--manipulation, cognitive, procedural Getting an answer Using evidence and
strategies for developing or revising an explanation Science as exploration and
experiment Science as argument and
explanation Providing answers to
questions about science content Communicating science
explanations Individuals and groups of
students analyzing and synthesizing data without
defending a conclusion Groups of students often
analyzing and synthesizing data after defending
conclusions Doing few investigations in
order to leave time to cover large amounts of
content Doing more investigations in
order to develop understanding, ability, values of
inquiry and knowledge of science content Concluding inquiries with
the result of the
experiment Applying the results of
experiments to scientific arguments and explanations Management of materials and
equipment Management of ideas and
information Private communication of
student ideas and conclusions to
teacher Public communication of
student ideas and work to classmates
Reprinted with permission from National Science Education Standards. Copyright 1996 by the National Academy of Sciences. Courtesy of the National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
National Science Education Standards: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses