KCF 2007 - Note

KCF 2007

Introduction

           After the formation of NCERT in 1961, Kerala has been following all the curriculum reform efforts initiated at the national level. For instance, the state initiated the process for reforming its curriculum following the national curriculum framework 1975. The state also took steps to implement NPE 1986 and the programme of action. It was in 1997, that an effort for the formulation of a comprehensive curriculum focusing on the process of teaching and learning was attempted in Kerala. Rooted in the emerging methodology and strategies, an integrated method of learning, a process oriented activity based approach, viewing learner as a constructer of knowledge, recognizing the role of society in knowledge construction and idea of continues and comprehensive evaluation came into effect. However the state’s curriculum reform effort gained further impetus with the formulation of NCF 2005. NCF 2005 and the position papers provided ground for introspection and formulation of the Kerala curriculum frame work 2007.

·        The education system that is envisaged should be capable of promoting a social order based on the equality and justice.

·        To develop a sense in preserving all available resources in nature and to utilize them judiciously.

·        To develop each child as a responsible citizen of the society.

·        Creating a generation upholding nationalism and capturing the meaning of unity in diversity.

·        To create an awareness on once on right and right of others in children

Aim of science education as in KCF 2007

   

         By the time the learner of today gets involved in the process of production in the society, the nature and the needs of the society would have changed considerably. Besides, the changes occur at a rapid pace and Science and Technology would continue to occupy a central position in becoming the inspiration behind such changes.

Thus, the aims of science education include

o   Development of scientific temperament and its application in daily life

o   Engagement in scientific methods like observation, experimentation, data collection, interpretation of data, analysis, theorising, examining for construction of knowledge

o   Nurturing the ability to examine scientifically the problems of daily life as well as social issues and seeking logical solutions

o   Recognising and developing one’s own interests and abilities in technical and vocational fields

o   Encouraging the development of logical thinking

o   Imbibing a humanistic outlook and developing a world view based on it               

o   Recognizing the importance of understanding historical   development of ideas.

o   Nurturing lateral thinking ability for enabling the learners to look at   things from different perspectives and to seek new solutions

o   Developing scientific literacy that provides for building awareness of scientific process

The importance of scientific enquiry as given in KCF 2007

           The pivot of science education should be the development of the spirit of scientific enquiry. With the help of science education, all learners should acquire. skills like investigating, planning and execution of experimental study and identification of the tools and equipment to be used and data collection. There should be a spirit of enquiry in the learners to understand the research methodology of scientists and construct new forms of knowledge

Learning methodology as given in KCF 2007

           When there is a change in the attitude towards the skills that are to be inculcated in science education, there will be a change in the learning methodology as well. Science learning is something that students do, not something that is done to them. Science education should be an active learning process.

·        Individual learning: Every student fixes a specific aim and works towards the achievement of it.

·        Competitive learning: Students complete with each other and learn.

·        Co-operative learning: Students co-operate and work towards the achievement of a common goal.

The nature of science and science education as given in KCF 2007

          By interacting with the society, a child develops a variety of notions about the nature of science. The supremacy of science and the perfection of scientific theories form a part of this. The personal experience of the learner through suitable learning activities provides him/her proper awareness on this. A mere learning of scientific ideas and theories will not enable the learner to understand the nature of science. Acquisition of scientific ideas will not, by themselves, develop a scientific perspective. Experiences that facilitate this should be provided to the learner right from the beginning of his/her schooling.

                                     

                                               At the beginning stage, the student should go through concrete experiences that help him/her get acquainted with various aspects of nature. This does not mean that the curriculum should avoid abstract ideas. A learner who goes through a proper learning experience would gradually gain processing skills and the ability to internalize abstract ideas. A learner who possesses the spirit of enquiry should be encouraged to discuss and share his/her findings with the peer group. This will enable the learner to internalize the concrete experiences and to assimilate the abstract

ideas.

The relevance of the history of science

                It is not suggested that the learner should find out everything for himself/herself or that he/she should find answers to all questions. Depending on the learner's age, nature, the specific subject taught, other methods may have to be used. At some points, a historical method may have to be used. This is also essential to inculcate a scientific temperament. This is one field that is not sufficiently considered in present-day textbooks. This is necessary for the student to understand how science works, and for the recognition that the present advanced state of science and technology is the accumulated result of the work of many scientists over the centuries.                     

                             However, we must be conscious of the fact that when studying about the revolutionary contributions of some of the extraordinarily brilliant scientists (the contributions might have arisen from their intellectual brilliance, from the opportunities they came across, or even accidentally) the learner may come to the conclusion that science is a field of endeavor meant only for the extraordinarily brilliant. Learners must be made to understand that there are several others who are actively engaged in scientific enquiry around the world. They should believe that activity in science is meant for everyone.

Relevance of laboratory as given in KCF 2007

A well-equipped laboratory is not a an indispensable factor at the lower level to make science education effective. For the effective use of laboratories teachers need to think of.

·        Keeping the laboratory clean.

·        Classifying and labeling every piece of equipments.

·        Ensuring freedom and opportunity to all  teachers to handle the equipments in the laboratory.

·        Providing opportunities for all the learners to handle all the equipments and articles in the laboratory.

·        Ensuring safety measures in handling the equipments.

·        Providing the learner the opportunity to do the experiments instead of the teacher doing all experiments for the learners.

Evaluation

                 A comprehensive and continues evaluation is the practice of evaluation we put forward for all the subject. The traditional method of class test is not sufficient to evaluate a child. All the abilities of the child should be subjected to evaluation.

APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM ORGANISATION

I) INTEGRATED APPROACH

The concept of integrating curriculum is nothing new. It’s been around, in fact, since the 1800s and was advocated by such well-known educational theorists as John Dewey and Meredith Smith. It has gained recent attention, however and more and more educators think that it is the best way to teach. It is a curriculum in which subject matter boundaries are ignored, all subjects being taught in a relation to broad areas of study and in relation to one another as mutually associated to some genuine life relation.

Curriculum integration can be described as an approach to teaching and learning that is based on both philosophy and practicality. It can generally be defined as a curriculum approach that purposefully draws together knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values from within or across subject areas to develop a more powerful understanding of key ideas. Curriculum integration occurs when components of the curriculum are connected and related in meaningful ways by both the students and teachers.

Integrated curriculum is a way to teach students that attempts to break down barriers between subjects and make learning more meaningful to students. In its simplest conception, it is about making connections. The integrated approach aspires to help pupils obtain a coherent view of science by establishing numerous links between the various branches of science. Integrated science integrates the perspectives of subdisciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science. Through this integration, teachers expect students to understand the connections between the different subdisciplines and their relationship to the real world.

Integrated curriculum requires accessing knowledge from all of the traditional subjects without labeling them as such. In addition, integrated curriculum adds problem-solving, real-world application and social consciousness to the learning process, making it a more comprehensive way of educating and of learning.

In general, all of the definitions of integrated curriculum or interdisciplinary curriculum include (Lake, 1994):

a combination of subjects;

an emphasis on projects;

sources that go beyond textbooks;

relationships among concepts;

thematic units as organizing principles;

flexible schedules;

flexible student groupings

Why Integrated Curriculum is Effective

Integrated curriculum is an effective way to teach and learn because it corresponds with the way our brain works physiologically. Rather than separating knowledge into discrete partitions, the brain creates a complex web of information that recognizes patterns. Moreover, learning within a known context or experience helps the brain remember information more effectively. In fact, the physical structure of the brain changes as a result of experience, and it grows and develops more in an interactive environment. Integrating curriculum is a way to capitalize on these existing features of the human brain and work with, rather than counter to its natural function.

Besides being compatible with brain function, there are other reasons integrated curriculum makes sense. First, it teaches concepts that help students approach any situation or problem, rather than facts which have limited application. When you think about how knowledge has grown, but classroom time has not, you can see how this way of approaching education is more beneficial to the student in the long run. We can’t teach every fact, so it’s better to teach how to think about facts.

Finally, there is no particular rationale for the way things are done currently. The current system is, in fact, somewhat counterproductive, as it does not encourage teacher-teacher communication or resource-sharing. With integrated curriculum, however, these kinds of communications are an indispensable part of the process. They ensure that information is not repeated, and that teachers help each other teacher, rather than working at odds with each other.

Benefits of Curriculum Integration

• Allowing for flexibility: Through curriculum integration, teachers can plan for the development of key skills and understandings that transcend individual strands and subjects.

• Building on prior knowledge and experiences: Choosing meaningful connections among subject areas helps students build on their diverse prior knowledge and experiences, supports their holistic view of the world and ensures more meaningful learning.

• Unifying the students’ learning: Curriculum integration enables students to develop a unified view of the curriculum to broaden the context of their learning beyond single subject areas.

• Reflecting the real world: When curriculum is organized in a holistic way, it better reflects the real world and the way children learn at home and in the community.

• Matching the way students think: Brain research supports the theory that younger students take in many things and process and organize them at one time. Teaching ideas holistically, rather than in fragmented pieces, better reflects how young students’ brains process information.

Curriculum integration enables teacher to:

• identify the connections within and among the content of subject areas

• provide a relevant context for learning, based on the needs of students

• assess students’ skills and understandings in a variety of learning contexts

• manage the content of the program of studies more easily because outcomes from different areas or key learning skills are both addressed at the same time and reinforced

• Increases student’s motivation and participation.

II) INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM

An interdisciplinary curriculum combines several school subjects into one active project or is organized to cut across subject-matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association. It focuses on broad areas of study since that is how children encounter subjects in the real world—combined in one activity. In the interdisciplinary curriculum, the planned learning experiences not only provide the learners with a unified view of commonly held knowledge (by learning models, systems, and structures) but also motivate and develop learners’ power to perceive new relationships and thus to create new models, systems, and structures. Interdisciplinary curriculum involves using the knowledge view and curricular approach that consciously applies methodology and language from more than one discipline to examine a central theme, issue, problem, topic, or experience. In inter disciplinary science curriculum science is treated as one discipline, a combination of separate disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology.

iii) CONCENTRIC AND SPIRAL APPROACHES

The whole curriculum is spread over a number of years.  a general treatment of almost all the topics are attempted at the beginning and it is developed in successive years according to the mental development of the pupils.  In the beginning of the course, the whole aspect is given to pupils in a simplified way.  In the next year more and more details of its parts are added.  It follows the maximum of teaching, such as from whole to part, simple to complex, easy to difficult etc. Among educationist of modern times, Burner is the main exponent of the approach is maintained.  Sometimes this approach is referred to as concentric approach.  But the term “spiral approach” is preferred to the other.  The term spiral gives the additional implication that while attempting gradation the linkage too is taken care of and the continuing of the topic concerned is never broken.  While conceiving it as concentric only the widening of the scope is indicated but the linkage is not taken care of.

IV) NATURE STUDY

            Nature study is defined as “learning to be really alive to the world around”.  The use of the word study implies that independent work must be done by the pupil, and while books, pictures and models are valuable aids in the teaching, the subject matter is nature herself.

            Aim of Nature study:-

a)The cultivation of interest in the world around.

b)The development of habits of careful observation and later on coherent reasoning.

c)The cultivation of the power of expression

d)The free development of individuality of the pupil.

(V) NATURE RAMBLING

            The main criteria are the experience of the child.  Child is considered as the rambler in his environment.  The materials the child is likely to meet with the scientific situations be likely to face with are chosen and arranged in the science course. Accordingly the science course of the first year may contain the elementary study of planets, trees sun, moon, birds, stars, and rain. In the second year the study of rock, different kinds of rock, kinds of water, purification of water, solar system, seasons and like.  In the third year the study of sand, minerals, atmosphere, soil, eclipse and shadows.

            It lays foundation for advanced studies because all natural science is specialised forms of nature study.  It develops the power of observation reasoning and it establishes good relationships between the child and his environment.

                                     -------------------------------------------------------------

CURRICULUM - A CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS

CURRICULUM

A curriculum is a plan of learning consisting of two major dimensions, vision and structure. Vision in a curriculum is the product of a set of assumptions about people and the world at large and takes the form of some conceptualization of reality. Any curriculum always contains a set of value laden assumptions about the purpose of education in our society. The term curriculum comes from the Latin word Currere which means 'to run'. Thus the traditional definition of curriculum is a course of study or training leading to a product or education.

The curriculum is now generally considered to be all of the experiences that learners have under the auspices of the school. (Doll in 1970).

It is perhaps best thought of as sum total of all deliberately planned set of activities which facilitate learning and which are designed to implement specific educational aims. It is a plan to explain what concepts are to be transacted and what knowledge, skills and attitudes are to be deliberately fostered. It includes statements of criteria for selection of content, and choice of methods for transaction of content as well as evaluation. It is concerned with

 the general objectives of education at a particular stage or class;

 subject-wise learning objectives and content;

 course of studies and time allocation;

 teaching-learning experiences;

 teaching-learning aids and materials; and

 evaluation of learning and feedback to learners.

Thus, curriculum is a plan to develop capabilities that are likely to help achieve the chosen aims. The curriculum should provide experiences that build the knowledge and provide capabilities of thinking rationally, to understand the world through various disciplines, fosters aesthetic appreciation and sensitivity towards others to work and to participate in economic process. It provides the vision of capabilities and values that every individual must have. It also gives a socio-political and cultural vision for society. In other words, curriculum is a complete plan for implementation of educational aims. Curriculum should respond to the new developments and the concern of the country.

SYLLABUS

It is a document that gives details of the content of subjects to be transacted and the skills, knowledge and the attitude which are to be deliberately fostered together with the stage-specific objectives. Syllabus covers the teaching learning items, materials, equipments and the evaluation tools. A finished syllabus is an overall plan of the learning process. It must specify what components, or learning items, must be available, or learned by a certain time; what is the most efficient sequence in which they are learned; what items can be learned simultaneously; what items are available from the stock, and the whole process is determined by consideration of how long it takes to produce or learn a component or item. The process is under continual scrutiny by means of stock checks, or tests and examinations. A syllabus is required to produce efficiency of two kinds-pragmatic and pedagogical. The former is concerned with the economy of time and money. It needs the setting of instructions to be planned, and that not all learners are to be given the same treatment.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CURRICULUM AND SYLLABUS

Some confusion exists over the distinction between syllabus and curriculum, since the terms are used differently on either side of the Atlantic. Curriculum is a very general concept, which involves consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social and administrative factors, which contribute to the planning of an educational programme. Syllabus, on the other hand, refers the subpart of curriculum, which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

It is a basic cycle involving the process of  Analysis, Design, Implementation and Evaluation.

Analysis - What educational purposes shall the school seek to attain?

Design - What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?

Implementation - How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?

Evaluation - How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?

Through analysis, design, implementation and evaluation, curriculum developers set goals, plan experiences, select content and assess outcomes of school programs. These constant processes have contributed to the emergence of structure in curriculum planning.

PRINCIPLES OF CURRICULUM ORGANISATION

Curriculum organization is a scientific process involving basic principles on which the credibility of the curriculum rests. Some of the principles of curriculum organization are:

Principle of need - A well designed curriculum should provide suitable opportunities for fulfilling the varied needs of a learner. This implies that the pupil's physical, emotional and social needs must be met.

Principle of utility - Curriculum should help the children in living a wholesome and self fulfilling life. It should provide the child with sufficient opportunities for both academic and social growth so that the child can use his knowledge in his day to day life.

Principle of variety - The Curriculum should be flexible enough to cater to students of different ability, aptitude and intelligence. The curriculum should be broad based, capable of satisfying the varying interests and needs of students.

Principle of readiness - The Curriculum should be based on sound principles of learning. The learning environment should be geared to the student's needs and maturity should be provided. Matching the Curriculum to the stage of the students mental development is vital.

Principle of social relevance - The Curriculum should be relevant to the personal needs of the student as well as to the needs of the society. The future of the student in a technological age has to be given due consideration in the organization of the curriculum.

Principle of conservation - The Curriculum should help in preserving and spreading the traditions and culture of our nation.

Principle of balancing - There should be realistic balance between: objectives and content, objectives and abilities, objectives and learning experience.

Principle of integration - The Curriculum should integrate the child's needs and activities on one hand and the needs of society on the other. A good and well planned curriculum provides all those experiences to the child which help in his all round development, as a student, as an individual and as a productive citizen of the country.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CURRICULUM ORGANIZATION

While organizing the curriculum, it is essential to keep the following factors in mind:

·         The pupils

·         The environment - including material resources, infrastructure, textbooks, etc.

·         Examination and evaluation

·         Guidance and counselling

·         Administration

·         The teacher

CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENCE CURRICULUM PROJECTS

1. The science curricular projects stressed the processes of science. Giving students a good understanding of the subject was one of the primary aims.

2. Practical work was seen as vital.

3. Recent subject matter of social relevance is also included.

4. Each course was developed after thorough content analysis of topics. This helped clarify the logical structure of the topic.

5. Besides textual material, the curriculum also contained teacher guides, films, supplementary experiments, laboratory manuals and test materials.

6. In service training of science teachers.

8. Continuous evaluation helped to identify any discrepancies thus enabling improvement of these programmes. 

NATURE & SCOPE OF SCIENCE

WHAT IS SCIENCE?

Humans are curious by nature. This curiosity has driven them since time immemorial to explore the world around them. Initially the pace of exploration was slow. But with the availability of better tools of exploration in the last few hundred years and also as a result of industrial revolution in the west, the pace of exploration has increased manifold. Humans’ exploratory activities have resulted in the accumulation of a vast source of knowledge called natural science. In natural science, we study about nature which means the entire universe. The knowledge is now organized in several disciplines for the convenience of study. This knowledge is based on inquiry, observations and logical extensions, and is testable by experiment or has logically convincing explanation. It is this organized knowledge with inquiry, logical reasoning and experimentation as its central themes, that we call science. Science may rightly be said to be a domain of inquiry.

NATURE OF SCIENCE

Science has certain characteristics which distinguish it from other spheres of human endeavor. These characteristics define the nature of science. These also set the terms on which you can engage with science. These are discussed below.

·         Science is a particular way of looking at nature

·         Science is a rapidly expanding body of knowledge

·         Science is an interdisciplinary area of learning

·         Science is a truly international enterprise

·         Science is always tentative

·         Science promotes scepticism; scientists are highly sceptic people

·         Science demands perseverance from its practitioners

·         Science as an approach to investigation and as a process of constructing knowledge

DEFINITIONS

Science is defined in several ways by different individuals. Let us examine a few definitions.

According to Fitzpatrick: Science is a cumulative endless series of empirical observations which result in the formation of concepts & theories, with both concepts & theories being subject to modification in the light of further empirical observations. Science is both a body of knowledge & the process of acquiring it.

Conant defined science as: An interconnected series of concepts & conceptual schemes that have developed as a result of experimentation & observation & are fruitful of further experimentation & observation.

The Columbia Encyclopedia: Science is an accumulated & systematized learning in general usage restricted to natural phenomenon. The progress of science is marked not only by an accumulation of fact, but by the emergence of scientific method & of the scientific attitude. 

Gilbert Archey: Science is knowledge acquired in a particular way. It becomes a human activity, an attitude & an exercise of the mind that put us it where in a state of familiarity with nature.

B.F.Skinner: Science is first of all a set of attitudes. It is disposition to deal with facts rather than with what someone has said about them.

Tennyson: Science moves but slowly, steadily, creeping on from one point to another but actually the progress has been rapid.

From the various definitions, the three fold nature of science is explained as:

·         Science is a body of knowledge

·         Science is a method of inquiry, a way of investigating

·         Science is an attitude towards life: a way of thinking.

a. Science as a body of knowledge – science has been characterized as a body of knowledge obtained by scientists. Various types of scientific knowledge exist in the form of facts, concepts, principles, laws, hypothesis & theories.

- Science as a process – In science, the ways of gathering information, thinking, measuring, problem solving are called process of science. Basic processes of science are observation, comparison, classification, communication, measurement, estimation & prediction. The quality of knowledge acquired in science depends on the quality of process skills applied. The various processes of science can be classified into five categories:

·         Collection of data

·         Analysis of data

·         Synthesis of data

·         Evaluation of data

·         Application of generalizations to new situations

- Science as a product – Whatever information or ideas we acquire through various processes of science form the product of science. The basic components of the product of science are facts, concepts, principles, theories & laws.

- Science as both a process and a product – Science is both a body of knowledge & the process of acquiring it. Science is both a verb & a noun. These two aspects are interdependent & inseparable.      

b. Science viewed as a method of inquiry – according to Karl Pearson the scientific method involves the following six steps:

·         Identification of the problem

·         Gathering observations relevant to the problem on hand

·         Statement of a hypothesis based on observations gathered

·         Testable predictions of other related observable phenomena are developed from the hypothesis

·         The hypothesis is tested through observations

·         As a result of empirical observations, the hypothesis is supported, rejected or modified.

Science teachers should emphasize to their students that scientists do approach the solution of any specific problem in an organized manner.

c. Science as an attitude towards life – a person with scientific attitude will have the following characteristics:

·         Open mindedness

·         Objectivity

·         Freedom from belief in superstitions

·         Belief in cause – effect relationship

·         Accuracy & truthfulness in reporting observations

·         Methodical way of solving problem on hand

·         Up-to-dateness

·         Respect for other people's opinion, though he may not agree with them

·         Ability to distinguish between scientific evidence & scientific proof

·         Ability to discern between fact & fiction

A science teacher can, by her example, help develop these characteristics in her students.

ROLE OF A SCIENCE TEACHER

Science teachers face a challenging task to inculcate the essence of the scientific enterprise among students. Students should be made conversant with scientific way of knowing and thus constructing their knowledge in science. Teacher should structure the learning experiences in such a way that the nature of science becomes an inherent part of all teaching-learning situations. Historical aspects of the development of scientific concepts should be emphasised. It would help students to appreciate how science evolved by human endeavour and resulted in the development of various technologies. It is important to simultaneously reduce the overload of memorising facts which often cause a disinclination towards science. Laboratory work in science, infused with the spirit of inquiry, provides students with hands-on experiences and develops a scientific attitude which is one of the important aims of teaching learning of science.

The role of the science teacher is crucial to the development of scientific temper among students. It goes without saying that the teacher should herself be competent in the area she teaches; she must be familiar with all the aspects of the nature of science; and she must have imbibed scientific temper herself. Such a teacher can exemplify the content of scientific temper from her everyday conduct. From time to time, she can engage her students in discussions to develop scientific temper among them, and foster the values hidden in scientific method like truth, honesty and open-mindedness. She can help her students retain and sharpen further the sense of inquiry by allowing them to explore their environment and encouraging them to ask questions, even if sometimes these questions appear trivial. By her own enthusiasm for science she can transmit the excitement of doing science. During teaching- learning she can convey that science is tentative and nothing is fixed or final and the quest for progressive refinement of theories and explanations continues in which the students can participate at that time and later when they grow old.

Activities such as projects, field work, paper reading along with laboratory work and discussion would encourage students to do science. This in turn, would help them to learn the skills associated with the inquiry and processes of science such as observing, measuring, hypothesising, predicting, analysing and communicating.

While assigning projects the science teacher can remind her students of honesty of reporting their observations. She must herself be ready to appreciate if students report their findings honestly even if they lead to wrong results. We have discussed above that people from all over the world contribute to the progress of science. As a science teacher you must instil confidence in your students that they can also contribute in this process. Understanding the nature of science is a valuable goal of science education and must be reflected in the process of assessment. It is not enough to merely examine students’ learning of facts and principles of science. It is necessary to assess their spirit of inquiry, sceptic attitude towards existing ideas, and tendency to try out new ideas.

SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE

An attitude is a condition of mind that brings in imagination & emotional states which are the outcome of previous experiences. It is the sum total of man’s inclinations & feelings, prejudices & biases, preconceived notions, ideas, threats & convictions about any specific topic.

According to NSSE (National Society of the Study of Education)- Scientific attitudes can be defined as open mindedness, a desire for accurate knowledge & the expectation that the solution of the problem will come through the use of verified knowledge.

Characteristics of a person who possess scientific attitude

·         Open mindedness

·         Objectivity

·         Freedom from belief in superstitions

·         Belief in cause – effect relationship

·         Accuracy & truthfulness in reporting observations

·         Methodical way of solving problem on hand

·         Up-to-dateness

·         Respect for other people's opinion, though he may not agree with them

·         Ability to distinguish between scientific evidence & scientific proof

·         Ability to discern between fact & fiction

Techniques for developing scientific attitude

·         Use of wide reading

·         Use of planned exercises

·         Proper use of laboratory period

·         Co-curricular activities in science

·         The atmosphere of the class

·         The personal example of the teacher

SCIENTIFIC APTITUDE

Aptitude refers to those qualities characterizing person’s way of behavior which serve to indicate how well he can learn to meet & solve certain specified kind of problems. (Bingham). Aptitudes have future reference & tries to predict the degree of attainment, ability concerns with present condition, while achievement is past oriented.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Most investigations in science involve some form of scientific method. It shows creativity of humankind in seeking solution to its problems. The approach used by the scientists in the study of astronomy and ecology is observation and prediction. In microbiology they rely on laboratory experiment focused on cause and effect relationship. This is a glimpse of the process by which science works. The essential elements of this process have been collected in what is known as scientific method. These elements are discussed below.

(i) Observations: Scientists usually have to find cause and effect relationship. Suppose a scientist needs to explain a phenomenon, or may be a problem has been posed to him which he needs to solve. For this purpose the scientist carries out observations of the phenomenon that is to be explained. Observations are properly recorded and studied to discover if there are any hidden patterns. We interact with the world outside through our sense organs. Whatever we observe through our sense organs (see, listen, smell, taste, feel) is information. Besides senses, we have mind which processes this information by registering, classifying, generalising, etc. and converts it to knowledge. Our mind sorts out the information on the basis of differences and places them into various categories on the basis of similarities, which later on can be recalled for use in different situations, thus becoming a part of knowledge.

(ii) Hypothesis: The observations of a phenomenon, or facts, raise certain questions, such as, ‘what caused it to happen?’ Or, ‘why did it happen this way and not in any other way?’ On the basis of the answers to these questions, the scientist thinks of a tentative explanation or formulates a hypothesis. In science, all hypothesis are testable. One of the most important features of science is that it requires hypotheses to cast into a form that can not only be verified but also significantly proved wrong.

(iii) Prediction from a hypothesis and its testing by experimentation: Prediction of science does not mean telling something about the future which has not occurred in the past. It is about foretelling results of an experiment which might be obtained and have remained or not remained unnoticed to throw some light on the scientific phenomena. The hypothesis is analysed to make predictions which are verifiable by experimentation. If experiments show that the hypothesis formulated is not correct, a new hypothesis is formulated and subjected to experimental verification. It is possible that a hypothesis can make more than one predictions. Such a hypothesis is accepted only when all the predictions made by it have been confirmed by experimentation.

(iv) Scientific Theory: The process of formulating and verifying hypotheses continues till all the predictions of a hypothesis (or a group of related hypotheses) are found to be correct by experimentation. At this stage possible generalisations of the hypothesis are looked for. The results are communicated to the scientific community through publications in scientific journals. The results are then open to experimental scrutiny by scientists all over the world. If the results pass the test of reproducibility, the hypothesis along with generalisations is then promoted to the status of a theory.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD- A CRITICAL VIEW

·         Scientific method is not a prescribed pathway for making discoveries in science. Very rarely the method has remained a key to a discovery in science. It is the attitude of inquiry, investigation and experimentation rather than following a set steps of a particular method that leads to discoveries and advancement in science.

·         Sometimes a theory may suggest a new experiment; at other times an experiment may suggest a new theoretical model. Scientists do not always go through all the steps of the method and not necessarily in the order we have outlined above.

·         The validity of a hypothesis depends solely on the experimental test and not on the prestige, stature, faith, nationality or any other attribute of the personality of the person who proposes the hypothesis.

·         A scientific method with its linear steps makes us feel that science is a ‘closed box approach’ of thinking. However, in practice science is more about thinking ‘out of the box’. There is tremendous scope of creativity in science.

·         The scientific method imposes operational limitation on science. It does not help us to make aesthetic or value judgment.

·         Following scientific method does not ensure that a discovery can be made. However, the skills learnt in making observation, analysis, hypothesis, prediction from a hypothesis and its testing by experimentation help us in developing scientific attitude.

·         All of us will benefit immensely if we imbibe the spirit of scientific method in our personal lives. The scientific method tells us to be honest in reporting our observations or experimental results, keep an open mind and be ready to accept other points of view if our own view is proved wrong. These values form what is called the scientific temper or scientific attitude, or rational thinking. The adoption of these values is very important for an individual as well as for a society to get rid of superstition and prejudice.