science assignment help

science assignment help

The Importance of Science Education

1. Introduction

Well-managed scientific study and education should, on the other hand, provide the strongest and clearest possible evidence in support of the concept that scientific thinking and a knowledge of the power of rational experimental approaches is valuable to the development of a productive citizenship. It is this ideal that I strive, since the day I started teaching, to achieve for my students in everything that we do in the name of science education.

From a personal perspective, I feel that my students have not obtained the full educational benefit of being taught a scientific way of looking at the world; they do not yet understand how science can be used to explain and prove points, or disprove those of others. Science education could be made more effective by utilizing better teaching methods, for example, hands-on experiments and ‘real world’ applications. However, time and money dedicated to improving science education, despite overwhelming need, have been in short supply and right now the pendulum of opinion seems to be swinging away from research and the idea of ‘science for science’s sake’. This I find particularly worrying, as the pursuit of scientific knowledge as an end in itself could be evidence-less and very ineffective, to the detriment of the public good and understanding in the world of scientific practice.

As a high school chemistry teacher who has always been concerned with students’ lack of interest in science, particularly chemistry, I have performed a number of studies seeking to find out the reasons behind this common phenomenon in the public education system. So far, the results have shown that there is evidence to suggest that students lack the ability to apply scientific thinking, for example, the ability to observe, infer, measure, and hypothesize.

As time progresses, the importance of science education is becoming increasingly apparent. In today’s world, it is evident that a country’s economy is highly dependent on a scientific and technological workforce. Science education, therefore, is a key component to a healthy, strong, and prosperous society, as well as an essential tool for national security. In addition, it is well recognized that the quality of science education and, most of all, the practice of scientific thinking will be important for those young people who ultimately become citizens in this world of modern science.

2. Benefits of Science Education

Furthermore, another key benefit of science education is that youngsters will develop the love of science, which will increase the chances of those youngsters turning into adult professionals who have a natural sense of inquiry. As human beings, we are naturally curious about the world we live in. Science explains “why” and “how” things happen, and the beauty of it is that the “how” can be answered with an experiment. Many science teaching experts agree that a combination of a deep understanding of science and the skills in technology and engineering will give rise to more creativity and new ideas. However, the crucial point lies in the sound basic education in science that our children receive from K to 12. This is the building block stage where they will learn one layer after another. As they are progressing through the various K to 12 levels, they will continuously grow to a certain level where they will be able to think of building a career in different branches of science. While at the beginning, parents or teachers should encourage kids to ask questions and to think critically as they discover the answers, the curiosity becomes an intrinsic motivation for lifelong learning. At this point, no one needs to remind us of the importance of science in the world because we can see with our own eyes how vital it is. With the recent advances in technologies through the internet, the world has become a smaller place to live in. People from different parts of the world could get to see and learn about things in just a click! Many scientific knowledge and skills are transferable as they are as important in various walks of life. From healthcare to environmental studies to digital media, a solid foundation in science will open all doors of opportunities and give us what we need to create, innovate, and be successful in today’s and tomorrow’s worlds. Thanks to the great scientists and science educators who had developed many teaching models for science teachers to maximize the benefits, science education has become well established in society. There is no doubt that science is the accumulation of new technologies that give solutions to all aspects of our life. Every one of us can feel that whether we are sitting at home or flying in the air, but what we see arouses and sustains our interest, it is scientific development. Promoting scientific mentality in people of all ages, promoting public interests and awareness in science, fostering innovative and interdisciplinary research for addressing global challenges, and enhancing the quality of science education and career. Science education helps individuals to cultivate the skills of communication.

3. Challenges in Science Education

Critics argue that science education nowadays focuses on rote learning and examination rather than understanding the scientific concepts. They also point out that science curricula are overloaded with content and facts, and there is lesser emphasis on scientific processes and the integration of the cross-cutting themes of science. Moreover, science education in the developing countries is also facing similar challenges as the science curriculum is designed in such a way that it attempts to cover up many aspects of the science knowledge. With the limited available resources in those countries and the lack of industrial support and research facilities, there is little any meaningful practical scientific work for the students in the science curriculum. As a result, science is presented to the students in a non-interactive and non-engaging way, leading to the lack of deep interest in science and meaningful science learning in the students. Some science educators emphasize the need for quality professional development programs to overcome the challenges faced by science education as it will be beneficial for the science teachers to move away from merely learning the scientific facts but also from enhancing effective teaching strategies. In addition, quality professional development programs will equip science teachers with the knowledge of science and scientific processes besides changes and advancement in the world of scientific knowledge. Such programs will also have an impact on students’ attitudes and learning strategies with the application of interactive teaching methods. Meanwhile, some say that the challenges in science education could be due to the lack of criteria to employ and measure good science teaching. The science educators should come out with the criteria for scientific understanding at different levels and eventually come to a standard to measure the level of scientific understanding for different categories of students. He said after having such standard, science teachers could employ appropriate teaching strategies and a much better set of teaching approaches. This will indirectly provide a very good platform for both teachers and students to enhance a more productive teaching and learning process.

4. Strategies for Effective Science Education

A positive learning environment with frequent opportunities to experience and observe science in action is also characterized by supportive and meaningful relationships between students and teachers. Moreover, findings from research indicate that the best science instruction is interdisciplinary. Many people emphasize the importance of instructional strategies that align with the way scientists build and revise theories, and with the nature of scientific knowledge and inquiry. Indeed, science education lends itself to exploring the process and interdisciplinary nature of knowledge. Such instructional strategies are often grouped under the labels of “discovery-learning,” “inquiry-based,” or “investigative” teaching. These approaches can employ a range of techniques, but are all based on the idea that students learn best by doing, by having to think about what they are doing, and by working with others as they work together to construct understanding. Such strategies contrast with traditional lecture and demonstration teaching, which are understood ways to transmit to students the right information and the intellectual skills required for later learning. These findings also show that science teachers often support at least some level of scientific research. However, less than 10 percent of science instructional time in most schools is spent in laboratory activities. Indeed, in many cases, the laboratories are the only places that offer students opportunities to work and interact directly with the phenomena of science. Thus, the contrasting views on the role of the laboratory seem to indicate many things: that the professional consensus may not yet be firmly established, that additional studies, as desired by the remaining 38 percent of teachers, are needed, and that perhaps laboratory activities are not being implemented in the field. Such contradictions also heighten interest in understanding why some teachers are resistant to what seems to be promising avenues for the improved effectiveness of science instruction. Regardless of the strategies used, the belief in the importance of the laboratory is what started the movement to modernize science teaching. That is why so many challenges and dispositions to the ongoing education reform in science are recognized nowadays.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, a science education is more important today than ever before. Science, technology and innovation have become key drivers of the global economy. This is why we should cultivate young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math. We need to develop a scientifically literate workforce and a population that is able to make informed decisions. I am happy to learn that new and better science education is emerging in many parts of the world. We also see a growing interest in science education, and that’s great news. I hope that science research will continue to thrive and people around the world will come to recognize the benefits of science to all of us. Well, a science education leads to a lot of great discoveries and even greater benefits to mankind! Science education provides opportunities for students to develop concepts and models of the physical world, and to develop the skills to be the next generation of scientists. But that does not mean that science teaching and science learning are the same. The emphasis throughout science teaching and learning is on doing. Well, the reason why I am so into science is that there is no other subject in school that I can explore my interest. Through the experiments and the critical thinking exercises, I’ll be able to learn more about the great theories and the facts of this world, and those breakthroughs really make life different. Well, science education wouldn’t be complete without presenting to kids the wonders of our universe. Kids can understand in a better way about the great discoveries of scientists. Science education builds on itself, increasing students’ knowledge of our world and the things in it. Well, in the past, some parents and teachers may be thinking that whether a science education is really important for kids. Some of them may be quite skeptical and see it as a luxury not to be taken for granted. But now, I hope that everybody can understand that a science education is such important. There are many places where we can seek for the science education discovery and for those students who are interested in such a wonderful and fascinating world, one should not miss these great opportunities. Kids should be encouraged to make use of such chances. Science education helps in identifying the absolute truth and facts. It also helps a student to discover new things every day. Well, a science education itself is based on the primary grades and the middle grades, but for many students and for many adults, science education begins in the home. Science cannot be stopped and as parents and as teachers, we should bring science to the kids. Well, hopefully in the coming years, families will always be the first on the scene fostering science learning at home, and I am pretty sure that it will be much more common than we see today.