Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Science education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Science education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises science content, some social science, and some teaching pedagogy. The standards for science education provide expectations for the development of understanding for students through the entire course of their K-12 education. The traditional subjects included in the standards are physical, life, earth, and space sciences.Contents[hide] |
[edit] Historical background
The first person credited with being employed as a Science teacher in a British public school was William Sharp who left the job at Rugby School in 1850 after establishing Science to the curriculum. Sharp is said to have established a model for Science to be taught throughout the British Public Schools.[1]The next step came when the British Academy for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) published a report in 1867 (Layton, 1981). BAAS promoted teaching of “pure science” and training of the “scientific habit of mind.” The progressive education movement of the time supported the ideology of mental training through the sciences. BAAS emphasized separately pre-professional training in secondary science education. In this way, future BAAS members could be prepared.
The initial development of science teaching was slowed by the lack of qualified teachers. One key development was the founding of the first London School Board in 1870, which discussed the school curriculum; another was the initiation of courses to supply the country with trained science teachers. In both cases the influence of Thomas Henry Huxley was critical (see especially Thomas Henry Huxley educational influence). John Tyndall was also influential in the teaching of physical science.[2]
In the US, science education was a scatter of subjects prior to its standardization in the 1890s (Del Giorno, 1969). The development of a science curriculum in the US emerged gradually after extended debate between two ideologies, citizen science and pre-professional training. As a result of a conference of 30 leading secondary and college educators in Florida, the National Education Association appointed a Committee of Ten in 1892 which had authority to organize future meetings and appoint subject matter committees of the major subjects taught in U.S. secondary schools . The committee was composed of ten educators (all men) and was chaired by Charles Eliot of Harvard University. The Committee of Ten met, and appointed nine conferences committees (Latin, Greek, English, Other Modern Languages, Mathematics, History, Civil Government and Political Economy, and three in science). The three conference committees appointed for science were: physics, astronomy, and chemistry (1); natural history (2); and geography (3). Each committee, appointed by the Committee of Ten, was composed of ten leading specialists from colleges and normal schools, and secondary schools. Each committee met in a different location in the U.S. The three science committees met for three days in the Chicago area. Committee reports were submitted to the Committee of Ten, which met for four days in New York, to create a comprehensive report (NEA, 1894). In 1894, the NEA published the results of work of these conference committees (NEA, 1894).
Of particular interest here is the Committee of Ten recommendations for the science curriculum. It recommended four possible courses of study: Three of the courses of study had the following science recommendations
- High School Science (9-12)
Grade 9: Physical Geography (3p)
Grade 10: Physics(3p),
Botany or Zoology (3p);
Grade 11: Astronomy 1/2 year & Meteorology, 1/2 year (3p)
Grade 12: Chemistry (3p)
Geology or physiography, 1/2 year
& (3p)
Anatomy, physiology, and hygiene, 1/2 year
For the classical course of studies Greek replaced many of the sciencesGrade 9: Physical geography (3p)
Grade 10: Physics (3p),
Grade 11:
Grade 12: Chemistry (3p)
See Sheppard & Robbins (2007) For a more full discussion of the recommendations of the Committee of Ten.The curriculum shown above has been largely replaced by the physical/earth science or biology, chemistry, and physics sequence in most high schools.
According to the Committee of Ten, the goal of high school was to prepare all students to do well in life, contributing to their well-being and the good of society. Another goal was to prepare some students to succeed in college.[3]
This committee supported the citizen science approach focused on mental training and withheld performance in science studies from consideration for college entrance (Hurd, 1991). The BAAS encouraged their longer standing model in the UK (Jenkins, 1985). The US adopted a curriculum was characterized as follows (NEA, 1894):
- Elementary science should focus on simple natural phenomena (nature study) by means of experiments carried out "in-the-field."
- Secondary science should focus on laboratory work and the committees prepared lists of specific experiments
- Teaching of facts and principles
- College preparation
[edit] Pedagogy
Whilst the public image of science education may be one of simply learning facts by rote, science education in recent history also generally concentrates on the teaching of science concepts and addressing misconceptions that learners may hold regarding science concepts or other content. Research shows that students will retain knowledge for a longer period of time if they are involved in more hands-on activities[citation needed].[edit] United States
In many U.S. states, K-12 educators must adhere to rigid standards or frameworks of what content is to be taught to which age groups. Unfortunately, this often leads teachers to rush to "cover" the material, without truly "teaching" it. In addition, the process of science, including such elements as the scientific method and critical thinking, is often overlooked. This emphasis can produce students who pass standardized tests without having developed complex problem solving skills. Although at the college level American science education tends to be less regulated, it is actually more rigorous, with teachers and professors fitting more content into the same time period.In 1996, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. National Academies produced the National Science Education Standards, which is available online for free in multiple forms. Its focus on inquiry-based science, based on the theory of constructivism[citation needed] rather than on direct instruction of facts and methods, remains controversial.[citation needed] Some research suggests that it is more effective as a model for teaching science. Other approaches include standards-based assessments such as Washington Assessment of Student Learning, which emphasize devising experiments at early grades at a level traditionally not covered until college (traditionally, students conducted rather than designed experiments), based on mock data with very little testing of factual knowledge.[clarification needed] Their eight categories of national science education standards reflect a new emphasis on the themes of constructivist approaches, diversity, and social justice common throughout the education reform movement. These categories are unifying concepts and processes, science as inquiry, physical science, life science, earth and space science, science and technology, science in personal and social perspectives, and history and nature of science.[4][dead link]
Concern about science education and science standards has often been driven by worries that American students lag behind their peers in international rankings.[5] One notable example was the wave of education reforms implemented after the Soviet Union launched its Sputnik satellite in 1957.[6] The first and most prominent of these reforms was lead by the Physical Science Study Committee at MIT. In recent years, business leaders such as Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates have called for more emphasis on science education, saying the United States risks losing its economic edge.[7] To this end, Tapping America's Potential is an organization aimed at getting more students to graduate with science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees.[8] Public opinion surveys, however, indicate most U.S. parents are complacent about science education and that their level of concern has actually declined in recent years.[9]
[edit] Physics education
Physics is taught in high schools, colleges, and graduate schools. Physics First is a popular movement in American high schools. In schools with this curriculum 9th grade students take a course with introductory physics education. This is meant to enrich students understanding of physics, and allow for more detail to be taught in subsequent high school biology, and chemistry classes; it also aims to increase the number of students who go on to take 12th grade physics or AP Physics, which are generally elective courses in American high schools.Physics education in high schools in the United States has suffered the last twenty years because many states now only require 3 sciences, which can be satisfied by earth/physical science, chemistry, and biology. The fact that many students do not take physics in high school makes it more difficult for those students to take scientific courses in college.
At the university/college level, using appropriate technology-related projects to spark non-physics majors’ interest in learning physics has been shown to be successful [10]. This is a potential opportunity to forge the connection between physics and social benefit.
[edit] Informal science education
Examples of informal science education include science centers, science museums, and new digital learning environments (e.g. Global Challenge Award), many of which are members of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC).[14] The Exploratorium in San Francisco and The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia are the oldest of this type of museum in the United States. Media include TV programs such as NOVA, Newton's Apple, "Bill Nye the Science Guy", The Magic School Bus, and Dragonfly TV. Examples of community-based programs are 4-H Youth Development programs, Hands On Science Outreach, NASA and Afterschool Programs[15] and Girls at the Center.
In 2010, the National Academies released Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments[16], based on the National Research Council study, Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits [17]. Surrounded by Science is a resource book that shows how current research on learning science across informal science settings can guide the thinking, the work, and the discussions among informal science practitioners. This book makes valuable research accessible to those working in informal science: educators, museum professionals, university faculty, youth leaders, media specialists, publishers, broadcast journalists, and many others.
[edit] United Kingdom
In England and Wales schools science is a compulsory subject in the National Curriculum. All pupils from 5 to 16 years of age must study science. It is generally taught as a single subject science until sixth form, then splits into subject-specific A levels (physics, chemistry and biology). However, the government has since expressed its desire that those pupils who achieve well at the age of 14 should be offered the opportunity to study the three separate sciences from September 2008.[18] In Scotland the subjects split into chemistry, physics and biology at the age of 13-15 for Standard Grades in these subjects.In September 2006 a new Science programme of study known as 21st Century Science was introduced as a GCSE option in UK schools, designed to "give all 14 to 16 year olds a worthwhile and inspiring experience of science"[19].
[edit] Research in Science Education
The practice of science education has been increasingly informed by research into science teaching and learning. Research in science education relies on a wide variety of methodologies, borrowed from many branches of science and engineering such as computer science, cognitive science, cognitive psychology and anthropology. Science education research aims to define or characterize what constitutes learning in science and how it is brought about.John D. Bransford, et al., summarized massive research into student thinking as having three key findings:
- Preconceptions
- Prior ideas about how things work are remarkably tenacious and an educator must explicitly address a students' specific misconceptions if the student is to reconfigure his misconception in favour of another explanation. Therefore, it is essential that educators know how to learn about student preconceptions and make this a regular part of their planning.
- Knowledge Organization
- In order to become truly literate in an area of science, students must, "(a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application."[11]
- Metacognition
- Students will benefit from thinking about their thinking and their learning. They must be taught ways of evaluating their knowledge and what they don't know, evaluating their methods of thinking, and evaluating their conclusions.
Voyager Plasma Science Experiment
http://astrophysicsblogs.blogspot.com/2008/01/voyager-plasma-science-experiment.html
Voyager Plasma Science Experiment
Solar wind data measured by VOYAGER 2 up through August 30, 2007
Edited and Add By:
Arip nurahman
Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics
Indonesia University of Education
&
Follower Open Course Ware at MIT-Harvard University, Cambridge. USA.
&
Follower Open Course Ware at MIT-Harvard University, Cambridge. USA.
As of 7 December 2007, Voyager 2 was 7.921 billion miles from Earth (84.293 Astronomical Units from the Sun), well beyond the orbit of Pluto. Voyager 2 is leaving the solar system at 36,000 miles per hour, which is 3.2 AU per year, or 1 light year per 18,600 years.
On the same date, the light travel time from Voyager 2 to Earth was 11 hours, 48 minutes, 41 seconds. Data are returned from the spacecraft at 160 bits per second, using a transmitter with about 25 watts (!) of power.
VOYAGER 2 data up through August 30, 2007
(Daily averages through November 25, 2007)
The outer atmosphere of the Sun expands outward to form the solar wind, with average speeds of 400 km/sec (roughly one million miles per hour). The Plasma Science Experiment on Voyager 2 measures that speed every 192 seconds, and that information is returned to Earth over the Deep Space Net, analyzed, and plotted here within a few days of receipt.
VOYAGER 2 SOLAR WIND SPEED PLOTS
These plots show hourly averages of the solar wind speeds measured by Voyager 2 over the last 500 and 100 days, respectively.
Acquiring the Voyager 1 and 2 Data
Voyager plasma data are available from MIT through the links below or directly through anonymous ftp to space.mit.edu. (cd pub/plasma/vgr). Please look at the README files in each directory before using these data.
Voyager 1: hourly averages and fine resolution data are available by year for 1977-1980.
Voyager 2: hourly averages and fine resolution data are available by year for 1977-present. In addition, a file of daily averages for the entire Voyager 2 mission (de-spiked and then averaged by day) will be updated periodically.
Note that hourly average values for days 2007/240 (28 August 2007) to the present are being re-analyzed.
[go to voyager events page] Show recent events.
VOYAGER 2 SOLAR WIND DYNAMIC PRESSURE
These plots show hourly averages of the solar wind dynamic pressure observed by Voyager 2 over the entire mission (100-day averages) and over the last four years (25-day averages), respectively. These pressures are normalized to 1 AU by multiplying by the square of the spacecraft's distance.
VOYAGER DATA OVERVIEW
These plots show 50-day averages of the solar wind speed, density, and temperature over the life of the Voyager mission (from 1977 to the present), and 1-day averages over the last three years, respectively. The density shown is normalized to Earth by multiplying by the distance to Voyager in AU squared.
On the same date, the light travel time from Voyager 2 to Earth was 11 hours, 48 minutes, 41 seconds. Data are returned from the spacecraft at 160 bits per second, using a transmitter with about 25 watts (!) of power.
VOYAGER 2 data up through August 30, 2007
(Daily averages through November 25, 2007)
The outer atmosphere of the Sun expands outward to form the solar wind, with average speeds of 400 km/sec (roughly one million miles per hour). The Plasma Science Experiment on Voyager 2 measures that speed every 192 seconds, and that information is returned to Earth over the Deep Space Net, analyzed, and plotted here within a few days of receipt.
VOYAGER 2 SOLAR WIND SPEED PLOTS
These plots show hourly averages of the solar wind speeds measured by Voyager 2 over the last 500 and 100 days, respectively.
Acquiring the Voyager 1 and 2 Data
Voyager plasma data are available from MIT through the links below or directly through anonymous ftp to space.mit.edu. (cd pub/plasma/vgr). Please look at the README files in each directory before using these data.
Voyager 1: hourly averages and fine resolution data are available by year for 1977-1980.
Voyager 2: hourly averages and fine resolution data are available by year for 1977-present. In addition, a file of daily averages for the entire Voyager 2 mission (de-spiked and then averaged by day) will be updated periodically.
Note that hourly average values for days 2007/240 (28 August 2007) to the present are being re-analyzed.
[go to voyager events page] Show recent events.
VOYAGER 2 SOLAR WIND DYNAMIC PRESSURE
These plots show hourly averages of the solar wind dynamic pressure observed by Voyager 2 over the entire mission (100-day averages) and over the last four years (25-day averages), respectively. These pressures are normalized to 1 AU by multiplying by the square of the spacecraft's distance.
VOYAGER DATA OVERVIEW
These plots show 50-day averages of the solar wind speed, density, and temperature over the life of the Voyager mission (from 1977 to the present), and 1-day averages over the last three years, respectively. The density shown is normalized to Earth by multiplying by the distance to Voyager in AU squared.
science experiments
source : http://www.surfnetkids.com/science_experiments.htm
Hands-on science experiments at home or in the classroom are a fun way to engage kids and get them excited about science. Today's sites house hundreds of easy experiments that can be done with supplies that you probably have around the house, or can get at the grocery store.
"Get messy, get airborne, get loud, get shocked!" San Francisco's Exploratorium hands-on science museum offers a sampler of thirty simple experiments excerpted from two "Science Explorer" books. Elsewhere they provide a hundred more experiments called "snacks" because they are both fun and easy. The Science Snacks are organized by category, or listed alphabetically on a single page (where you can use your browser search function to find something specific.)
Funology organizes "The Science of Having Fun" into Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Weather experiments. All of these are easy experiments suitable for elementary and middle-school kids. If you have a favorite experiment of your own, Funology invites you to submit it (look for the Share It With Us button.) After perusing the experiments, be sure to venture onto the rest of the site, where you'll find magic tricks, recipes, crafts and games, all with a science theme.
From the PBS television series Zoom, these science experiments include feedback from kids around the world who have already tried them. That's pretty cool! Even cooler is being able to submit your own comments after performing the experiments. The ZoomSci activites are categorized into Chemistry, Engineering, The Five Senses, Forces, Life Science, Patterns, Sound, Structures, Water, with a special icon marking those activities that help the environment.
"Here's a popular experiment that's been around for years and has left many kitchens in ruin (just kidding of course)." Reeko is a mad scientist with a sassy attitude and an engaging writing style. Best reasons to love Reeko, though, are his experiment rating system (Easy, Intermediate and Advanced), so we have some idea of what we are getting ourselves into, and the interesting science tidbits he includes in Parent's Notes at the bottom of most experiment pages. His mad experiments are divided into twelve categories, including a few you won't find elsewhere such as Cohesion and Flotation.
After twelve years in the classroom, Steve Spangler is now a science teacher's teacher, and a media personality,. "This hands-on science library represents Steve's most requested science experiments from his weekly television appearances and live presentations throughout the country." Start with the Top Ten list on the front page, where you'll find Mentos Geyser - Diet Coke Eruption (be sure to read How Does It Work), along with the classic Egg in the Bottle trick. Alternatively, if you scroll past the Top Ten list, you can navigate the experiments via the category links.
Hands-on science experiments at home or in the classroom are a fun way to engage kids and get them excited about science. Today's sites house hundreds of easy experiments that can be done with supplies that you probably have around the house, or can get at the grocery store.
Exploratorium: Science Explorer
"Get messy, get airborne, get loud, get shocked!" San Francisco's Exploratorium hands-on science museum offers a sampler of thirty simple experiments excerpted from two "Science Explorer" books. Elsewhere they provide a hundred more experiments called "snacks" because they are both fun and easy. The Science Snacks are organized by category, or listed alphabetically on a single page (where you can use your browser search function to find something specific.)
Funology: The Laboratory
Funology organizes "The Science of Having Fun" into Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Weather experiments. All of these are easy experiments suitable for elementary and middle-school kids. If you have a favorite experiment of your own, Funology invites you to submit it (look for the Share It With Us button.) After perusing the experiments, be sure to venture onto the rest of the site, where you'll find magic tricks, recipes, crafts and games, all with a science theme.
PBS Kids: ZoomSci
From the PBS television series Zoom, these science experiments include feedback from kids around the world who have already tried them. That's pretty cool! Even cooler is being able to submit your own comments after performing the experiments. The ZoomSci activites are categorized into Chemistry, Engineering, The Five Senses, Forces, Life Science, Patterns, Sound, Structures, Water, with a special icon marking those activities that help the environment.
Reeko's Mad Scientist
"Here's a popular experiment that's been around for years and has left many kitchens in ruin (just kidding of course)." Reeko is a mad scientist with a sassy attitude and an engaging writing style. Best reasons to love Reeko, though, are his experiment rating system (Easy, Intermediate and Advanced), so we have some idea of what we are getting ourselves into, and the interesting science tidbits he includes in Parent's Notes at the bottom of most experiment pages. His mad experiments are divided into twelve categories, including a few you won't find elsewhere such as Cohesion and Flotation.
Steve Spangler Science: Easy Science Experiments
After twelve years in the classroom, Steve Spangler is now a science teacher's teacher, and a media personality,. "This hands-on science library represents Steve's most requested science experiments from his weekly television appearances and live presentations throughout the country." Start with the Top Ten list on the front page, where you'll find Mentos Geyser - Diet Coke Eruption (be sure to read How Does It Work), along with the classic Egg in the Bottle trick. Alternatively, if you scroll past the Top Ten list, you can navigate the experiments via the category links.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Kids Science Experiments
source : http://www.kids-science-experiments.com/
Kids Science Experiments and Science Projects are full of fun, easy and exciting hands-on experiments that will help you answer a lot of questions asked by your children. These simple, safe and easy to follow science experiments and science projects can be achieved with everyday materials and recycled items found around your house. Help make learning fun and easy by trying some of these science experiments with your kid's.
Scientists learn about the world we live in by carrying out all sorts of scientific experiments or investigations. Scientists are very organized and very careful people. When they work on an experiment or a project, they write down what they used, what they did and what happened. It is a good idea for you to keep a notebook throughout your science experiments and/or science projects. This is so you can write about the experiments you are doing step-by-step, what your observations were and remember how you came to discover the results from your investigations.
Write your experiments under these headings:
Your Aim - Why do you want to do the experiment? What hypothesis are you going to test? Reason for your experiment; you want to find out why A is good but B is not so good?
Your Method - What are you goiing to do or test? Make labels and/or diagrams to help keep your method in order.
Your Result - As you carry out your experiments be sure to observe things happening and record measurements. Sometimes it is a good idea to record your results in a table or chart.
Work safely and remember to always wash your hands after completing your experiments! Have a look at the Laboratory Rules in the Mixing and Separating section for your laboratory guidance.
Have a go at these hands-on kids science experiments and projects in a classroom, as an after school activity group or in your own home.
Kids Science Experiments and Science Projects are full of fun, easy and exciting hands-on experiments that will help you answer a lot of questions asked by your children. These simple, safe and easy to follow science experiments and science projects can be achieved with everyday materials and recycled items found around your house. Help make learning fun and easy by trying some of these science experiments with your kid's.
Scientists learn about the world we live in by carrying out all sorts of scientific experiments or investigations. Scientists are very organized and very careful people. When they work on an experiment or a project, they write down what they used, what they did and what happened. It is a good idea for you to keep a notebook throughout your science experiments and/or science projects. This is so you can write about the experiments you are doing step-by-step, what your observations were and remember how you came to discover the results from your investigations.
Write your experiments under these headings:
Your Aim - Why do you want to do the experiment? What hypothesis are you going to test? Reason for your experiment; you want to find out why A is good but B is not so good?
Your Method - What are you goiing to do or test? Make labels and/or diagrams to help keep your method in order.
Your Result - As you carry out your experiments be sure to observe things happening and record measurements. Sometimes it is a good idea to record your results in a table or chart.
Work safely and remember to always wash your hands after completing your experiments! Have a look at the Laboratory Rules in the Mixing and Separating section for your laboratory guidance.
Have a go at these hands-on kids science experiments and projects in a classroom, as an after school activity group or in your own home.
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