Correct Answer - Option 2 : Acquiring technological skills
Science education should enable the learner to know the facts and principles of science and its applications, consistent with the stage of cognitive development.
- The main objectives of the science curriculum up to the secondary level is to make learners ‘scientifically literate” as science is a compulsory component of the curriculum up to secondary level. Focus should be on “developing awareness among the learners about the interface of science, technology and society, sensitizing them, especially to the issues of environment and health, and enabling them to acquire practical knowledge and skills to enter the world of work.” (NCF-2005).
- Emphasis is more on acquiring process skills so that learners can deal with the ever-changing and expanding world of science. Keeping these key points in mind, the science curriculum at different levels has been organized.
- As a science teacher, you will agree that scientific concepts are learnt better if learners explore them through activities and experiments. Focus to encourage students and to develop inquiring minds and curiosity about science and nature. Learners should be allowed to explore science in their everyday experiences. You should engage learners (preferably in groups) in meaningful investigations -particularly of the problems they perceive to be significant.
- As a science teacher, you should encourage discussions with the teacher and peers. You can ask your learners to gather information from newspapers, knowledgeable persons in the neighbourhood, and easily available sources and discuss them in class with peers and teachers.
- Roleplay, skits, cooperative learning strategies should be adopted to ensure larger participation and sharing of learning outcomes. It is advised that biographical narratives of scientists and inventors can be used. You should keep in mind that efforts should be continued for the development of the process skills of science.
- It is suggested that at the secondary stage, you should engage your learners in learning science as a composite discipline. As a science teacher at this level, you should provide them with the opportunity to engage in activities and analysis on issues surrounding the environment and health.
- As a secondary stage, systematic experimentation is suggested as a tool to discover/verify theoretical principles and work on locally significant projects involving science and technology. Concepts, principles and laws of science should be introduced at this level with an emphasis on comprehension and not on mere formal definitions. At this stage, those concepts, which are beyond direct experience, should also be introduced and learners should make understand that all scientific phenomena are not directly observable; science also relies on inference and interpretation.
- You should use experimentation as an important tool to discover/verify theoretical principles at this stage. At this level, you should organize co-curricular activities like some small group projects on local issues and use a problem-solving approach.
Hence, we can conclude that acquiring technological skills is not the objective of teaching Science at the upper primary stage.
