Overview
Investigating Science and Technology was developed in complete alignment with the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum (Revised 2007). Both the curriculum and the authors of Investigating Science and Technology share a set of foundational beliefs that guided the development of these resources.
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Scientific Literacy for All
The 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), placed Ontario students (and Canadian students generally) near the top of world rankings in the demonstration of scientific literacy skills. That position must be maintained and enhanced through the teaching of Science and Technology in Ontario. This means that Science and Technology education is not just about training future scientists, engineers and technicians. Rather scientific literacy is a set of knowledge and skills designed to help all citizens understand the complex interactions among science, technology, society and the environment.
Engagement
All students need opportunities to learn about Science and Technology in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them. Scientific literacy will be best advanced when students are engaged by real scientific, technological, social and environmental issues, and when they have regular and frequent opportunities to "do" Science and Technology. Through that, they begin to understand the "Nature of Science" and how scientific and technological knowledge is generated. Learn more
Science and Technology in Context (STSE)
Students are most engaged when they see how what they learn in class is related to their world beyond school. Intermediate students in particular are engaged by issues of social responsibility and social justice. New learning should be presented in real contexts and students should be given the opportunity to apply otherwise abstract knowledge and consider courses of action relative to scientific, technological, social and environmental issues. (For an opportunity to think more deeply about new directions in the teaching of Science and Technology please refer to Pedretti and Little, From Engagement to Empowerment, © 2008 Pearson Education Canada).
Skills of Doing Science and Technology
"Doing" Science and Technology is essential in fostering engagement and for a real understanding of scientific and technological concepts. Students become genuinely interested and also begin to understand the "nature of science". By "doing" with appropriate guidance they begin to develop investigation skills (experimentation and research) and technological problem solving skills that they will carry forward to future studies, to other curriculum areas and outside the school as citizens. Learn more
Assessment
All instruction is informed by assessment. Diagnostic assessment, formative assessment and assessment for learning provide both teachers and students opportunities to adapt on an ongoing basis to foster success. Assessment as learning also provides students opportunities to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses on the road to becoming independent learners. Students deserve multiple and different kinds of opportunities to review and demonstrate what they have learned. Teachers require a sufficient variety and quantity of tools to allow students to demonstrate a high and consistent level of achievement. Learn more
Differentiation
Students come to school with different learning styles, "multiple intelligences", different interests and challenges, varied back knowledge and preconceptions. For teachers this may seem an overwhelming challenge. They require manageable strategies and resources to address the range of needs and preferences among their students. Learn more
Reading and Writing about Science and Technology
The ability to comprehend new concepts and vocabulary, in various non-fiction text forms, is essential to success in the study of Science and Technology. The ability to express that understanding in various written forms is equally important. Further, students need opportunities to develop and apply their learning across the curriculum and to receive consistent and complementary instruction in all disciplines. Science and technology teachers require the tools to be part of school-wide literacy initiatives and to support the comprehension of Science and Technology concepts. Learn more
Information technology
The purposeful use of information technology in the study and teaching of Science and Technology can enrich learning experiences of students, allowing them to explore and develop concepts and to develop critical thinking and critical literacy skills. Information technology is an excellent tool to draw the world outside into the classroom, to engage students and to prepare them for participation in the technological world outside of school.
Teacher understanding
Research shows that students learn best when their teacher has a solid understanding of and enthusiasm for their subject. Yet Science and Technology cannot always be taught by subject specialists. Teachers require the resources to support their understanding of the content and to develop the skills needed to "do" Science and Technology with confidence. Learn more
Safety
Safety in the Science and Technology classroom must trump all other considerations. Only in a safe and secure environment can student and teachers work together productively. Students and teachers require appropriate guidance in the safe handling of equipment and materials and in the establishment of a safety-oriented culture in the Science and Technology classroom.