Science and Technology

Marisa Hewett St20104114 Science is not just a school subject in one way or another it is constantly changing the way we live our lives. (Welsh Gov 2012) Science involves acquiring knowledge through observation and experimentation. Prior to Donaldson’s curriculum for success science was taught as three separate subjects, physics, biology and chemistry whereas now it is being taught as a cross curricula area of learning and experience called science and technology. According to Donaldson this Area of Learning and Experience develops on children and young people’s curiosity about the world around us through understanding and explaining. Students learn to create and test ideas through gathering evidence and observations, carrying out practical investigations with others. Students also utilize computer science, and the possibilities of the future go beyond our imagination. (Donaldson, 2015, p. 50). The aim of Donaldson’s new curriculum for success is to make science, engaging, authentic and relevant to real life situations. Schools provide their student with rich meaningful opportunities to develop technologies skills, knowledge, understanding and attributes through designing and developing products and systems. (Donaldson, 2015, p.50) Developing skills in science and technology is critical in driving economic growth as science and technology subjects contribute to innovation and productivity within economies. However there is an undersupply of skilled STEM workers at every level. Education lays the critical foundations for future interest and ability in STEM therefore it is important that we make these subjects engaging within education to produce skilled STEM workers in our ever growing technology generation. This could be done in a number of ways such as tackling the problem which is often found in teachers confidence and capacity to deliver this subject for example through project based learning. Teaching students to think critically is a key skill as it is more important to understand rather than only learn to retain the information for an exam as this unlocks a higher level of learning where the student can ask the critical questions in science and technology. Making use of resources such as virtual reality can be a useful way to use technology especially through cross curricula ways such as teaching geography it provides the teacher with a limitless ways of showing the children providing them with meaningful experience which can result in a deeper understanding. References http://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/2016/06/06/science-technology-engineering-and-maths-stem/ https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/from-concept-to-classroom-stem-research https://theconversation.com/stem-education-in-primary-schools-will-fall-flat-unless-serious-issues-are-addressed-88017 http://www.senedd.assembly.wales/documents/s39747/EBC4-12-15%20p.5%20Draft%20STEM%20in%20Education%20Delivery%20Plan.pdf https://theconversation.com/science-curriculum-needs-to-do-more-to-engage-primary-school-students-74523

Comments

  1. Unknown18 April 2018 at 16:26

    Hi Marisa, giving the younger generation a chance to explore different fields throughout their education is crucial to give them a flavour of what's out there! - Especially in primary education but are they given that opportunity when over 50% of teaching is dedicated to Maths and English and all other subjects, such as art, history, science, D&T, computing, geography, languages, physical education and music, are squeezed into the remaining time available. (The UK STEM Education Landscape) Do you feel this needs to be changed? Do you think Donaldson will have a positive change to education with his recommendations he's made in his report "Successful Futures"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown23 April 2018 at 04:46

      Yes, Josh I believe that Donaldson's Successful Futures will have a positive impact as, rather than English, maths, science and technology being their own fields with in education Donaldson recognises that exploring cross curricula links could be more valuable as students are encouraged to explore and become independent ambitious learners and therefore the links between the subjects make the information learnt more rich understanding as these are not separate aspects outside of education and how they link and impact they have on each other i believe to be more of a valuable insight to the students.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welsh Language in Primary Education

Welsh language in primary education Rachael Dunn, 16 th April 2018. Many believe that welsh language is an unnecessary minority language that provides distraction from learning more important essential languages such as English, however over the last few decades the welsh language has regained its popularity in primary schools, with investments of 6 million to improve teaching of welsh and promoting children to speak it at break times and lesson times (Young-Powell, 2011). In my personal experience from placement with in a local primary school in south wales, welsh language is very present throughout, welsh was taught to children not only in a normal structured lesson plan but also throughout other subjects. Welsh language was made relatable for the children, in the morning children would be asked what the weather was like in welsh, also answering the register in welsh and sating whether a child was having dinner or sandwiches. Although welsh does seem to be present in scho
Read more

Physical education and Well-being

How can Physical education be used to promote well-being in primary education? Rachael Dunn, 16 th April 2018 It is obvious that physical activity is very important for everyone, it keeps people of all ages fit and healthy and can help to promote positive outlook on the importance of good health, physical activity is especially important for developing children of all ages, physical activity through physical education can improve many things such as fitness, strength, confidence and promote a healthy outlook on life. There is much documentation stating that physical education contributes to holistic development including personal and social development(McGuiness & Shelley, 1996),Physical education doesn’t just provide benefits for fitness, it also allows room for working in teams so improving social skills, how to accept success and deal with failure, learning how to be fair to others and acceptance of others abilities with respectfulness(Irish National Teacher’s Organis
Read more

How could expressive arts sessions relate to the four purposes of the curriculum (Donaldson, 2015)?

Image
            In the Donaldson Report (2015), the previous concept of art as a subject area in education is developed into a much wider area of learning; the expressive arts. Expressive arts describes any creative way of expression, such as writing and music as well as the traditional ideas of ‘art’ such as painting. In this blog, I am going to discuss how a lesson that I recently took linked with expressive arts and the four purposes of the new curriculum in Wales. (Donaldson, 2015)             The lesson was developed to link in with the idea of the Spring Equinox. The session began with the children being taught about the equinox and what it involved. Following this, I took small groups of the children and spoke to them about how it only occurs once a year, and asked them to consider what they would like to achieve in a year’s time. The children then wrote about their aspirations and drew pictures to support their ideas, before putting their work into bottles, following a ‘message i
Read more