Improving schools' science education, communication
A needs analysis conducted among science teachers in state, Church and private schools in 2006 showed that many science teachers have long felt the need for better communication between science educators at various levels.
The Maltese Association of Science Educators (Mase) was set up in March 2006 and officialy launched on October 26 of that year. Its mission statement is 'to stimulate and improve the teaching of science in Malta, to coordinate the activities of its members, and to disseminate information related to science teaching'.
Mase seeks to be an efficient link between all science teachers, to arouse interest and support for science education collaboratively and proactively throughout society, to promote the advancement of science education in Malta, to foster educational, professional, social and cultural interest among its members, and to provide and expand professional development to support standards-based science education.
It also aims to serve as the voice for excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning, curriculum, instruction and assessment.
Over the past three years it has held various activities including two seminars entitled 'The way forward - Coordinated Science?', and 'Matsec: A good assessment system?'. Various visits to companies have been held, including Actavis and Lufthansa Technic. A nature walk at the Majjistral Nature and Heritage park was held, besides social activities for members, families and friends.
Mase uses various means to promote better communication between its members: it has its own website www.masemalta.com; it is on Facebook, and has its own newsletter, which in collaboration with the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE) will soon start to be distributed in all schools. The association is also working to set up a library with science educational resources and to launch a set of DVDs to promote science education among primary and secondary school students.
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Marianna Galea Xuereb
Feb 15th 2010, 19:14
I agree but this process should be commenced at around 3-4 years of age and not left till later. This implies that all kindergarten assistants and primary school teachers need to be trained in such techniques (i.e. not just the official "science teachers") because although your arguments and suggestions may seem like common sense I can assure you that such "seemingly incidental teaching through directed play and encouragement of keen observation" does not come naturally to everybody. If it did all parents and carers would be naturally great teachers. Sadly, this is not the case.
Pule' Carmel
Jan 31st 2010, 22:32
To Many students, sciences and mathematics are too artificial and cannot be seen around them. THey do not "SEE" any of them when they wake up in the morning and so improving science education in children must start with making them conscious of PLAYING with all that is naturally around them. Before a child learns to speak a alnguage all he uses is his eyes and his ears and he does not know of the processes or the links and laws that exist in his mother'structure or the sound that emanated from her mouth.
So the RITUAL that must be followed in introducing the laws of science is, LET the Children Play with static and dynamic objects. THe teacher must slowly depict and point out the action and its origins. Let the child repeat an action to indicate that scientific laws are repeatable and then depict the law.
It is after all this physical behaviour the teacher should point out that Mathematics are there to describe actions as the English and the Maltese languages are there for convenience to describe the SILENT world around us. Science, Mathematics and Verbosities in all languages are artificial after all, used to describe realbehaviour.
Pule' Carmel
Jan 31st 2010, 22:19
The sequence in which science should be launched is not to tell young students that " Today we are to learn SCIENCE". No, young children should be allowed to play and play and play. Let us for example get the childen to play with a ball, sand , or water. The children should first be left alone to feel the situation before them. The teacher should use these dynamic elements to create STATIC behaviourfirst, as constructing sand castles. And then let the sandcastles stand, then let them fall by wetting them. Let a Ball stand and then let it be kicked and bounced off the wall or the floor. THen slowly questiones are asked and phenomena noticed. IT is after all this that the teacher must introcuce the fact that there are natural laws which people observed and listed to describe the behaviour of nature around us including playing games.
After the Structural laws are appreciated other deeper tangible laws may be pointed out to the children. It is after all the appreciation of physical phenomena is felt that other subjects are introduced as the field of mathematics which is only an artificial language as any other .
Pule' Carmel
Jan 31st 2010, 22:07
In Malta, science education would be improved if "Science " is not treated as an isolated subject from all the other educational subjects including arts and culture and social behaviour and sport, surgery , medicine, history, languages, etc.
All teachers should get together and learn to depict what branch of science is applied in a particular area. Take arts, music and sculpting and painting for example. The teacher would teach the students to appreciate all that is in front of them and then , to slowly disect the scientific foundations and structural processes that are involved in finishing with the required product in any area of any profession.
Music has playing instruments, all of which obey scientific procedures and natural laws. To teach music without covering the scientific aspects of a musical instruments is to tie the musician to restricted sounds. The sportman should learn about his body structure and how the bone structure and muscular system can be used to optimise possible movements.
Science must never be isolated from other emotional subjects which students seem to prefer. Slowly, after students appreciate the necessities of science in all areas , the teacher may suggest that MATHEMATICS models everything, even thoughtprocesses.