What are the different approaches in teaching science?

Answer 1

There are several approaches that can be taken when teaching science. Some of the main approaches include a discovery approach, a transmission approach, a process skills approach and lastly an interactive approach.

The discovery approach involves the teacher setting up a group of work stations which the students (most often in groups) can move around between. As they move around they can get hands on experiences with what it is they are meant to be learning about. This approach allows for a rich hands on learning environment which is ideal for gaining students' interests or engaging them with a topic. These experiences can later be built upon by the teacher and the students themselves to develop deeper or conceptual understandings.

Some of the limitations to this approach include the fact that a teacher must monitor students' closely to ensure that they are on task and that they are learning what it is the teacher intended them to learn. This means that the investigation is owned by the teacher and not the students. This approach requires a lot of organisation on the part of the teacher. Also Although students will often find out what something is or what is happening they will rarely discover why it is and why it is happening using this approach alone.

The transmission approach or empty vessel approach has the teacher communicating, or directing students to, information which they are to simply suppose to be filled with or remember. Students will often become bored quickly with this approach and find themselves distracted or losing interest and focus in the lesson. This approach also allows for limited student input into what it is they are learning and instead they are only exposed to information or issues which the teacher themselves see as important. The information students do manage to take in through this type of learning alone will have no practical backing and leads to only a shallow or factual understanding. This approach also promotes science as a static body of knowledge, which it is not.

There are some situations however when this approach is appropriate to teaching science. This approach allows the teacher to communicate some of the information that may have been missed or needed to be elaborated on further after the discovery approach. The transmission approach is also an effective way to teach abstract topics such as dinosaurs or the cosmos.

A process skills approach like the discovery approach is a practical way for students to partake in learning. It focuses on skills students use to gain knowledge and communicate their results.This approach allows for a thorough understanding of what something is or does and provides students with an opportunity to communicate their findings. Learning in this way gives students a chance to act like scientists and develop their skills necessary for doing science.

The limitations with this approach being used in the classroom are that some students may sit back and allow others to answer the questions thus not developing their own skills. This approach alone does not include the essential element of substantiative communication to take place between the teacher and students in order for a deep understanding to be achieved. Also Students after completing the questions associated with this approach may think that the learning is complete and without further investigation and discovery simply forget what they have learnt.

An interactive approach is a constructivist way of teaching and learning. It has a strong focus on the exploration of students' prior knowledge and experiences and scaffolding a student's learning experiences based on these. With this approach students are given a high level of responsibility for their learning and take more control over their curriculum. This approach allows for the linking of science with other areas of the curriculum. With this approach a teacher will often suggest the problem but give students a chance to decide on how to solve it.

Students undertaking science activities using this approach will often need a high level of guidance to ensure that they remain on task and are achieving the intended oucomes. Clever planning is also required to ensure that the syllabus outcomes will be achieved throughout a student's learning.