Introduction to Science: Definitions and Facets

Lesson 1: What is Science?

• Science helps satisfy basic human needs and improves living conditions.
• Science and technology advances are rapidly transforming the world.
• Science has significantly shaped the world.
• Scientific knowledge and technology are ubiquitous.
• Scientific processes and evidence drive public and private policy decisions.
• The complex physical world illustrates scientific concepts, making "science literate" an absolute necessity.
• Science helps us understand the world's structure, events, and systems.
• Science benefits the community, society, and ethically uses natural resources.
• Sustainability involves using natural resources responsibly to ensure their continuity and benefit humanity.

Science Facets and Definitions

• Science is a broad body of knowledge including physical sciences like physics, chemistry, and astronomy and earth sciences like geology.
• Science involves skills such as observation, communication, classification, measurement, inference, and prediction.
• Science methods form the foundation of scientific methods.
• Science is an intellectual activity that includes the systematic study of the physical world through observation and experiment.
• Science is a social activity shaped by history, institutions, beliefs, and values. Society influences science, and science influences society.
• Science involves problem-solving, providing students with skills to analyze problems and prepare solutions.
• Science offers careers for biologists, chemists, environmentalists, astronomers, and medical practitioners.
• Science is a global human endeavor resulting from imagination, ingenuity, and creativity across cultures.
• Science is a process that uses the scientific method to verify knowledge, research, plan, and draw conclusions.

Lesson 2: Science Education

• Science education encompasses learning, teaching, and understanding science.
• Dimensions of science education include science knowledge, scientific processes, and scientific attitudes.
• Science education helps students to develop life skills like problem-solving and critical thinking.
• Teaching science is important for a nation's economic growth and human capacity improvement.
• Science is a significant part of human culture and is a common ground to improve language, logic, and problem-solving skills.
• Strands of scientific proficiency involve knowledge and reasoning skills.
• Proficient science students can know, use and interpret explanations, generate and evaluate evidence, understand the nature of scientific knowledge, and participate in scientific practices.

Historical Development of Science Education in the Philippines

• 1960s: The United States Operations Mission-National Economic Council (USOM-NEC) Project and UP Science Teaching Center printed and distributed science textbooks.
• 1970s: Integrated Science and Health were taught in schools, and The Elementary Learning Continuum (ELC) was developed.
• 1980s: The Science, Technology, and Society (STS) approach was introduced, science textbooks for secondary schools were developed and the UPISMED was recognized.
• 1990s: The Needs-Based Curriculum Project started and "Science Made Easy" video courses like "Sine Eskuwela" were created.
• 2000: An Indigenous Curriculum for science was developed and language and science were integrated for Grades I and II, with increased learning time.
• 2011: The Department of Science and Technology Science Education Institute and University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development developed the Science Framework for Philippine Basic Education.
• 2013: President Benigno Aquino III approved Republic Act (RA) 10533, signing the K-12 program into law.

Lesson 3: Elementary Science Curriculum

• Science education develops scientific literacy among Filipino learners.
• K-12 science curriculum is learner-centered and inquiry-based, using constructivist pedagogy.
• Life sciences, physics, chemistry, and earth sciences are taught with increasing complexity.
• The science curriculum links science and technology, to preserve cultural heritage.
• The curriculum is designed around understanding and applying scientific knowledge in local settings.
• Facilitated approaches include multi/interdisciplinary, science-technology-society, contextual, problem/issue-based, and inquiry-based, based on constructivism.
• Science curriculum aims for learners to understand science concepts and application of science-inquiry skills.
• The science curriculum seeks to promote scientific values to solve problems and enhance wellness.

Lesson 4: Constructivist Theory in Teaching Science

• Constructivist teaching is rooted in the principle that learning occurs when individuals actively engage in meaning-making and knowledge construction.
• Dewey's transformative education emphasizes critical thinking through reflection, exploration, and hands-on experience.
• Piaget notes that individuals build their knowledge through learning from experiences.
• The teacher's role in a constructivist classroom is to facilitate meaningful exchange of ideas.
• The teacher guides students to develop their own insights.
• Principles of constructivist teaching: engage students in discovery, organize curriculum into primary concepts, value perspectives, encourage investigation, and use assessment.

Lesson 5: Components of Instructional Planning

• All teachers engage in the planning, delivery, managing, and evaluation of instruction.
• Planning instruction involves deciding what to teach, how to teach, and communicating goals.
• Steps in deciding what to teach include assessing student skills, analyzing the instructional task, establishing a logical sequence, considering classroom elements, and identifying gaps in performance.

Lesson 6: Instructional Planning Cycle

• Teachers need to reflect on their instruction to ensure students are learning.
• Great teachers improve their practice and reflect to build on strengths, work on weaknesses.
• Performing the instructional planning cycle can happen in three steps.
• Effective teachers begin by identifying the content that the lesson must address.
• Teachers design varied, challenging, and appropriate activities and also plan ongoing assessments.
• Teachers implement planned assessments to determine if the students have met learning outcomes.

Lesson 7: Five E Model in Planning Science Lessons

• Educators Atkin and Karplus proposed that effective learning cycles involve exploration, concept introduction, and application.
• In 1987, the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study developed the 5E model.
• The 5E model focuses on Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
• The model promotes collaborative, active learning.
• The 5E Model is effective when new concepts are introduced, and a complete learning cycle can be formed.
• The model is also effective when used in a unit for two to three weeks.

5E Model Stages

• Engage: Determine prior knowledge, foster interest, prepare students for learning, and introduce topic, teach strategies include asking questions.
• Students can also write what they already know or creating KWL charts, or maps of change.
• Explore: Allow active exploration through experiences and scientific method, letting students share findings via laboratory experiments, and field work.
• Explain: Facilitate discussion, have the students ask questions, share insights, discuss terms, and utilize multimedia via interactive discussion, and viewing clips.
• Elaborate: Give opportunity to apply learning, presentations, and investigations to reinforce skills and establish knowledge with digital/print infographics and slide presentations.
• Evaluate: Conduct formal and informal assessments to check content/performance, observe students' grasp of concepts, note problem-solving approaches, using self/peer assessment.

Lesson 8: Developing Instructional Plans for Elementary Science

• The curriculum guide serves as the teacher's blueprint and should be interpreted using unpacking strategies.
• Unpacking extracts the knowledge and skills required by a standard and articulates expectations.
• Unpacking establishes focus, connect standards, and competencies, and contextualize teaching.
• 7 steps to unpacking the elements of the curriculum guide: analyze the standard, determine target domain, determine nature, determine the target topic or content , select assessments, plan learning, and design materials.
• Content Standard: answers the question, "What do the students want to know, be able to do, and understand?", and defines knowlege to be expected.
• Performance Standard answers the question, "What do we want the students to do with their learning ", and defines the proficiency level and can transfer the information to real-life situations.
• Core Learning Area Standard: defines the broad outcomes for K-12 science.
• Key Stage Standard: defines the specific outcomes for key stages such as K-3, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-10, and Grades 11-12 specifically for the learners.
• Grade Level Standard: defines the specific outcomes for each grade level.
• 5 Domains of science include living things and their environment, force and motion, Earth and Space, and matter.

Applying Standards

• Steps to follow to apply these standards include describing light sources (knowledge), practicing safety (skill) etc.
• Determine the nature of competencies is the third unpacking strategy related to knowledge (understanding), skills and value (process skills).
• Code Book Legend can help understand the competencies such as SBES and so fourth.
• Alignment is important among outcomes, assessments, and learning experiences by considering objectives, assessment, and backward design.
• Learning Materials should be aligned to the curriculum, allow interaction between the teacher and students, use inquiry-based activities, consistent with today's environment, and promote fairness.

Explore the definition, facets, and impact of science on society. This lesson highlights how science satisfies basic needs, improves living conditions, and shapes public policy. Understand the importance of science literacy and responsible resource use for sustainability.