An effective computer science education program supports student achievement of learning outcomes through:
- incorporating all foundations of scientific literacy;
- using the learning contexts as entry points into student inquiry;
- understanding and effectively using the language of science;
- incorporating computational thinking;
- choosing appropriate programming languages and technologies;
- recognizing health, safety and ethical issues; and,
- adopting programming practices that engage all students.
To achieve the vision of scientific literacy outlined in this curriculum, students must increasingly become engaged in the planning, development and evaluation of their own learning activities. In the process, students should have the opportunity to work collaboratively with others, to initiate investigations, to communicate findings and to complete projects that demonstrate learning.
- All science outcomes and indicators emphasize one or more of the foundations of scientific literacy (STSE, Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes); these represent the "what" of the curriculum. All outcomes are mandatory.
- The four learning contexts (Scientific Inquiry, Technological Problem Solving, Cultural Perspectives and STSE Decision Making) represent different processes for engaging students in achieving curricular outcomes; they represent the "how" of the curriculum.
Foundations of Scientific Literacy
The K-12 goals of science education parallel the foundation statements for scientific literacy described in the Common Framework of Science Learning Outcomes K to 12(CMEC, 1997). These four foundation statements delineate the critical aspects of students' scientific literacy. They reflect the wholeness and interconnectedness of learning and should be considered interrelated and mutually supportive.
Foundation 1: Science, Technology, Society and the Environment (STSE) Interrelationships
This foundation is concerned with understanding the scope and character of science, its connections to technology and the social and environmental contexts in which it is developed. This foundation is the driving force of scientific literacy. Three major dimensions address this foundation.
Nature of Science and Technology
Science is a social and cultural activity anchored in a particular intellectual tradition. It is one way of knowing nature, based on curiosity, imagination, intuition, exploration, observation, replication, interpretation of evidence and consensus making over this evidence and its interpretation. More than most other ways of knowing nature, science excels at predicting what will happen next, based on its descriptions and explanations of natural and technological phenomena.
Science-based ideas are continually being tested, modified and improved as new ideas supersede existing ones. Technology, like science, is a creative human activity, but is concerned with solving practical problems that arise from human/social needs, particularly the need to adapt to the environment and to fuel a nation's economy. New products and processes are produced by research and development through inquiry and design.
Relationships between Science and Technology
Historically, the development of technology has been strongly linked to the development of science, with each making contributions to the other. While there are important relationships and interdependencies, there are also important differences. Where the focus of science is on the development and verification of knowledge, in technology, the focus is on the development of solutions, involving devices and systems that meet a given need within the constraints of the problem. The test of science knowledge is that it helps us explain, interpret and predict; the test of technology is that it works - it enables us to achieve a given purpose.
Social and Environmental Contexts of Science and Technology
The history of science shows that scientific development takes place within a social context that includes economic, political, social and cultural forces along with personal biases and the need for peer acceptance and recognition. Many examples show that cultural and intellectual traditions have influenced the focus and methodologies of science, and that science, in turn, has influenced the wider world of ideas. Today, societal and environmental needs and issues often drive research agendas. As technological solutions have emerged from previous research, many of the new technologies have given rise to complex social and environmental issues which are increasingly becoming part of the political agenda. The potential of science, technology and Indigenous knowledge to inform and empower decision making by individuals, communities and society is central to scientific literacy in a democratic society.
Foundation 2: Scientific Knowledge
This foundation focuses on the subject matter of science including the theories, models, concepts and principles that are essential to an understanding of the natural and constructed world. For organizational purposes, this foundation is framed using widely accepted science disciplines.
Life Science
Life science deals with the growth and interactions of life forms within their environments in ways that reflect the uniqueness, diversity, genetic continuity and changing nature of these life forms. Life science includes the study of topics such as ecosystems, biological diversity, organisms, cell biology, biochemistry, diseases, genetic engineering and biotechnology.
Physical Science
Physical science, which encompasses chemistry and physics, deals with matter, energy and forces. Matter has structure, and its components interact. Energy links matter to gravitational, electromagnetic and nuclear forces in the universe. The conservation laws of mass and energy, momentum and charge are addressed in physical science
Earth and Space Science
Earth and space science brings local, global and universal perspectives to student knowledge. Earth, our home planet, exhibits form, structure and patterns of change, as do our surrounding solar system and the physical universe beyond. Earth and space science includes such fields of study as geology, hydrology, meteorology and astronomy.
| Sources of Knowledge about Nature | |
|---|---|
| A strong science program recognizes that modern science is not the only form of empirical knowledge about nature and aims to broaden student understanding of traditional and local knowledge systems. The dialogue between scientists and traditional knowledge holders has an extensive history and continues to grow as researchers and practitioners seek to better understand our complex world. The terms "traditional knowledge", "Indigenous knowledge" and "Traditional Ecological Knowledge" are used by practitioners worldwide when referencing local knowledge systems which are embedded within particular worldviews. T his curriculum uses the term "Indigenous knowledge" and provides the following definitions to show parallels and distinctions between Indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge. | |
| Indigenous Knowledge | Scientific Knowledge |
| "Traditional [Indigenous] knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by peoples with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment. These sophisticated sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part and parcel of a cultural complex that encompasses language, naming and classification systems, resource use practices, ritual, spirituality and worldview" (International Council for Science, 2002, p. 3). | Similar to Indigenous knowledge, scientific knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by people (scientists) with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment. These sophisticated sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part and parcel of cultural complexes that encompass language, naming and classification systems, resource use practices, ritual and worldview. |
Fundamental Concepts - Linking Scientific Disciplines
A useful way to create linkages among science disciplines is through fundamental concepts that underlie and integrate different scientific disciplines. Fundamental concepts provide a context for explaining, organizing and connecting knowledge. Students deepen their understanding of these fundamental concepts and apply their understanding with increasing sophistication as they progress through the curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12. These fundamental concepts are identified in the following chart.
| Constancy and Change | The ideas of constancy and change underlie understanding of the natural and constructed world.Through observations, students learn that some characteristics of materials and systems remain constant over time whereas other characteristics change. These changes vary in rate, scale and pattern, including trends and cycles, and may be quantified using mathematics, particularly measurement. |
|---|---|
| Matter and Energy | Objects in the physical world are comprised of matter. Students examine materials to understand their properties and structures. The idea of energy provides a conceptual tool that brings together many understandings about natural phenomena, materials and the process of change. Energy, whether transmitted or transformed, is the driving force of both movement and change. |
| Similarity and Diversity | The ideas of similarity and diversity provide tools for organizing our experiences with the natural and constructed world. Beginning with informal experiences, students learn to recognize attributes of materials that help to make useful distinctions between one type of material and another, and between one event and another. Over time, students adopt accepted procedures and protocols for describing and classifying objects encountered, thus enabling students to share ideas with others and to reflect on their own experiences. |
| Systems and Interactions | An important way to understand and interpret the world is to think about the whole in terms of its parts and alternately about its parts in terms of how they relate to one another and to the whole. A system is an organized group of related objects or components that interact with one another so that the overall effect is much greater than that of the individual parts, even when these are considered together. |
| Sustainability and Stewardship | Sustainability refers to the ability to meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Stewardship refers to the personal responsibility to take action in order to participate in the responsible management of natural resources. By developing their understanding of ideas related to sustainability, students are able to take increasing responsibility for making choices that reflect those ideas. |
Foundation 3: Scientific and Technological Skills and Processes
This foundation identifies the skills and processes students develop in answering questions, solving problems and making decisions. While these skills and processes are not unique to science, they play an important role in the development of scientific and technological understanding and in the application of acquired knowledge to new situations. Four broad skill areas are outlined in this foundation. Each area is developed further at each grade level with increasing scope and complexity of application.
Initiating and Planning
These are the processes of questioning, identifying problems and developing preliminary ideas and plans.
Performing and Recording
These are the skills and processes of carrying out a plan of action, which involves gathering evidence by observation and, in most cases, manipulating materials and equipment. Gathered evidence can be documented and recorded in a variety of formats.
Analyzing and Interpreting
These are the skills and processes of examining information and evidence, organizing and presenting data so that they can be interpreted, interpreting those data, evaluating the evidence and applying the results of that evaluation.
Communication and Teamwork
In science and technology, as in other areas, communication skills are essential whenever ideas are being developed, tested, interpreted, debated and accepted or rejected. Teamwork skills are also important because the development and application of ideas rely on collaborative processes both in science-related occupations and in learning.
Foundation 4: Attitudes
This foundation focuses on encouraging students to develop attitudes, values and ethics that inform a responsible use of science and technology for the mutual benefit of self, society and the environment. This foundation identifies six categories in which science education can contribute to the development of scientific literacy
Both scientific and Indigenous knowledge systems place value on attitudes, values and ethics. These are more likely to be presented in a holistic manner in Indigenous knowledge systems.
Appreciation of Science
Students will be encouraged to critically and contextually appreciate the role and contributions of science and technology in their lives and to their community's culture; and to be aware of the limits of science and technology as well as their impact on economic, political, environmental, cultural and ethical events.
Interest in Science
Students will be encouraged to develop curiosity and continuing interest in the study of science at home, in school and in the community.
Inquiry in Science
Students will be encouraged to develop critical beliefs concerning the need for evidence and reasoned argument in the development of scientific knowledge.
Collaboration
Students will be encouraged to nurture competence in collaborative activity with classmates and others, inside and outside of the school.
Stewardship
Students will be encouraged to develop responsibility in the application of science and technology in relation to society and the natural environment.
Safety
Students engaged in science and technology activities will be expected to demonstrate a concern for safety and doing no harm to themselves or others, including plants and animals.