Spotlight

Where Is Science Teaching Going?

The Foundation of Research, Science and Technology, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, has initiated a refreshing and innovative fellowship scheme, whereby teachers of science and mathematics are able to produce new educational resources.

The science of modern communications and information storage is an area of the curriculum that is under-utilised. Thus, VCRs, magnetic storage in all its forms, smart cards, modem and fax machines, CD-ROMs, bar codes and fibre optic communication became the focus of my particular fellowship.

The Christchurch Press acts as host organisation; they have the skills and infrastructure to help develop and distribute the resources produced. It also hoped that science teaching will be better served by the Newspapers in Education component of the daily papers.

Another reason to produce resources is because of what is happening to science education at present.

Science is a practical subject, as hands on as any, yet it can also be academically challenging. This provides a conundrum for many of our students; despite early enthusiasm for the discipline, too many have difficulty. Is it inherently difficult or are we driving students into other courses? I suspect the latter, not by design, but by default. As knowledge increases, it is tempting to try to teach faster. This fails because it is critical that learners have a chance to consolidate knowledge with relevant practical tasks. Excellent teachers, and there are many, are able to give clear explanations, written or verbal, but because new practicals require a great deal of time and some expense, this development does not get done.

The huge increase in administration generated by Tomorrow's Schools has also restricted it. Teachers are spending 10-15 hours each week on tasks once done by other agencies. While on the fellowship it is interesting to hear conversations about movies, books, music and sport. Such conversations are rare in staffrooms, as teachers frequently spend every available moment trying to absorb constant change in education.

Teachers also have to be more reliant on resources developed by third parties. This is compounded by many textbooks being in their autumn years. Texts may show classical experiments with colour printing and desktop publishing techniques, but they are too quickly outdated. The most successful resources are those with a shorter half life which can be photocopied or used on an OHP. To this end it is likely teachers will more and more become facilitators of the work of others, especially when one considers the implications of rapid information transfer. Recently I was able to use a CD-ROM to help understand how computers work. Because it was interactive and I could browse a huge audio visual resource rather than just read text, I was able to progress more rapidly than I anticipated. This was an interesting experience, but students in labs are also surrounded by fascinating equipment. To deny them the use of equipment is surely discouraging.

I am often asked what age a particular resource is suitable for. The answer must be "For all", since the topics chosen are so recent that even those with an extensive recent education are unlikely to have been exposed to the technology in a formal situation. If you save the work until they are old enough, it is no longer likely to be relevant. Soon the modem and fax will be obsolete as we move to completely digital communication. To this end I ensured I trialled ideas with a wide range of ages. One rewarding reaction with adults, who often do not see themselves as technologically competent, was a great sense of relief because they were once again in charge.

Teacher innovation is also stifled by the greatest social experiment ever undertaken in New Zealand, the introduction of the Qualifications Framework. This controversial scheme, its jargon, uncertain time frame, unit standards and plethora of information has made long-term planning difficult for students and teachers. What immediate educational advice would you give to a thirteen-year-old who asks the likely status of S.C. Science (modular and external) and the Bursary/Scholarship Examinations in the future? To suggest that this scheme is anything but magnificent is considered heresy.

The science curriculum was desperately in need of rejuvenation, and a strategy was needed so technological progress could be assimilated, but why does each school have to plan out its own courses to the extent it does? We are told it is to reflect local need, but this could still be achieved centrally.

My fellowship has shown that the private sector could not afford such a scheme, either in time or money. In order to complete the huge and increasing administrative workload forced upon teachers, science is playing second fiddle. The only solution is that tasks previously considered part of the vocation must be jettisoned, or at least minimised. Was this the agenda of Tomorrow's Schools, and nobody had the nerve to say so?

Donald Reid is on teaching fellowship leave from Ellesmere College.

Donald Reid is a secondary school teacher living in Leeston.