ASSSIGMENT NO 1

Q1) technology has become a necessary evil. Explain the use of technology for
science teaching and learning.
Technology has necessary evil
‘Everybody gets so much of information all day long that they lose their common
sense’. This quote tells us so much. Today, we live in a technologically savvy
environment. We are surrounded by mobile applications, computers, internet,
smart boards, etc. The list is just endless. We live in a time and space where our
morals, integrity, and values are heavily influenced by commercials and ads. We
have so much high speed information right at our fingertips just by typing in a
single key word on Google. Same is in the case of Education. All of us, including,
educational institution heads, tutors and students are day by day becoming
handicap in absence of technology and internet. So the question arises, ‘Has
technology really created a positive impact in the field of Education. Let us have
a look at various reasons which is making ‘technology’ a necessary evil in
Education.
Evil # 1 Attention-grabbing vs distraction

There are many educational tools available in the market, which promise to give
the best education in the best manner to the students. The tools work at the
adaptive level of the students; at the same time learning becomes fun; however
at times, the tools are made interesting more than necessary; as a result
students tend to take it as a game and enjoy without learning out of it.

Evil # 2 Time Saver vs Reduced Learning time

Technology is a great time saver. All those involved in the field of education
haven’t been happier than ever; as they get everything at the tip of a finger;
however the students miss upon the learning time. Educational tools tend to
provide the key to problems/questions rather immediately. The brain gets tamed
to think for a shorter while and get the answer at the earliest by using the
internet or application

Evil # 3 Quick Decision making vs Decreased interactions

The work of educational institutions and tutors become easier with the advent
of technology with respect to managing data, preparing question tests, projects
for students. However, technology provides ready- made questionnaires, tests
and assignments online. As a result, there are less of classroom interactions,
brainstorming sessions amongst the students and also with the tutors.
Evil # 4 Less dependency on others vs Cyber safety issues

Technology in education makes us independent. The tutors as well as students

can manage their projects well and a lot of time is saved on both sides. However,
these days there are malicious elements and lot of cyber insecurity issues are
cropping up. With the growing age, the children do get trapped in the malware
processes going on at the tip of a click.

Evil # 5 Faster Communication vs fading significance of Handwriting

Using computers, laptops and mobile handsets to communicate is preferred over

using a pen. This way of communicating is quicker and hassle free. However,
research says that there is a strong connection between handwriting and broader
education. So, this is it! Technology is taking away the skill of handwriting. It is
predictable that very soon that people will forget the significance of handwriting.
The threat to handwriting comes from the sharp turn toward keyboarding.
Basically, the critical cognitive processes involved in writing.

Technology for science teaching and learning.

There is a need to expand science teaching beyond knowledge of science.
Understanding nature of science and inquiry are the core of science education.
Science teaching must have reflections of that science is an important way to
understand and explain what we experience in the natural world. All teachers of
science must have a strong, broad base of scientific knowledge extensive enough
for them to understand the nature of scientific inquiry, its central role in science,
and how to use the skills and processes of scientific inquiry.
Teachers can also use technology to engage and instruct students with
learning or cognitive disabilities. Tactile and visual learners can benefit from
interactive computer- or tablet-based lessons. Auditory learners can benefit from
recorded materials or text-to-speech programs, and inversely, voice dictation
software. Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be
integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity. Used to support
both teaching and learning, technology infuses classrooms with digital learning
tools, such as computers and hand held devices; expands course offerings,
experiences, and learning materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week; builds 21st century skills; increases student engagement and motivation;
and accelerates learning. Technology also has the power to transform teaching
by ushering in a new model of connected teaching. This model links teachers to
their students and to professional content, resources, and systems to help them
improve their own instruction and personalize learning.
Online learning opportunities and the use of open educational resources and
other technologies can increase educational productivity by accelerating the rate
of learning; reducing costs associated with instructional materials or program
delivery; and better utilizing teacher time
Virtual or online learning:
48 states and the District of Columbia currently support online learning
opportunities that range from supplementing classroom instruction on an
occasional basis to enrolling students in full-time programs. These opportunities
include dual enrollment, credit recovery, and summer school programs, and can
make courses such as Advanced Placement and honors, or remediation classes
available to students. Both core subjects and electives can be taken online, many
supported by online learning materials. While some online schools or programs
are homegrown, many others contract with private providers or other states to
provide online learning opportunities.
Q2) Different between basic process skills and integrated science skills.
What are commonalities and different theses skill?
process skills and integrated science skills
The process skills are actually the skills that a scientist uses to solve problems
and find answers. These are actually the same skills that we all use in our daily
lives to solve problems. Through the application of science process skills
scientists conduct scientific inquiry and solve problems. Science process skills
are integral part of science. What we teach in our schools reflects only the
content of science i.e. facts, theories and principles. “Learning about the content
of science without learning the process of science is like trying to learn a
language by memorizing vocabulary words from a dictionary without
understanding the nature and structure of the language”. Suppose someone
memorizes a large number of vocabulary words of a foreign language, do you
think he/she would be able to read an article written in that language? Learning
word vocabulary may help someone to roughly communicate some simple thing
but will never be able to have a proper conversation with the natives of that
country. To be proficient user of a language one needs to understand its
structure. Similarly, in science, you may learn all of the facts but you will not
understand why scientists change or reject certain theories. We often hear people
commenting that “these scientists, one day they claim that tea, For example, is
bad for health then suddenly they change their views and say it is good for
health”, or comments like, “oh these scientists the keep on changing their
statement”. This is because we as lay person do not realize that scientific
knowledge is not final and may change as new research suggests something
different from previous knowledge. Due to lack of awareness and understanding
of how scientists gather and analyze their data, how they make hypotheses, it
becomes difficult, if not impossible for the students to fully appreciate how
scientific knowledge is generated. Science helps us to know about the natural
world. Understanding science is more than memorizing science content. Study
of science should enable the learners to understand science related socio-
political issues. It should also enable the students to make sense of new
information. For example, if they read or learn something new about diet,
exercise or disease they should be able to apply the information on their lives.
Understanding the process of science and scientific problem solving can also
help us in making more informed decisions in our daily life. Study of science
should also help our students to make such decisions as whether to buy natural
or synthetic products. In 1838, two biologists Theodor Schwann and Mathias
Schneider were working on animal and plant cells. The two scientists shared
their observations and found that there were many similarities between the two
types of the cells. On the basis of their observations they formulated a theory of
cell. According to this theory:
1) The cell is the unit of structure and functions in living things.
2) Cells exist as distinct entity and as that they perform all the functions which
a living organism performs. They are also building blocks of an organism Have
you noticed that in this process the two biologists used a number of skills of
Science? For example, they made observations, draw conclusions, and
communicate their observations. All these skills are essential skills to solve
problems and to acquire knowledge. When we limit science teaching and learning
to merely science content, we not only deprive our learners from the knowledge
of how scientific knowledge is generated but also from learning science skills.
“Teaching the process of science means going beyond the content to help
students understand how we know what we know and giving them the tools they
need to think scientifically. Most importantly, it involves making explicit
references to the process of science.” (Lederman, 2007) When scientists conduct
scientific inquiry he/she makes observations, hypotheses, predictions,
interpretations, and communicates the knowledge resulting from investigation
to others. These are often called the “process skills” of science.
Q3) what basics of goals of science education. Write structure
of science curriculum in Pakistan.
Goals of science
Goals are clear statements of intent and are more specific than aims. Aims are
the policy statements for example, “To foster in the heart of people in general
and students in particular the loyalty and abidance of Islam, Quran and Sunna,”
or “to develop the scientific attitude among the students.” Goals are the
statements at the level wise that is goals of elementary education, secondary
education, higher education, teacher education etc. Let us take another example
from the financial organization that might have an overall aim to increase profits
and, in order to achieve this, set a clear goal to increase profits by 25 percent
within a specific time frame say three years.
Derived from various aims and provide curriculum decision-makers with broad
statements of what they should accomplish in terms of student learning as a
result of a particular educational or training program. • A curriculum goal has a
purpose or end stated in general terms without criteria or achievement.
Writing goals: (examples)
• Parenting is an aim and the following goals are derived from this aim. 1. Study
the qualities of good family. 2. Determine the resources necessary for a healthy
family. 3. Plan for the birth of children. 4. Establish an effective environment for
developing children. 5. Provide for children through their adolescence.
Science curriculum in Pakistan
Learning in science is fundamental to understanding the world in which we live
and work. It helps people to clarify ideas, to ask questions, to test explanations
through measurement and observation, and to use their findings to establish the
worth of an idea. Science is not seen as merely objective and value free but is
recognized as being part of human experience. As such it is an integral part of
daily life and relevant to everyone.
National Curriculum for General Science 2006 (Pakistan)
This curriculum aims to promote scientific literacy among the students by:
• Helping students to develop knowledge and a coherent understanding of the
living, physical, material, and technological components of their environment;
• Encouraging students to develop skills for investigating the living, physical,
material, and technological components of their environment in scientific ways;
• Providing opportunities for students to develop the attitudes on which the
scientific investigation depends; • promoting science as an activity that is carried
out by all people as part of their everyday life;
• Portraying science both as a process and a set of ideas, which have been
constructed by people to explain everyday life and unfamiliar phenomena;
• Encouraging students to consider the way in which people have used scientific
knowledge and methods to meet particular needs;
• Developing students’ understanding of the evolving nature of science and
technology;
• Assisting students to use scientific knowledge and skills to make decisions
about the usefulness and worth of ideas;
• Helping students to explore issues and to make responsible and considered
decisions about the use of science and technology in their environment;
• Developing students’ understanding of the different ways people influence
and/or are influenced by science and technology;
• Nurturing scientific talent to ensure a future scientific community; and
• Developing students’ interest in and understanding of the knowledge and
processes of science that will form the basis of their future education in science
and technology and careers.
Q4) conduct an action reaches to find the problem of novice science teachers
regarding conduct of practical?
Problem of novice science teachers
An individual in their first year in the classroom that has satisfied all
requirements in a teacher preparation program and retains a K-6 Professional
Educator’s Certificate. Teacher preparation programs are held accountable by
the Council of Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP, 2013) to produce
evidence of their program completers’ impact on student learning for their first
two years in the classroom. Participants in this study fulfilled all specified
requirements under this definition.
Problems of Practice.
Challenges experienced by the novice teacher/program completer in their first
year in the classroom. Teachers evolve in their focus of problems from thinking
about self, to their teaching tasks, only eventually considering their impact on
student learning as they gain expertise (Fuller & Bowne, 1975). This study lent
attention to the problems of practice identified by novice teachers and their
approach to resolving them, as described in their stories. Teacher Inquiry. An
intentional and systematic study used by teachers to generate personally
meaningful knowledge to solve problems of practice (Carr & Kermis, 1986;
Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990; Stenhouse, 1975). The systematic process
includes: identifying a classroom problem of practice; reading literature to inform
it; planning an investigation; collecting and analyzing data; and using the data
to reflect, propose an explanation and improve a teaching practice. Findings can
then be shared publicly with other teachers and/or professionals to inform the
transformation of others’ practices.
Teacher Researcher.
An individual actively engaged in using the systematic process of teacher inquiry
to study and improve their teaching practice.
Action reaches to find the problem of novice science teachers
Action research is a paradigm and not a method. As a paradigm, action research
is a conceptual, social, philosophical, and cultural framework for doing research,
which embraces a wide variety of research methodologies and forms of inquiry.
Unlike positivism, with its emphasis on prediction, control, and generalization
through quantitative methodologies, action research is a paradigm that reflects
the principle that reality is constructed through individual or collective
conceptualizations and definitions of a particular situation requiring a wide
spectrum of research methodologies. Characteristically, action research studies
a problematic situation in an ongoing systematic and recursive way to take
action to change that situation. Action research is a process of concurrently
inquiring about problems and taking action to solve them. It is a sustained,
intentional, recursive, and dynamic process of inquiry in which the teacher takes
an action—purposefully and ethically in a specific classroom context— to
improve teaching/learning. Action research is change research, a nonlinear,
recursive, cyclical process of study designed to achieve concrete change in a
specific situation, context, or work setting to improve teaching/learning. It seeks
to improve practice, the understanding of practice by its practitioners, and the
situations in which practice is located (Carr & Kemmis, 1986, p. 165). Although
it is focused on actions leading to change, action research is also a mental
disposition—a way of being in the classroom and the school—a lifelong habit of
inquiry. It is recursive in that teacher-researchers frequently work
simultaneously within several research steps and circle back to readdress issues
and modify research questions based on reflection for, reflection in, and
reflection on action. The reflection-action-reflection-action process can be
considered a spiraling cyclical process in which research issues change and
actions are improved or discarded or become more focused. In education, action
research generates actionable hypotheses about teaching, learning, and
curriculum from reflection on and study of teaching, learning, and curriculum
to improve teaching, learning, and curriculum. Action research assumes that
teachers are the agents and source of educational reform and not the objects of
reform. Action research empowers teachers to own professional knowledge
because teachers— through the process of action inquiry—conceptualize and
create knowledge, interact around knowledge, transform knowledge, and apply
knowledge. Action research enables teachers to reflect on their practice to
improve it, become more autonomous in professional judgment, develop a more
energetic and dynamic environment for teaching and learning, articulate and
build their craft knowledge, and recognize and appreciate their own expertise. It
assumes practice is embedded in the science of the unique, recognizing that
human events are idiosyncratic; they vary with time, place, cultural
circumstances, and the ecology of the moment, serendipity, obliquities, and
unforeseen circumstances.
Q5) differentiate between rote learning and meaning .who was proponent of
meaningful learning? Enlist teaching strategies helpful learning.
ROTE LEARNING
Today's public educators look down on rote learning and consider this form of
learning as to be “out of style,” “boring” and even “mindless.” “Having to spend
long periods of time on repetitive tasks is a sign that learning is not taking place.
According to the Noah Webster's Dictionary (1850) “rote” means “to fix in memory
by means of frequent repetition.” That certainly is the essence of what we mean
by rote memorization. So rote means to use memory with little intelligence or
repetition carried out mechanically or unthinkingly. Rote memorization is not
only the easiest way but sometime it is the only way to learn something. Below
are just a few examples where rote learning plays an important role.
A child whose ability to discriminate between left and right has not been
automatized will confuse letters like b and d, or when writing, or confuse 17 and
71.
• There is no substitute for rote memorization in learning the arithmetical facts.
Children learning mathematical tables through memorization that help them to
solve the multiplication, division and other mathematical problems quickly.
• The child’s lifelong access to the intellectual treasures of centuries depends on
his mastery of twenty-six abstract symbols in an arbitrarily fixed order, i.e. the
alphabet. His ability to organize and retrieve innumerable kinds of information
from sources ranging from encyclopedias to computers depends on his having
memorized that purely arbitrary order.
• Children learn poem, verses of the sacred books, national anthem by rote
learning. In rote learning the students just absorb the material in a parrot
fashion, and may give the wrong impression of having understood what they
have written or said. In Pakistan, it is strongly discouraged in the new
curriculum of science and mathematics and first time the standards are set.
Standards specifically emphasize the importance of deep understanding over the
mere recall of facts, which is seen to be less important. The advocates of
traditional education have criticized the new standards as slighting learning
basic facts and elementary arithmetic, and replacing content with process-based
skills. Basic sciences must include the mastery of concepts instead of mere
memorization and the following of procedures. It must include an understanding
of how to make the learning material meaningful and to use the scientific
equipment’s in the laboratory to arrive meaningfully at solutions to problems, to
verify laws, principles. The advocates of traditional methods argue that rote
learning is the only way to learn material in a timely manner. For example, when
learning the English alphabet, the vocabulary of a foreign (second or third)
language, there is no inner structure or their inner complexity is too subtle to be
learned explicitly in a short time. Rote learning is a learning technique which
focuses on memorization. Alternative to rote learning include associative
learning and active learning. Brevity is not always the case with rote learning.
For example, many Muslims learn by heart and can recite the whole Holy Quran.
Their ability to do so can be attributed, at least in some part, to having been
assimilated by rote learning Rote learning is prevalent in many religious schools
throughout the world. For example, Jewish use this approach when teaching
children Torah and Muslim Madrasas utilize it in teaching of Holy Quran. It is
used in various degrees, at a younger age, the main purpose being to memorize
and retain as much textual material as possible, to prepare a student for a more
analytical learning in the future.
Meaningful Learning
Two of the most important educational goals are to enhance retention and to
promote transfer (which, when it occurs, indicates meaningful learning).
Retention is the ability to remember material at some later time in much the
same way it was presented during instruction. Transfer is the ability to use what
was learned to solve new problems, answer new questions, or facilitate learning
new subject matter (Mayer & Wittrock, 1996). In short, retention requires that
students remember what they have learned, whereas transfer requires students
not only to remember but also to make sense of and be able to use what they
have learned. Stated somewhat differently, retention focuses on the past;
transfer emphasizes the future. After reading a textbook lesson on Ohm's Law,
for example, a retention test might include questions asking students to write
the formula for Ohm's Law. In contrast, a transfer test might include questions
asking students to rearrange an electrical circuit to maximize the rate of electron
flow or to use Ohm's Law to explain a complex electric circuit. Consider three
learning scenarios. The first exemplifies what might be called no learning, the
second, rote learning, and the third, meaningful learning.
No Learning
Shabana reads a chapter on electrical circuits in her science textbook. She skims
the material, certain that the test will be a breeze. When she is asked to recall
part of the lesson (as a retention test), she is able to remember very few of the
key terms and facts. For example, she cannot list the major components in an
electrical circuit even though they were described in the chapter. When she is
asked to use the information to solve problems (as part of a transfer test), she
cannot. For example, she cannot answer an essay question that asks her to
diagnose a problem in an electrical circuit. In this worst-case scenario, shabana
neither possesses nor is able to use the relevant knowledge. Shabana has neither
sufficiently attended to nor encoded the material during learning. The resulting
outcome can be essentially characterized as no learning.
Amen reads the same textbook chapter on electrical circuits. She reads carefully,
trying to make sense out of it. When asked to recall the material, she, like Zaineb,
can remember almost all of the important terms and facts in the lesson.
Furthermore, when she is asked to use the information to solve problems, she
generates many possible solutions. In this scenario, Amen not only possesses
relevant knowledge, she also can use that knowledge to solve problems and
understand new concepts. She can transfer her knowledge to new problems and
new learning situations. Amen has attended to relevant information and has
understood it. The resulting learning outcome can be called meaningful learning.
Meaningful learning occurs when students build the knowledge and cognitive
processes needed for successful problem solving. Problem solving involves
devising a way of achieving a goal that one has never previously achieved; that
is, figuring out how to change a situation from its given state into a goal state
(Mayer, 1992). Two major components in problem solving are (a) problem
representation, in which a student builds a mental representation of the
problem, and (b) problem solution, in which a student devises and carries out a
plan for solving the problem (Mayer, 1992). Ausubel’s cognitive learning theory
has been found to be useful guide for learning events. The key concepts involved
in the theory are a guide for teachers to improve teaching and learning. According
to Ausubel (1967), “Meaningful learning occurs when the learner’s appropriate
existing knowledge interacts with the new learning.” As an educational
psychologist, Ausubel was concerned with prior knowledge as a factor
influencing learning. According to Ausubel (1978), “the most important factor
influencing learning is the quantum, clarity and the logical organization of a
learner’s present knowledge. This present knowledge which is available to the
learner at any time is referred to as his cognitive structure”. (A cognitive
structure consists of stable organization of concepts, facts, rules, theories and
the raw perceptual data, arranged hierarchically, with the most generic concept
at the apex and increasingly specific concepts toward the base.) Ausubel (1968)
stated that if I had to reduce all of educational psychology to just one principle;
“I would say this: the most important single factor influencing learning is what
the learner already knows”. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly. Novak
(1980) agreed that Ausubel’s theory is applicable and more powerful for teaching
science education than the developmental psychology of Piaget. Both Ausubel
and Piaget have offered some key insights for sciences. Forgotten is caused
mainly by the connections between the ideas being lost so that the persons can
find their way in their long term memory to retrieve the answer they want.
According to Ausubel (1978), “A primary process is learning subsumption in
which new material is related to relevant ideas in the existing cognitive structure
on a substantive.