APPENDIX 47
Memorandum from the Association for Science
Education
The Association for Science Education welcomes
the opportunity to provide this written submission to the Sub-committee
outlining some of the issues related to the contribution of science
education in promoting education for sustainable development.
The Association for Science Education is the
largest of the subject teaching associations with over 18,000
members including teachers in primary and secondary schools, Advisors
and Inspectors, as well as tutors in further and higher education.
ASE can trace its origins back to 1901. The core aim of the Association
is to improve teaching and learning in science through providing
opportunities for teachers, technicians and others with an interest
in science education to come together to exchange views and address
the challenges we all face in working to enhance and enrich the
experiences of our students. ASE publishes a range of journals,
including School Science Review, Primary Science Review and
Education in Science. Its Annual Meeting, held in January
each year, regularly attracts over 3,000 delegates. Further details
of the ASE can be found at www.ase.org.uk.
The ASE would endorse the need to make better
use of our natural resources whilst achieving social and economic
progress so that we, and future generations, can enjoy a better
quality of life. We also agree that Government policies and strategies
alone will make little impact unless we, both individually and
collectively, are all equipped with the skills and basic understanding
of the issues to engage in change and make every day decisions
in such a way that we contribute to sustainable living in our
roles as consumers, workers, parents, educators, scholars, neighbours
and public representatives. We would support the idea that sustainable
development is an over-arching concept, which needs to be reinforced
by a coherent approach to education for sustainable development
(ESD).
This submission does not attempt to address
all the issues raised by the questions posed by the committee.
Rather it will focus on the contribution that can be made through
science education. Although what follows refers to how science
can contribute to ESD, it must be emphasised that the issues raised
through ESD provide excellent contexts in which to develop better
analytical and investigative skills and understanding of scientific
concepts. This is very much in line with proposals for new programmes
of study in science at Key Stage 4 which aim to engage students
through contemporary issues.
THE CONTRIBUTION
OF SCIENCE
EDUCATION TO
ESD
Adopting an ESD approach to science education
does not need to add significantly to its content or the time
taken. This approach can be largely achieved through the careful
selection of context and focus of science activities. Teachers
of science should assist learners in developing:
— natural processes in the environment;
— the impact of physical, chemical,
and biological processes on living organisms, urban, rural and
natural environments and on the Earth as a whole;
— human dependency on the environment
in which we live;
— ways that human activity can affect
these;
— appreciate the nature of scientific
evidence;
— recognise and be critical of scientifically
weak arguments;
— evaluate uncertainty and degrees
of risk;
— engage in problem solving, research
and communication;
— care and concern for living things,
the environment and society.
In working towards improvements in ESD several
areas of expertise have to be brought together to develop the
key principles and then find ways to implement them through the
main contributory disciplines. Crucial to the implementation is
the availability of appropriate resources for both teachers and
students. We feel that subject associations, with suitable funding,
are in a good position to develop such resources. ASE for example
has published a wide range of relevant materials over the years
including:
— the very successful SATIS (Science
and Technology in Society) materials;
— PSTS Project publications such as
Teaching sustainable development in primary schools a case study
of effective practice, One small step, understanding the science
of environmental issues, Understanding the earth's place in the
universe, Teaching energy and energy efficiency effectively;
— The Primary Science Teachers Handbook
and Secondary Science Teachers' Handbook both of which
contain relevant chapters on Environmental Education.
More recently:
— the highly acclaimed CD-ROMS produced
by ASE as part of Science Year each contain material which deals
with issues of sustainability. These can be accessed at sycd.org.uk:
and
— the Science Across the World project
which has its own website at saw.org.uk and reaches up to 60 countries
and provides study modules on topics such as: Biodiversity around
us, Domestic Waste, Acid Rain, Renewable Energy, Global Warming.
* ASE's own website is developing a section
on Global Issues with some support from DEA.
An exciting new project UPD8 (Update) is currently
being trialled in collaboration with Planet Science, IBM and Sheffield
Hallam, and uses text messages to send up to date scientific news
stories to teachers with supporting activities for use in their
lessons.
Science also has a major role to play in ESD
through its contribution to citizenship education and programmes
of communicating science to a wider audience.
Science as a core subject in the curriculum
provides significant opportunities for strengthening understanding
of sustainable development thus helping our citizens to make more
informed choices based on evidence rather than simply opinion.
In order to ensure that ESD is embedded in the
curriculum there is a need for not only appropriate teaching materials
but also programmes of professional development which provide
training advice and support for teachers of science.
The ASE is willing and able to contribute to
such developments and would welcome the opportunity to discuss
the issues further.
February 2003
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