science, technology, and society chapter 6 science, technology, and society in the science classroom

Science, Technology, and Society

Chapter 6

Science, Technology, and Society in the Science Classroom


Case to Consider: A Student-Centered Project

• A group of high school biology students are developing a project that explores the possibility of “birth control information centers” on campus in response to the issue of teen pregnancy.

• Some parents are concerned and a conference has been scheduled.

• How should the teachers prepare for this meeting?

• What rationale and procedures should guide this learning experience?


How to Read This Chapter

Science-Technology-Society (STS) in the curriculum is a departure from traditional science education, due to its interdisciplinary nature, and its immersion in social issues.

In this chapter, reflect on your views of science as they related to your discipline (biology, chemistry, geology, physics) and ask yourself how these disciplines interact with technology and society.

Many strategies of teaching are presented in this chapter. Also you will find curriculum projects that are based on STS and Environmental Education (EE). You might also want to visit the websites of the projects identified in the chapter, and find others via your own research on-line or in schools.


Invitations to Inquiry

• What are the characteristics of STS & EE programs?• How is the STS perspective different from the traditional

approach to science curriculum?• What strategies do science teachers use to present develop

STS learning experiences?• What are some of the STS themes, and how do teachers

present them in the classroom?• What are some STS curriculum examples used in today’s

secondary science classrooms?• How are STS modules evaluated? Are there criteria that

science teachers agree on?


Chapter 6 Map


Nature of STS

• Central premise of STS: to help students develop the knowledge; skills; and affective qualities in order to take responsible action on science and technologically oriented issues.

• Make a concept map showing the issues that students could learn about from the list of understandings shown here from the National Science Education Standards. Select one of the understandings.

• Now take a look at the Table shown here, and compare your map to the “big ideas” for two “understandings”.


Development of STS

• What is the timeline, and what are the goals for the following reports on infusing STS in school science:

• National Science Teachers Association

• National Science Education Standards

• American Association for the Advancement of Science


Characteristics of STS and EE Programs

• How do the following elements help educators develop a rationale for including STS in school science?– Problem and Issue Oriented– Interdisciplinary Thinking– Connecting Science to

Society– Global Thinking and the

GAIA Hypothesis– Relevance


Inquiry 6.1: Getting involved in STS

• In this inquiry, you’ll get involved in one of the projects suggested, or create your own STS action project.

• Choose one, carry it out, and report your results via a poster report.

• How can you turn your project into a science lesson plan?

Bike/Auto Ratio

AustraliaUnited States

Netherlands

China

Egypt

Mexico

South Korea

India


STS Teaching Cycle

• STS teaching is not simply learning about, its learning for. In STS activities, the idea is to not only have students learn about the relevant science and issues, but to take action for the issue.

• What are some events that could be used as a starting point for an STS teaching cycle? Jot down a few.

• Select one of these, and use the “responsibility cycle” to describe how the event could be turned into a series of STS teaching experiences.

Event leads to...Self-

Understanding (I)

STS Issues Study and

Reflection (II)

Responsible Social Action

(IV)

Decision-Making (III)

Responsibility Cycle

Integration (V)

Figure 6.5: STS Responsibility Cycle


STS Methods

• Which of the following STS methods would you use to help students deal with this issue: The local community wants to fill in a small pond that is adjacent to their school because it causing an “eye-sore” to the environment.

• STS Value Dilemma Sheet

• STS Action Dramas

• Action Voting

• Online Dilemma Discussion

• Think Piece

• Action Project


Strategies for STS Teaching

• Clarifying Values– Chemicals are harmful to

humans

– Nuclear power plants should be banned

– Fast foods should be avoided

– Smoking should be banned in public settings

• STS Value Dilemmas– Dilemma Sheet

– Dilemma Questions

– Action Dramas

– Voting


STS Dilemma Sheet• By use of a provocative statement

(or illustration), an issue is raised that has implications for students to consider.

• Photocopy or project the dilemma shown here to the class. Read the dilemma aloud as the class follows along. Pair students off, and have them respond in writing to the two questions shown here (there are more questions.

• Conduct a class discussion using the two questions as a guide.

Nuclear Power Plant Dilemma Sheet The Dilemma

On April 26, 1986, in what was the world’s largest nuclear disaster ever, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union exploded, releasing vast quantities of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Clouds of fallout covered large areas of Europe, contaminating food supplies and increasing the rate of cancer in human beings. The ongoing clean up has cost $14 billion so far, and over 250 people have died. Consult this site for further information: http://www.nucleartourist.com/events/chernobl.htm. Following the Chernobyl disaster, one NRC member estimated the chance of an accident in the U.S. as big or bigger occurring by 2005 to be as high as 45 percent. In 1989, citizens of Sacramento, California voted to shut down the publicly owned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant because it was unsafe and uneconomical.

Dilemma Questions 1. Some people think that nuclear power plants are unsafe not because of an accident might happen, but because the nuclear industry has not figured out a safe method for discarding the radioactive waste products produced by nuclear plants. Discuss your feelings on this matter. 2. Would you buy a house or take a job that was within a mile of a nuclear power plant?

http://www.nucleartourist.com/events/chernobl.htm


Case Study

Case Studies * Is a Mars Sample Return Mission Too Risky? * Should Dinosaurs be "Cloned" from Ancient DNA? * Selecting the Perfect Baby: Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis * Morgan: A Case of Diabetes * The Tokaimura Accident: Nuclear Energy * Reactor Safety Source: National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, State University of New York at Buffalo

• Case studies enable students to learn about issues important to them, and also to develop high level thinking skills in a debate environment.

• You can combine this strategy with the Structured Controversy presented in Chapter 9.

• Visit the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science and sketch out how you would implement one of the case in a middle or high school science course.

http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm

http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm


Action Projects

• Use the information in the text, and the cycle shown here to design an action project for one of the following topics:– Waste disposal– Pollution problems and control– Recycling efforts and

conservation– Zoning of land– Energy issues– Environmental protection– Local endangered wildlife

concerns

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

Leads to

Problem Identification

Fact-Finding

Problem Selection and

Definition

Brainstorming Solutions

Evaluating Solutions

Taking Action

Action Project Cycle


STS Module Design• Using the details of the STS

Module design in the Art of Teaching Science and the cycle shown here, develop the outline for a module on one of these topics:– Skin Cancer

– Ground-level ozone

– Acid rain

– Biological terrorism

– Tornado preparedness

– Drinking water

Goal Plan

My goal is: Design an STS Module

Completion date: 4 Weeks

1 What is the first step? Level I: STS Foundations

Target completion date: Week 1

2 What should come next? Level II: STS Issue Awareness


3 What is the third step?: Level III: Issue Investigation


4 Next step? Level IV: Action Skills Development


5 Final step? Make Responsible Decision and Takes Action


Design source: Harold Hungerford, University of Southern Illinois


Inquiry 6.2: STS Issues in Science Textbooks

• This inquiry will give you a good idea about the kinds of STS issues presented in modern science textbooks.

• You will use the results of a research study to analyze the nature and extent of STS issues in science texts.

• What STS issues are emphasized in the texts you studied? How does that compare with others who did the inquiry?

Source: Holt, Rinehard & Winston, Dallas,Texas; Life Science text, grades 6-8


STS Themes & How to Teach Them

• There are many potential themes for STS topics. In this section of the Art of Teaching Science, the following are presented:

• In the text– Air Quality and Atmosphere

• On the Companion site– Population Growth– Energy – Effects of Technological

Development– Hazardous Substances– Water Resources– Utilization of Natural Resources– Environment

Rank order in descending order of importance or make a concept mapshowing the relationships among the STS themes shown to the left.

Rank Order:

linking words linking words

linking words

linking wordslinking words

linking words

linking words

linking words

STS Themes


Note About the Themes

• Each theme is presented via:– Background information– A specific topic is identified– STS actions are described for

the theme– Resources

• The material presented here can be used to develop individual STS lessons, or develop a complete 3 - 5 week unit of study.

About STS Themes


Theme: Air Quality & Atmosphere

• There are many opportunities to involve students in this STS Theme. The text material presents information on acid rain, and includes some STS actions.

• You can also visit online projects such as GLOBE and see not only how they investigate the atmosphere, but other topics as well.

• Following this slide are five slides that take you through an international projects on clean air-studying ground-level ozone

http://www.globe.gov/


International Clean Air Project: AKA Project Ozone

Location of Collaborating Schools

http://artofteachingscience.org/ozone/


Researching Ozone Locally

Reading Ozone Level What’s the wind speed?

Using simple tools at the school level to monitor the air


EcobadgeThe Ecobadge is a card that changes color in the presence of ground-level ozone. The card shown on the left is used to read the ozone level in parts per billion. Order from Vistanomics

http://www.vistanomics.com/


Posting Data

A class data table used by the students to post data over a three day period.


Class Discussions

A teacher leading a discussion on the nature of the Ozone molecule.


Presenting Conclusions

Teams of students present their findings to the rest of the class. Their results included recommendations for making the air cleaner.


Inquiry 6.3: STS Module Design

• In this inquiry you will make use of the the information on creating STS modules, as well as the section on STS issues and how to teach them.


STS Curriculum Examples

• We review a few STS curricula and provide an Inquiry Activity for you to do the same.

• The following curriculum projects are presented:– Science Education for Public

Understanding Program (SEPUP)

– ChemCom– Project Learning Tree (PLT)– BSCS Modules– Project Wild– Sustainability Education Proje

ct

http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/sepup/index.html/

http://www.whfreeman.com/chemcom/

http://www.plt.org/

http://www.bscs.org/

http://www.projectwild.org/

http://www.iwla.org/

http://www.iwla.org/


Inquiry 6.4: Evaluating an STS Module or Project

• This inquiry is designed for the purpose of evaluating an STS module or project.

• You might use it to evaluate an STS project, or if you created an STS module, use it to review your work.

• Use the STS criteria outlined in the chapter and listed in the Inquiry to make your assessment.

• What are the results of your evaluation?

http://www.projectwild.org/


Science Education Literature: Education for Environmental Sustainability by

David L. Haury• Read Haury’s article

and use it to develop a rationale for teaching environmental sustainability in a K-12 school district.

science, technology, and society chapter 6 science, technology, and society in the science classroom

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