MAKING SENSE OF THE NATURE OF SCIENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO TECHNOLOGY: LEVEL 7

ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES

Students can

write a historical case study of people's developing ideas in a selected area of scientific knowledge, e.g., inheritance of genetically controlled characteristics, alternative fuels, planet atmospheres;
investigate the interaction of science and technology, e.g., theories of conduction and electronics, scientific ideas about human reproduction and birth-related technologies;
research the personal and ethical issues which arise from the impact of science and technology on people and their environment.

Students could be learning by:

constructing a flow diagram to illustrate the numerous steps, and people who were involved, in the decoding of DNA (L 7.3);
finding out about modern developments in the field of genetically linked diseases in humans (L 7.3);
investigating the scientific theories behind fibre optics and their applications (P 7.4);
debating a local government issue about the location of a new waste disposal processing plant, taking into account the conflicting claims about the effects on people (E 7.4, M 7.4);
carrying out an investigation to discover water pollution levels in a river which receives factory or commercial effluents (M 7.4).

ASSESSMENT EXAMPLES

Teachers and students could assess the students':

information accessing skills and understanding, when the students write a report on the historical development of our understanding of the mobility of the Earth's crust;
ability to research the scientific basis of foetal monitoring, when the students write an essay on technological developments in ante-natal care;
ability to give an account of conflicting points of view, when the students write an essay outlining the decision-making process involved in selecting a dam site;
ability to critically assess, when the students review science items presented in the popular media.