What are the Aims of Science Teaching?

Aims of Science Teaching

In today’s modern and developed society, it has been realised by the experts that various kinds of positive changes can be brought out in the behavioural pattern of the students only by providing an important place to the science in the school curriculum. Different views have been expressed by the experts regarding the aims of science teaching, some of which are as follows:

a. Knowledge Aim:

An important aim of science teaching should be to provide such kind of useful information to the students by which their level of scientific knowledge gets developed. It is only through such information that a student’s understanding of his or her environment can get developed.

It is not possible to bring tremendous increase in the knowledge level of students by introducing the subject of science in advanced level, for which proper place should be provided to this subject in the curriculum designed for primary level students.

However, the nature of information provided at such level should be in the forms of simple facts and principles. For the students getting education in higher classes, sphere of this awareness can be increased progressively. Thus, the main aim of science teaching should be to bring about an increase in knowledge level of student’s regarding scientific facts and phenomenon.

b. Developing Scientific Attitudes:

An important aim of science education should be to develop scientific attitude among the students by which they can take all their decisions on rational terms. It is only through such attitude that students will begin to free themselves from the shackles of false beliefs and superstitions.

An important implication of this aim is .that student’s will become open-minded and their narrow-mindedness will get replaced with wide perspective. Reasoning power will get developed in them and they will rely not on the beliefs and opinions of others, but the results or outcomes obtained through testing and experimentations.

Through scientific attitude, curiosity to reveal hidden parts of all the phenomenon will get developed in the students. Such students and people will make use of various scientific methods in their daily life and will make use of such methods in solving out various kinds of problems arising in life.

Qualities of tolerance and honesty will get developed in such students and they will begin to respect the point of view of other’s people. Such students will and analyse the facts on basis of facts and will take rational decisions in their life.

c. Practical Aim:

Students should be taught properly the practical aspect of all the scientific principles by which they can make use of them in their day to day life. Through such kind of knowledge, they will be able to understand themselves and also the kind of environment in which they live. Science teaching should be conducted in such a manner by which students can understand the fact that science is not only a theoretical subject but a practical subject also.

d. Societal Aims:

As known that today’s world is ever changing in nature in which various kinds of change take place in different spheres daily. In such a situation only that person can progress in life who knows the art of making adjustments in accordance with changed conditions.

An important aim of science teaching should to develop such social virtues in themselves by which they can make necessary adjustments in themselves as to lead a well adjusted social life. Only such person can play an effective role in conducting various processes for the welfare of the society.

Thus, an important aim of science teaching should be to make a student able to adjust himself or herself in accordance with the changed conditions. Only such kind of person can realise the fact that he or she can play an important role in societal development and his or her development is also linked directly with the development of society in which he or she lives or whose part he or she is.

Those qualities should get developed in the students by which they can make use of knowledge gained through science teaching in their daily life and can play an important role in various progressive functions. Students should understand the harmful effects of making use of science and technology in improper way, as it is only through this, they will become self-conscious in true respect.

e. Psychological Aims:

Although all human beings possess an urge to explore the hidden parts of various things found around themselves, but children are found to be more curious to know various things. They do not like to rely on the beliefs and views of other people, but like to explore the things themselves and to draw the truth from their own observations.

Thus, urge to explore hidden parts of the things is an important psychological feature of the children, which can only get satisfied if they will be provided with proper opportunities to do experiments on their own. Such kind of opportunities are provided by science to considerable extent.

In reality, science education is capable of providing proper kind of opportunities for all the students in satisfying their psychological needs and diversified interests. Thus, it can be said that an important aim of teaching science is to provide such kind of opportunities to the students by which their inner desires and urges get fulfilled and they can get psychological satisfaction.

f. Cultural Aims:

It is with the progress and improvements in the study of science that development of culture and civilization of a nation is usually linked. It has been found that in nations where level of science and technology is more developed, there civilizations have developed to considerable extent. Thus, scientifically developed nations have rich cultural aspects.

From this fact, it is being concluded by the experts that development of science and technology plays an important role in bringing various kinds of developments in civilization of the nation. For this reason, majority of experts are of the view that for getting ahead in matter of development of civilization and culture, it is very important to take all the steps by which progressive improvement in the study of science can be about.

The methods which are being used to impart scientific education play a very important role in determining the extent to which such information is being utilised by students in their practical life. Function of science teaching should be conducted in such a manner by which students can utilise the gained information for progress and development of civilization. Not only this, they should become so able as to appreciate the kind of role played by science and technology in bringing about development in civilization and society of the nation.

g. Vocational Aim:

Majority of the experts are of the view that through science, such kind of information should be provided to the students by which they can earn their livelihood in the future. This aim can be fulfilled only when students will understand the important role played by science in the development of a nation.

Students should understand the fact that without getting information relating to scientific developments and principles, they will not be able to get indulged in any of the industries. As known that in today’s world, there are very limited number of industries in which no use of highly advanced and technological machinery is made.

Even in agriculture sector, which was once considered to be a primitive area, uses of highly developed machines have begun. Without understanding the principles governing these machineries and their use, no students will be able to participate in any industry or enterprise.

For this reason, some experts consider that main aim of science teaching, especially in developing countries like ours, should be to provide basis for vocational career to the students by which they can get involved in highly technical vocations in the future and can play an important role in prosperity and progress of the nation.

Not only this, through such kind of knowledge, they will be able to get high monetary gains by which they can lead a comfortable and luxurious life and play an important role in diminishing the level of income inequality found in the nation.

h. Proper Utilisation of Leisure Time:

It has been found that those students get involved in wrong practices and areas who got plenty of leisure time. To curb this kind of tendency, it has been realised by the experts that such kind of information or knowledge should be provided to the students, by which they can make effective use of their leisure time. In this direction, science teaching plays a very important role.

Through this subject, students learn to understand the fact that everything happens with a specific reason and there are no such things like natural or divine power. With this such kind of information, perspective and thinking of students become more practical and they begin to rely more on logic reasons.

Such kinds of students begin to explore various things found in the natural surroundings or the incidences taking place around them. Not only this, a tendency to conduct various kinds of experiments and research studies also get developed in such students, by which they find a means to make proper utilisation of their leisure time.

In their leisure time, they indulged themselves in various kinds of creative activities by which their leisure time gets utilised properly and they do no get involved in wrong practices. Thus, provision of means for better utilisation of leisure time is regarded as one of the main aims of science teaching by some experts.

j. Study of Other Subjects:

As known that an important objective of education is to get the over-all development of students, for which purpose, various subjects are included in the curriculum. All the subjects are chosen very carefully, by which they can play an important role in achieving the main objective of education.

For imparting information of various subjects properly, well defined programmes are constructed. These programmes are designed in such a manner that they help in promoting or attaining each-other’s objective. Some kind of common features are being included in all the subjects as a result of which they can help in attaining various purposes of education. Thus, study of one subject is being influenced or affected by other subjects included in the curriculum.

As known that through science, various kinds of abilities can be developed in the students, for which, it is necessary to design the content of this subject in such a way by the help of which study of other subjects included in the curriculum become easy.

Science teaching should aim at developing those qualities in the students by which they can understand other subjects also and can make use of scientific facts and concepts in their practical life. It is only through such kind of practice or situation that a teacher will prove to be successful in bringing an / over-all development of the students.

k. Ability of Scientific Appreciation:

An important aim of science teaching should be to develop those qualities in the students with the help of which they can appreciate the role played by science in modern time. Once such kind of quality gets developed in students, they will get enabled to realise the significance or importance of various discoveries and their influence on human life and society at large.

Not only this, through such kind of knowledge, they will be able to appreciate and understand the hardships undertaken by scientists in course of their discoveries. Generally biographies of various scientists are also included in the curriculum, because of which students will be able to realise the extent of pleasure they achieved when their experiments or study proved to be successful.

Through such kind of realisation, they will get more motivated to get indulged in various kinds of experimentation processes, as they realise that happiness and pleasure one achieved through successful experimentation is one of the most valuable and precious feeling.

l. Training Students in Scientific Methods:

Students getting science learning get trained in the use of scientific methods as they are motivated to make use of such methods in various experiments. They also make use of such methods in making observations when experimental demonstrations are being organised by the teachers. In simple terms, practice of appreciation of existence of some problem and a willingness to solve it is included in the concept of scientific method.

Accumulation of facts and data being pertinent to the problem is an important feature which gets developed in students who are trained in scientific methods. Sound thinking habits get developed in the students as a result of science education. Not only this, they become more able to face their life problems and challenges in more logical and scientific manner.

In solving various problems arising in different spheres of life, they first analyse the problem and then take the decision on basis of various facts which are being gathered from different sources. On basis of various facts gathered from various sources, rational conclusions are being drawn by such persons, as a result of which, they become able to take sound and appropriate kind of decisions.

m. Aim of Better Living:

Through information obtained from science teaching, students get to know about the laws of healthful living and about the concepts like hygienic life. Through this subject, students are provided with training in healthful living. They come to know about the facts as what is the meaning of well- balanced diet and the sources from which they can get essential components. Through scientific facts and knowledge, they become able to understand the causes of various diseases and the manner in which they can keep themselves healthy and away from such diseases.

Such kind of information helps the students in leading a healthful life, which, thereby, improve their living standard to considerable extent. With such kind of information, they learn to keep themselves healthy and free from diseases in various seasons.

They begin to understand the techniques by which they can cure various diseases and also prevent themselves from ill- effects of various natural phenomenons. Thus, some experts consider an important aim of science teaching as to make students able to live a healthy and high standard life.