Science is a systematic enterprise that creates, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Since then, science became an area of interest not just for full pledged scientists but to science enthusiast as well. It is for this reason that science and technology and the study of the said subject was introduced to the formal education. From then on, science was discovered to have been co-existing with the human beings in an everyday basis. It is an integral part of the existence of individuals, and therefore must be understood.
Science, both basic and complex must be taught in the schools. From the basic concept of what is science, its origin, up to the concepts of physics, chemistry, biology, biochemistry and the likes, students must greatly understand why science is being taught and is part of the school curriculum.
Coexisting with the great concept of Science are the courageous persons who devoted their time and even life time to discover wonderful things that may seem weird and odd during those times but is now beneficial to modern day living. Their qualities and journeys, in one way or another, have taught us lessons on science and technology thereby inspiring the young students of today to become better and aim higher.
Recent research by Kate Deddens, published in May 2015 in her Article BIG Ideas: Truth, Beauty, Goodness and More!, states five of the great reasons and lessons in studying Science and Technology:
- Inspires curiosity and an attitude of discovery.
Students are exposed to excellent role models in the scientists they research and they learn from them how to be discoverers themselves. They perceive that science is explorative, innovative, and creative. Students also learn the important life lessons of dealing with the ambiguities and frustrations of stepping out into uncharted territory. They learn from famous examples like Faraday or Curie to respond to the questions of what to do when they do not have access to an answer key or an expert resource to consult. In addition, students are frequently truly inspired to life-long scientific curiosity by the models they meet in their research.
2. Promotes the understanding that progress has been happening in scientific fields for centuries. Science is always in the process of being refined. New ideas build upon older ideas (some of which are being rediscovered after being long buried in obscurity). Science is not static. Students learn to appreciate the fluidity of scientific knowledge and begin to understand how their own knowledge and discernment is important when examining any scientific ideas or discoveries they encounter in their own lives.
3. Encourages the integration of ideas and subjects.Students learn to identify with the men and women behind the scientific discoveries that have such an indelible impact on the students’ own lives today. Almost every one of the scientists studied has had a direct influence on our daily, modern existence. Through their research, students see these scientists as real people, who came from definite places and backgrounds, who had certain kinds of education and beliefs, and who had goals and aspirations. They learn from this that science does not happen in some sort of scholarly, academic vacuum, but is an integral part of the course of civilization’s development.
4. Encourages truth-seeking.In researching the lives and work of great scientists, students learn that these scientists—even though they stepped out into the unknown, and even though they were influenced by the times and places in which they lived—sought timeless, objective truths that could then be applied to life successfully. This affirms not only the validity of scientific endeavors but it confirms that we are able, through the scientific method, to reach, articulate, and use truth concretely in our lives. Whether or not a plane flies is not relative; it either does or does not fly! The questions of how fast it flies or what its length is are ones that come up with relativity, sure…but do not dispute actual event of the flying. Students are able to see scientists actively pursuing abstract truths that can then be used in the concrete world and this is a great testimony against the philosophies of relativism so rampant in our times.
5. Allows students to study important scientists who asked good questions and worked towards good answers. Students who study the lives of real scientists gain an appreciation for all the hard work, patience, humility, and sheer volume of time and effort required for most major scientific discoveries to become part of the scientific body of knowledge. This helps students to understand not only the scientific method, but the importance of asking good questions, of sacrificing of themselves, and of tackling hard things as they seek knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
The great lessons in education can really be found in the books, references, and the four walls of the campus or schools, however, greater or the greatest lesson in education is embedded in the vicarious experiences of this scientist in achieving their goal. Sometimes, the means justify the end goal. It is always the substantial experience that will further improve the potentials of today’s young scientist that will make them move forward in the quest of knowledge and the noble act of sharing them to future learners as well.
By: CRISTINA C. SAMANIEGO | TEACHER III | LIMAY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL | LIMAY, BATAAN