The Teaching of Science
INTRODUCTION
One of the most important and pervasive goals of schooling is to teach students to think.
All school subjects should share in accomplishing this overall goal. Science contributes
its unique skills, with its emphasis on hypothesizing, manipulating the physical world and
reasoning from data.
Teaching Science is one of the most interesting tasks of a teacher. Science learning
should be fun and challenging. These are strategies and methods that are appropriate for
the subject matter you will teach. You will make the children have their minds on and
hands on together.
The scientific method, scientific thinking and critical thinking have been terms used at
various times to describe these science skills. Today the term "science process skills" is
commonly used. Popularized by the curriculum project, Science - A Process Approach
(SAPA), these skills are defined as a set of broadly transferable abilities, appropriate to
many science disciplines and reflective of the behavior of scientists. SAPA grouped
process skills into two types-basic and integrated. The basic (simpler) process skills
provide a foundation for learning the integrated (more complex) skills. These skills are
listed and described below.
BASIC SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
Observing - using the senses to gather information about an object or event. Example:
Describing a pencil as yellow.
Inferring - making an "educated guess" about an object or event based on previously
gathered data or information. Example: Saying that the person who used a pencil made
a lot of mistakes because the eraser was well worn.
Measuring - using both standard and non-standard measures or estimates to describe
the dimensions of an object or event. Example: Using a meter stick to measure the
length of a table in centimeters.
Communicating - using words or graphic symbols to describe an action, object or
event. Example: Describing the change in height of a plant over time in writing or
through a graph.
Classifying - grouping or ordering objects or events into categories based on properties
or criteria. Example: Placing all rocks having certain grain size or hardness into one
group.
Predicting - stating the outcome of a future event based on a pattern of evidence.
Example: Predicting the height of a plant in two weeks time based on a graph of its
growth during the previous four weeks.
INTEGRATED SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
Controlling variables - being able to identify variables that can affect an experimental
outcome, keeping most constant while manipulating only the independent variable.
Example: Realizing through past experiences that amount of light and water need to be
controlled when testing to see how the addition of organic matter affects the growth of
beans.
Defining operationally - stating how to measure a variable in an experiment. Example:
Stating that bean growth will be measured in centimeters per week.
Formulating hypotheses - stating the expected outcome of an experiment. Example:
The greater the amount of organic matter added to the soil, the greater the bean growth.
Interpreting data - organizing data and drawing conclusions from it. Example:
Recording data from the experiment on bean growth in a data table and forming a
conclusion which relates trends in the data to variables.
Experimenting - being able to conduct an experiment, including asking an appropriate
question, stating a hypothesis, identifying and controlling variables, operationally
defining those variables, designing a "fair" experiment, conducting the experiment, and
interpreting the results of the experiment. Example: The entire process of conducting
the experiment on the effects of organic matter on the growth of bean plants.
Formulating models - creating a mental or physical model of a process or event.
Examples: The model of how the processes of evaporation and condensation interrelate
in the water cycle.
SCIENCE PROCESSES AND HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS
Higher Order Thinking
Skills
Integrated Process Skills Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Formulating Problem solving
Hypothesis
Controlling (In Real life context)
variables
Basic Process Skills Defining
Observing operationally
Classifying Experimenting
Communicating Interpreting Data
Measuring Formulating model
Inferring
Predicting
Inquiry-Based Science
There are many strategies in the use of inquiry-based science. Below are some
examples. Inquiry-based science involves learners to do science when given the
opportunities to explore possible solution, make explanations for the phenomena under
study, elaborate explanation on the concepts and processes and make assessment of
how these are understood based on available evidences.
Here are some strategies that are influenced by inquiry-based science.
1. 5E’s Model in Science Teaching
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
2. Q-M-S Strategy
Question of problem
Means or how the plan will be carried out
Solution
3. 3E-P (Exciting Examples of Everyday Phenomena)
4. 4A’s in Science Teaching
Activity
Analysis
Abstraction
Application
5. Use of Discrepant Event (POE-E)
Prediction – what do you think will happen?
Observe – what did you observe?
Explore – find solution to the problem
Explain – describe what you think happened in words and pictures.
References
Bilbao, P.P et al., Teaching Science Volume 1, Lorimar Publishing, Inc., Brgy. Kaunlaran, Cubao,
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, 2019
https://narst.org/research-matters/science-process-skills
