# Transcript

Sandra Amos

Hello. I'm Sandra Amos, the author of this course.

I have a wealth of experience in science education both as a teacher in secondary schools and as a teacher educator in university.

Science is considered by many as a core subject in school curriculum, not only because of the need to produce the scientists of the future but also to empower students to make informed choices in their lives and enable them to take part in key debates confronting society today.

If these different goals for science education are to be achieved science teachers need to do more than focus on preparing students for examinations. Doing this alone will not portray science as the fascinating subject that it is.

Science education needs to inspire and motivate students to pursue science beyond what is merely compulsory. If we fall into the trap of focusing on content knowledge alone we do students and science a disservice. Science is so much more than a collection of facts and theories.

Students arrive at the school’s science lab with their own conceptions of science and views about whether science is for them or not. This is gained from their encounters with science outside school. These views and attitudes will also be influenced by the experience students have of science in school. Sadly too many students leave school feeling alienated from science so teachers need to engage their students in science by showing them what being scientific truly means and how science really works in society.

This course is aimed at secondary science teachers starting their careers. It examines how the way science is conceptualised, impacts on the teaching and learning of science in particular through the use of practical work. This key teaching approach is framed in terms of its purpose, and how it can be used more effectively to support students’ learning of and about science.

The final session of the course focuses on why dealing with controversial issues in science education is important and the approaches that teachers can take.

I hope you find it interesting and useful.