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ADST107 Science and Technology for Primary Teachers 1
10 cp
Science education is a strategic priority in Australian schools and early childhood settings; therefore, teachers need an understanding of science and its importance in society today. This and the next unit in the sequence have been designed to lay a foundation that enables preservice early childhood and primary educators to develop a deeper understanding of the historical, social nature and future of science and technology and their role in critical transformation to a sustainable society. In this unit, science and technology are portrayed as particular ways of knowing, engaging with and shaping the world. These forms of knowing are useful learning processes for children and educators undertaking emergent curriculum. Within science, these ways of knowing are exemplified by the role of evidence and scientific method through exploration of some of the big stories that have shaped human culture, such as cosmology, astronomy, evolution, germ theory, plate tectonics. In technology, the processes of design, construction and evaluation are examined. A framework provided by the broad themes of matter and energy that characterise western science enables a range of concepts to be explored. These contribute to students conceptual understanding of their place in western science and prepare the groundwork to examine relevant content contained within the various school curricula in the next unit. Throughout these units the critical issues of sustainability are addressed through selected content that allows early childhood and primary preservice teachers to engage with science and technology though a range of environmental issues within an authentic local project focus which is particularly relevant to early childhood contexts.