The guidelines emphasize the importance of helping students develop a base of knowledge and skills that will continue to grow throughout their lifetime" (Moreno, 569). The following approaches are meant to aid and help science teaching and learning be more effective and meaningful.
"The Science/Technology/Society (STS) approach to teaching science has been researched and practiced for more than 20 years. This approach uses current issues in the lives of students and society as the foundation of study. Students identify issues and share in the planning of activities that seek to find out about and possibly help resolve these issues " (Weld, 756). This particular approach is getting students empowered. The focus is on the students and making sure they understand the material.
Cooperative learning is a method that "organizes students into groups in which each individual is responsible for defined tasks or content areas. This approach is believed to bring important benefits to students, including enhanced individuals learning, greater retention of knowledge, improved development of social skills, and more opportunities for students with a wide range of abilities to make important contributions to the group" (Moreno, 570).
Questioning strategies is another method. In this method, "teachers become facilitators who provide encouragement and guidance, instead of deliverers of information through lectures or assigned readings. This transition implies that teachers give up their role as experts and allow students to learn through their own collaborative explorations" (Moreno, 570).
The expression less-is-more is one that can be used in terms of science. Too often teachers feel they have to finish a textbook before the end of the year in order to say their students learned something. "Most of our general science textbooks in the United States touch on many topics rather then probe any one in depth" (Kelly, 37).