Big ideas in sciences

1. Unit 2: Learning in science as
the development of big ideas
Principles and big ideas of science education

2. Ten principles of science education (1)
 1. Develop and sustain learners’ curiosity about the world and enjoyment of scientific
activity …………………….
 2. Take and informed part in decisions, take appropriate actions, that affect their own
wellbeing and the wellbeing of the society and the environment
 3. Multiple goals:
 Set of ‘big ideas’: ideas of science, ideas about science, its role in society
 Gathering and using evidence
 Scientific attitudes
 4. Clear progression (ideas need to be achieved at various points → goals)
 5. Topics of interest to students and relevance in their lives → progression towards big
ideas
 6. Learning experiences should reflect a view of scientific knowledge and scientific
inquiry that is explicit
 7. Curriculum activities should deepen understanding of scientific ideas (+ fostering
attitudes and capabilities)

3. Ten principles of science education (2)
 8. Programmes (student learning + initial training and professional development
of teachers) should be consistent with the teaching and learning methods
required to achieve the goals (principle 3)
 9. Assessment (formative and summative) has a key role in science education and
must apply to all goals. (Specific aims in CAPS)
 10. Schools’ science programmes should promote cooperation (teachers,
communities, scientists)

4. Fourteen big ideas in science (1)
Ideas of science + ideas about science
Ideas of science
 1. All material in the Universe is made of very small particles
 2. Objects can affect other objects at a distance
 3. Changing the movement of an object requires a net force to be acting on it
 4. The total amount of energy in the Universe is always the same but energy can
be transformed when things change or are made to happen
 5. The composition of the Earth and its atmosphere and the processes occurring
within them shape the Earth’s surface and its climate
 6. The solar system is a very small part of one of millions of galaxies in the
Universe

5. Fourteen big ideas in science (2)
 7. Organisms are organized on a cellular basis
 8. Organisms require a supply of energy and materials for which they are often
dependent on or in competition with other organisms
 9. Genetic information is passed down from one generation of organisms to
another
 10. The diversity of organisms, living and extinct, is the result of evolution

6. Fourteen big ideas in science (3)
Ideas of science
 11. Science assumes that for every effect there is one or more causes
 12. Scientific explanations, theories and modes are those that best fit the facts
known at a particular time
 13. The knowledge produced by science is used in some technologies to create
products to serve human ends
 14. Applications of science often have ethical, social, economic and political
implications

7. Why Big Ideas?
 Current school science leaves many students untouched in developing broad ideas
of science that could help understanding of things around them and enable them
to take part in decisions as informed citizens
 The goal of science education is not knowledge of a body of facts and theories but
a progression towards key ideas which enable understanding of events and
phenomena of relevance to students’ lives
 High stakes assessment results in what is taught being determined by what is
assessed rather than by what is of value adding to a growing understanding of key
ideas and development of reasoning skills and attitudes
 Identifying big ideas in science is a natural accompaniment to promoting inquiry-
based science education

8. Identifying big ideas in science
 If we want students to develop their understanding of science through inquiry we
need to identify the course of cognitive progression … which ideas need to be
achieved?
 Consider the principles of science education … these principles will guide us about
the goals and procedures of science education
 Ten principles underpinning the science education → explain the thinking behind
the selection of 14 big ideas (10 ideas of science and 4 ideas about science)
 How do we progress towards achievement of the identified idea?
 What are some of the implication for classroom practice?

9. A few examples of Big Ideas
 Chemistry – Topic: Chemical reactions: specifically oxidation reactions
 Big idea: Chemical processes can cause a change in the chemical, and therefore physical,
properties of substances
 Life sciences – Topic: Inheritance from sexual reproduction
 Big idea: Each sex cell has a random combination of alleles, and different combinations of
sex cells would result in different combinations of alleles, and hence, different physical
characteristics
 Earth science – Topic: The relationship between the pressure below the earth’s
surface and pressures above the earth’s surface
 Big idea: The geologic processes below earth’s surface can result in observable changes
on the earth’s surface