Scientific literacy is only increasing what is already there

The development of scientific literacy through the teaching of primary science has had many positive

implications, which is considered useful if the child is to become a functioning member of society. Discuss arguments to refute this

statement.

The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

define Scientific literacy as:

"the capacity to use scientific knowledge, to identify questions and to draw evidence-

based conclusions in order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the changes made to it through

human activity.“

http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/investigate/index.htm

Scientific literacy is only increasing what is already there.

Creativity is an innate thing. Therefore the students are already creative. We are using their creativity to explore scientific possibilities. We are not using Science to develop their creativity

We have been working collaboratively since the beginning of time. God inspired/directed purpose

We don’t have to wait on Science to explore and understand our environment. Natural instinct:-babies do activities on their own.

The native Indians were able to tell time, predict weather, build canoes etc. before formal Science classes.

The characteristics of Science is that it is imaginative and creative.

Science is dependent on our own creativity e.g. Sr. Isaac Newton had the idea before he was able to prove

it.

Also, in terms of ‘displacement’, women of long ago placed butter in water to know how much butter they

were using.

Another example is Archimedes theories/inventions

The world is understandable.

This is a main characteristic of Science

Many use science literacy for negative things. For example:

• Making different variations of cocaine• Gunpowder• Atom bomb• Cloning• H-bomb• Nuclear bomb

Scientific ideas are subject to change.

(This can cause confusion)

Scientific literacy is not needed always to decide if something is good for society or not.

Tobacco farmers used to look at the insects’ socialization to determine what crops should be planted at specific times. That was their form of

organic pest control and use of food chain knowledge. To date they argue that natural (inorganic) pesticides are better than organic pesticides e.g.

they had to bring in the lady bugs to eat out the mealy bugs because organic pesticides were ineffective.

Plant infested with Mealy Bug Lady Bug

Man has been depending on Science (nature) e.g. roasted scorpion in olden days as a antitoxin , coming of locusts.

Scorpion Swarm of Locusts

Religious aspect• causes children to question

the truism of God because he is not scientifically proven

• creates a thin line with the belief of creation e.g. cloning

• our faith is based on belief and vice versa. Scientific literacy has caused pupils to believe that all our miracles are not true because there is no empirical evidence to support them

• Social progress is not important to a scientist- they socialise when they have to or when are told to.

• Therefore if scientific literacy is fully developed there is the possibility that people can lose their social skills.

vs

• Can create a false impression of what intelligence is or should be. e.g. people who are artistically inclined in the eyes of others, tend to be considered less intelligent.

• Not everybody that is scientifically inclined is intelligent.