Page 34 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
Differentiated Instruction is responsive instruction. It occurs as teachers become increasingly proficient in understanding their students as individuals, increasingly comfortable with the meaning and structure of the disciplines they teach, and increasingly expert at teaching flexibly in order to match instruction to student need with the goal of maximizing the potential of each learner in a given area.
Carol Ann Tomlinson, Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom (ASCD, 2003), pp. 2–3
In order to learn science and to apply their knowledge and skills effectively, students must develop a solid understanding of scientific concepts. Research and successful classroom practice have shown that an inquiry approach, with emphasis on learning through con- crete, hands-on experiences, best enables students to develop the conceptual foundation they need. When planning science programs, teachers will provide activities and challenges that actively engage students in inquiries that honour the ideas and skills students bring to them, while further deepening their conceptual understandings and essential skills.
Students will investigate scientific concepts using a variety of equipment, materials, and strategies. Activities are necessary for supporting the effective learning of science by all students. These active learning opportunities invite students to explore and investigate abstract scientific ideas in rich, varied, and hands-on ways. Moreover, the use of a variety of equipment and materials helps deepen and extend students’ understanding of scientific concepts and further extends their development of scientific investigation skills.
All learning, especially new learning, should be embedded in well-chosen contexts for learning – that is, contexts that are broad enough to allow students to investigate initial understandings, identify and develop relevant supporting skills, and gain experience with varied and interesting applications of the new knowledge. In the secondary science curriculum, many of these contexts come from the Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE) expectations. Such rich contexts for learning enable students to see the “big ideas” of science. This understanding of “big ideas” will enable and en- courage students to use scientific thinking throughout their lives. As well, contextualized teaching and learning provides teachers with useful insights into their students’ thinking, their understanding of concepts, and their ability to reflect on what they have done. This insight allows teachers to provide supports to help enhance students’ learning.
HEALTH AND SAFETy IN SCIENCE
Teachers must model safe practices at all times and communicate safety expectations to students in accordance with school board and Ministry of Education policies and Ministry of Labour regulations. Teachers are responsible for ensuring the safety of students during classroom activities and also for encouraging and motivating students to assume respon- sibility for their own safety and the safety of others. Teachers must also ensure that students have the knowledge and skills needed for safe participation in science activities.
To carry out their responsibilities with regard to safety, it is important for teachers to have:
• concern for their own safety and that of their students;
• the knowledge necessary to use the materials, equipment, and procedures involved in science safely;
• knowledge concerning the care of living things – plants and animals – that are brought into the classroom;
• the skills needed to perform tasks efficiently and safely.
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